MNF Bets: Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 8
Monday Night Football is set to deliver another electrifying matchup as the Philadelphia Eagles travel to take on the Los Angeles Chargers. With both teams boasting explosive offenses and playmakers on both sides of the ball, this game promises plenty of drama under the primetime lights. The stakes are high, with both teams fighting for playoff positioning, and every snap means that much more as they head down the stretch.
The Eagles enter this showdown losing back-to-back games, while the Chargers came off their bye last week and won comfortably. According to the odds, the Eagles are 2.5-point favorites, and the total is pretty low at 41.5 points. All of these numbers are something to take into account when placing your bets, so make sure you study up before placing your bets.
In this article, I’ll highlight Justin Herbert, DeVonta Smith, and Kimani Vidal as my top looks of the night – whether that’s in a good or bad way. Let’s break down the picks that offer the best value for Monday night’s contest and see where the smart money should be as the Eagles and Chargers go head-to-head.
Justin Herbert: Over 0.5 Interceptions (+100)
Herbert only threw picks in four of his 18 games last season, but he’s now thrown eight in his last 10 games. It’s hard to imagine that Herbert went the first two matchups of the season (vs KC, at LV) without getting picked off, but injuries and inconsistent play have marred what was a strong start.
Tonight, he’ll face a fierce Eagles defense that thrives on creating pressure and forcing mistakes; Philly’s secondary is opportunistic and has a knack for capitalizing on errant throws. In fact, the Eagles have picks in each of their last three games, and this comes against quality QBs like Jared Goff, Dak Prescott, and Caleb Williams.
DeVonta Smith: Over 55.5 Receiving Yards (-110)
Smith has been the most reliable target for the Eagles, consistently producing big plays in the passing game. The chemistry with Hurts has been evident, even though AJ Brown is finally starting to kick the tires a little more over the last two games. Nevertheless, Smith has been targeted a total of 19 times in that span.
The Chargers play zone coverage about 80% of the time, and this is where Smith excels most; he sees the most targets (59) and yards (621) over any other WR on the Eagles’ roster. Smith has topped this mark of 55.5 in four of the last six games, making it a feasible spot for him to do this once again.
Kimani Vidal: Anytime Touchdown (+300)
Omarian Hampton will be back for the Chargers this week, but I’m not entirely certain that Vidal will be phased out of the rotation in the snap of a finger. Vidal has become a dynamic threat near the goal line, and his versatility has even gotten him some extra targets along the way.
I wrote about this aspect with the Bears against the Eagles last week, and it panned out just fine. Of the 26 TDs scored against the Eagles this season, half of them have come from opposing RBs. Hampton has the much lower odds (+170), but I still like Vidal to make noise and keep this a two-man operation – at least for this week.
