The Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers will be making history Friday night, as this will be the first NFL game played in South America.
The game will be played in Sao Paulo, Brazil, at the Corinthians Arena, with a kickoff time at 8:15 ET.
But South America, North America, it’s all the same at Underdog, and here’s a pair of our favorite props from the site.
Best Packers vs. Eagles Picks (Week 1)
Our analysts break down their top picks for this Friday Night Football matchup.
Saquon Barkley More Than 64.5 yards
The Eagles ground game was middle of the pack last year, averaging 4.3 yards per carry – a number that is a touch lower than reality, thanks to the ever-present tush push.
But either way, the DeAndre Swift era is over and it appears, on paper, the Eagles bought themselves a massive upgrade when they went out and signed former New York Giant Saquon Barkley to a three-year, $37.75 million contract in the off-season.
And it would seem to follow that Nick Sirianni and company will be looking to get Barkley rolling from the jump.
There’s a few reasons for this: For starters, the Packers rush defense was not the team’s strong suit last year, giving up 4.5 yards per carry, good for 25th in the league. This included four games where they gave up over 200 yards on the ground (and five others where they gave up more than 122 yards). Things didn’t get much better in the playoffs, giving up 123 yards to the Cowboys in a win and 111 to the 49ers in a loss.
Furthermore, the starters at linebacker – Quay Walker, Eric Wilson, and Isaiah McDuffie – remain the same.
Also, let’s not forget the Eagles nosedived at the end of last year, losing five of their last six before falling to the Bucs in the Wild Card round. Perhaps no Super Bowl contender this year has as much at stake in the first game of the year.
All of this adds up to the Eagles wanting to control the ball, control the clock, control the game, and control the line of scrimmage. As long as they’re in shouting distance on the scoreboard, we think Barkley is going to get fed.
Where To Play: Saquon Barkley More Than 64.5 Yards | Underdog
Jayden Reed More Than 42.5 Receiving Yards
The Eagles defense struggled mightily against slot receivers last year.
To wit: The Eagles against Giants slot man Wan’Dale Robinson in week 17: Five catches for 85 yards.
In week 16 against Greg Dortch, who mans the slot for the Cardinals: Seven grabs for 82 yards.
In week 15, they held Robinson to 16 yards on three catches. Huzzah!
But in week 14, Jaxon Smith-Njigba went 4-48-1.
Week 13, CeeDee Lamb burned them for 6-71-1. Week 12 saw the 49ers do whatever they wanted through the air, with Brock Purdy tossing four touchdowns.
Bottom line is simple enough: The Eagles pass defense in 2023 was not so great, and they really got toasted by slot receivers.
Now: The Eagles secondary is wildly different this year. Number one cornerback Darius Slay returns, but the Birds went out and drafted Quinyon Mitchell in the first round and got Isaiah Rodgers back from his gambling suspension. They also – and in probably their most notable move – brought in longtime defensive whiz Vic Fangio to coach the defense.
But … we still expect the Packers and Jordan Love to attack the Eagles through the air – and through the slot – and force them to prove they’re actually better.
Enter Reed, who plays the slot role for the Packers. He exceeded this number in the Packers’ final three games last year, and five out of their last eight. This number feels a little bit low to us for Friday night’s matchup.
Where To Play: Jayden Reed More Than 42.5 Receiving Yards | Underdog
