Nick Piccone1-0. The Nick Sirianni Era is off to a good start.
A big test awaits this week against the San Francisco 49ers. Can the Eagles defense shut down a potent 49ers offense? Can the Eagles offense take advantage of a potent 49ers defense?
WE’RE GONNA FIND OUT!
This season, the Philly Influencer staff and contributors will be giving you their predictions and best bets! Let’s get to it.
Mike Diaz (@PhillyMike), 1-0
I feel like this is the first checkpoint for the Birds this season to see if they can be playoff contenders or not. A strong and unexpectedly dominant win in Atlanta in Week 1 has everyone saying, “Maybe the Eagles are good?” A strong 49ers squad comes to town, but they’re not as healthy as the Birds, and it’s only Week 2. The Eagles’ rush defense vs. Atlanta is a cause for a concern, but they kept the Falcons out of the end zone. Can they do the same vs. the Kyle Shanahan-designed 49ers’ running game? The Birds are 3-point dogs at home and the Linc is going to be ROCKING at full capacity for the first time in 20 months. It comes down to the lines again; if they perform as they did in Week 1, the Eagles will be 2-0.
Eagles 28, 49ers 24.
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Candis McLean (@CandisRMcLean), 1-0
This game will come down to blocking and eye discipline. If we can block Bosa, Armstead, and confuse Warner, our offense will be unstoppable (especially with Verrett out). If the Eagles linebackers, who had a disastrous Week 1, can play assignment football and not fall for Kyle Shanahan’s theatrics, then the defense will hold up. I think the first part is doable, since we have a dominant offensive line. But I have zero faith in these linebackers. The Eagles easily have the worst group in the league (outside of Singleton). And because of their play, this game will feature explosive plays for the 49ers, similar to the ones that were called back for Atlanta a week ago due to penalties or dropped passes by the Falcons receivers. My gut says the 49ers will win, but since we have the better pass-rush and it’s home, I’m going Eagles here. I also trust Hurts and the offense to have a high-scoring day.
Eagles 34, 49ers 28.
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Bruce Vail (@BruceJVail), 0-1
Man, how wrong I was last week on the result and over. This week, I’m gonna take another stab at an Eagles loss and a bunch of points being scored. I see the 49ers edging out a close one in this match-up. One thing to look at this weekend is how Miles Sanders does against a staunch run defense that struggled against a lowly Lions team.
49ers 27, Eagles 24.
Best bet: Miles Sanders anytime TD (+115).
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Tony Cutillo (@TCutillo23), 1-0
Even though the Eagles won in Week 1, this week will be a much bigger task. The 49ers are playing with a depleted secondary that will be prone to mistakes. This match-up will come down to Hurts vs. Warner (MLB). If Hurts can outlast the spy and stay efficient, the Eagles will be 2-0.
Eagles 24, 49ers 20.
Best bet: Jalen Reagor OVER 3.5 receptions.
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Tim O’Keefe (@TKO_Picks), 0-1
I haven’t been as pleasantly surprised as I was with that week 1 performance in a long time. Everything clicked for the Eagles, and now we find out if it was the Eagles are real, or the Falcons were just that bad. The 49ers were great in the first half of week 1, but let Detroit back in it to almost steal the game. Overall, I feel there are still more knowns with San Francisco at this point, so I’m leaning that way on the game, but excited to see if Hurts can have a similar performance to week 1.
49ers 31, Eagles 28.
Best bet: Total Points OVER 49 (-110).
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Chris Euksuzian (@ChrisEBomb), 1-0
Coming off a very emotional win and scoring 32 points in the process, the Eagles will have a tougher offensive test against the 49ers defense. San Francisco is a big step up and I expect this game to be highlighted by the run game and clock control. The line continues to go down on the total, so that is dictating my best bet.
Eagles 24, 49ers 20.
Bets bet: Total Points UNDER 49 (-110).
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Larry Henry Jr. (@lhenry019), 1-0
I like the Eagles to move to 2-0 this season with a hard-fought win over the visiting 49ers. With Raheem Mostert out for the season and two secondary pieces also out, San Francisco’s depth will be tested. I trust the Eagles offense to outduel the 49ers and also deliver good ball security for the second-straight week. Home field advantage will also be key.
Eagles 27, 49ers 20.
Best bet: DeVonta Smith OVER 48.5 yards (-115).
DeVonta Smith impressed in his NFL debut and I back the rookie wideout to hit his over in both receptions and receiving yards. With San Francisco without two secondary players, Smith should have ample opportunities to deliver for the Eagles, especially in the red zone.
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Mark Drumheller (@x_drumheller), 1-0
This short -3 line is a classic overreaction from the Eagles’ impressive debut and San Francisco taking their foot off the gas and allowing the Lions to score 16 points in garbage time. The 49ers were leading 41-17 with two minutes left. Don’t be fooled by the scoreboard.
Both offenses looked impressive against poor comparable defenses in Week 1. Now, the QB ‘s face a bigger challenge. Fred Warner and the 49ers linebackers will play a key role in taking away the short to intermediate passing game that flourished for Philly against Atlanta. Hurts will be forced to buy time and push the ball vertically playing into the 49ers pass rush in high leverage situations. SF’s offense was 2nd in yards per play and averaged a league best 12 yards per pass attempt in Week 1. While the Eagles new-look defense will pose more resistance, the 49ers should be able to outscore Philly here.
49ers 30, Eagles 24.
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THE PI BREW! (@thepibrew), 1-0
I keep telling myself not to overreact to the Eagles beating the Falcons because it was the Falcons. But hot damn did the Eagles look good in that win. The 49ers are a whole different team than the Falcons and they will present some challenges for the Birds. However, the 49ers ground game has question marks thanks to a season ending injury to Raheem Mostert. The Birds D should be able to contain Deebo Samuel, much like they were able to do with Calvin Ridley after the first drive from the Falcons. Plus, it’s hard not to get excited by what we saw with Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ offense with a more balanced attack and a commitment to run the ball. I don’t see a blowout here, but the Eagles should come out on top.
Eagles 26, 49ers 13.
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Sean Brace (@Sean_Brace), 0-1
This is absolutely a hot take, but Nick Siranni has a chance to take the NFL over with a win over the 49ers. Now, before you rip into me, understand I’m talking about owning the NFL hype train! Yes, they love to tear Philly down when they get the opportunity, but they also know nobody delivers like Philly does when we’re good. Best bet os Jale over 50 yards rushing. LFG
Eagles 24, 49ers 23.
Bets bet: Jalen Hurts OVER 50 rushing yards.
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Nick Piccone (@piccone_), 0-1
The Eagles proved me wrong last week, but I’m going to the well again. The 49ers are the better team in the last year due to results, and the Eagles haven’t had home-field advantage in any of their games since the NFC Championship Game in 2018. So, yes, I think the Eagles benefitted from a bad Falcons team last week, but they did impress me. I just have to see that more than once with this group before I think they can beat a good team at home, whether that team is riddled with injuries or not.
49ers 28, Eagles 21.
Best bet: Jalen Hurts OVER 289.5 Pass+Rush Yards (-115).
Betting odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
You can follow Nick Piccone on Twitter (@piccone_) and e-mail him at [email protected]. You can read his pro wrestling articles on PhillyVoice here.
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