2024 NFL Picks – Week 8: Eagles at Bengals

The Matchup. Edge: None.

Video of the Week: With the election coming up, it’s important to note how the two primary candidates are handling interviews:

The only thing I would have changed was Donald Trump going, “As I was saying” after he got shot because that’s actually what happened in real life.

PHILADELPHIA OFFENSE: Saquon Barkley didn’t have his best showing against the Browns, but he rebounded extremely well against the Giants. In fact, he had the most rushing yards against a former team in NFL history.

The Eagles shouldn’t have issues establishing Barkley in this game. The Bengals have one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. They weren’t exactly challenged last week versus an injured Nick Chubb, but Barkley is a completely different animal.

Besides, the Bengals won’t be able to stack the box against Barkley like they were able to do so versus Chubb. The Eagles have their dynamic downfield threats available, and given that Cincinnati has severe problems handling No. 1 receivers, it’s safe to assume that A.J. Brown is going to have another monster performance. The only way the Bengals can limit this is by pressuring Jalen Hurts, which will be possible because left tackle Jordan Mailata is sidelined.

CINCINNATI OFFENSE: The Bengals won’t be able to stop the Eagles, so if they are to win this game, they’ll have to do so in a shootout. This is possible, given the immense issues the Eagles have on this side of the ball.

Philadelphia hasn’t been able to cover top-end receivers all year either. Ja’Marr Chase will give them huge issues, especially because Tee Higgins is also present. The Eagles were able to limit Malik Nabers last week as a result of their pass rush hounding Daniel Jones all afternoon, but that was the result of Andrew Thomas being sidelined. The Bengals don’t have the best offensive line, but they’ll be able to protect Joe Burrow better than the Giants were able to do so for Jones.

The Eagles’ run defense isn’t great either. The Bengals figured things out with their rushers, finally giving the more-explosive Chase Brown carries over Zack Moss, so Brown should be able to pick up decent chunks of yardage.

RECAP: I live right outside of Philadelphia, so I know how the Eagles operate based on public perception. The city has some of the best sports-talk radio in the country. When everyone criticizes them, as they did last week following an underwhelming victory against the Browns, they play their best. When everyone is slurping them, they tend to let everyone down.

It’s safe to say that everyone is slurping the Eagles once again. Philadelphia just destroyed the Giants. Everyone seems to think that they’ve solved their problems. I’m not so sure though. Their defense is still a big question mark, while their pass protection is shaky with the left tackle injured. They dominated by the Giants, but that doesn’t mean they’ll play better against a team that is much better than New York.

This is a much more meaningful game for the Bengals. They’re still chasing multiple teams in the division, and they haven’t been playing well. They won’t be full of themselves like the Eagles will be after their blowout victory. And I think their passing attack will give Philadelphia’s secondary major fits.

THURSDAY THOUGHTS: There are no major injury updates outside of Dallas Goedert missing Wednesday’s practice. I still like the Bengals quite a bit.

PLAYER PROPS: We’ve highlighted how much the Bengals struggle against No. 1 receivers. It’ll be shocking if A.J. Brown doesn’t have a big game. The best number is over 75.5 receiving yards -115 at BetMGM.

SATURDAY NOTES: The only injury of note that we didn’t already know about is Tee Higgins being downgraded on Friday with a quad issue. If he’s ruled out, I’ll downgrade this pick a bit. I’m actually going to lower this wager to three units because it’s closer to being a 50-50 game than I initially thought.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Tee Higgins is out, which is a major blow for the Bengals. I’m dropping the unit count to two. The sharps haven’t touched this game. The best line is the standard -2.5 -110 at BetRivers. You can Get $500 in Second-Chance Bets from BetRivers by clicking the link.

The Motivation. Edge: Bengals.

The Eagles are coming off a blowout win against the rival Giants.

The Spread. Edge: None.

WalterFootball.com Calculated Spread: Pick.

Westgate Advance Point Spread: Bengals -3.

Computer Model: Pick.

The Vegas. Edge: None.

The Eagles are a public dog.

Percentage of money on Philadelphia: 70% (128,000 bets)

The Trends. Edge: None.

Nick Sirianni is 2-6 ATS in his second-consecutive road game.

Joe Burrow is 39-19 ATS when not favored by more than a touchdown (3-6 ATS otherwise).

Opening Line: Bengals -3.

Opening Total: 46.5.

Weather: Sunny, 56 degrees. Light wind.