It’s must-win week in the Keystone State and for gambling in Pennsylvania we have what should be two close games, at least according to oddsmakers, in NFL Week 5.
The Philadelphia Eagles (1-3) look to end a three-game losing streak as they visit the Carolina Panthers (1-3) Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (FOX).
The Eagles are coming off a 42-30 home loss to former Eagles head coach Andy Reid and his Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday.
The Eagles are 3-point underdogs on three Online sports betting: sportsbooks in PA (BetMGM PA, Caesars and DraftKings PA) with moneyline numbers at +140 on the Eagles (Caesars) or +150 (DraftKings and BetMGM). Over/Under total points range from 45-45.5 on all three.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts stepped up his game and must continue to do so. He completed 32 of 48 passes for 387 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions against the Chiefs. He also added eight carries for 47 yards on the ground and became just the second QB since 1950 with 30-plus rush yards in each of his first eight career starts.
Philadelphia’s running game is still a question mark. Running backs garnered 10 carries for just 44 yards on the day against Kansas City, led by rookie Kenneth Gainwell’s three carries for 31 yards with a 7-yard third quarter TD.
Carolina is coming off its first loss of the season, a 36-28 road setback at Dallas.
Leading 14-13 at halftime, Carolina was outscored 23-14 in the second half, highlighted by a 20-point third quarter.
Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold completed 26 of 39 passes for 301 yards with two TDs and two INTs. He also added six carries for 35 yards and two scores.
Running back Chuba Hubbard had 13 carries for 57 yards in place of the injured Christian McCaffrey, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury over the past couple of weeks. McCaffrey could return this week or the following week against the Minnesota Vikings.
Eagles-Panthers prediction
The Eagles defense managed just one sack against the Chiefs, which is understandable. They need to apply pressure on Darnold and capitalize if they make a stop. The city of Philadelphia is looking to the back end of the Eagles schedule for some positive results, as they see some victories that can be had there. However, it would be nice to see them steal a game somewhere.
Hurts needs help from his young and talented wide receivers and need to establish some kind of run game.
It will be interesting to see how the Panthers respond after their first loss of the season. Darnold has played well, the defense has been solid and Carolina is playing at home. I think it will be tight early, with the Panthers pulling away late. Panthers 31-24.
Steelers Hosting Broncos
The Denver Broncos (3-1) visit the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-3) for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff (CBS).
The Steelers are coming off a 27-17 road loss at Green Bay last Sunday to extend their losing streak to three games.
Over three sportsbooks, the Steelers are slight 1-point favorites on two (BetMGM, DraftKings) and pick'em at Caesars. The Pittsburgh moneyline as of Thursday afternoon was -115 at DraftKings; at BetMGM and Caesars, both teams were -110. The Broncos are listed at -105 at DraftKings. Over/Under total points on all three is at 39.5.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 26 of 40 passes for 232 yards with one TD and one INT against Green Bay. He also became the eighth player in league history to throw 400 career TD passes and passed Dan Marino for sixth place on the all-time passing yards list with 61,381.
Running back Najee Harris had 15 carries for 62 yards and one TD and wide receiver Diontae Johnson had nine receptions for 92 yards and one score.
The Broncos managed just one second-quarter TD in a 23-7 home loss to the Ravens last Sunday for their first loss of the season. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater left the game in the first half with a concussion. Bridgewater, who completed 7 of 16 passes for 65 yards and one TD before leaving the game, can’t play this Sunday unless he has met concussion protocols.
Backup QB Drew Lock completed 12 of 21 passes for 113 yards with no TDs and one INT against Baltimore.
Steelers-Broncos Prediction
With Bridgewater’s status in the air, the Steelers would really like to regroup and reenergize on both sides of the ball, especially at home. Big Ben still has his receivers in place and needs to get out of his current quagmire. The Broncos might just be the medicine he needs to get the offense going again.
I think he gets it done, with some big plays by the defense for support. Steelers 27-17.
