Philadelphia Eagles Look To Hold Division Lead Against Underdog 49ers

NFL News - December 15th, 2009 - Written by Bryan

Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson told his teammates last week that he was going to come back and come back strong. He was not kidding, as Jackson accounted for two touchdowns of over 60 yards in the Eagles' critical win against the division opponent New York Giants, propelling the Eagles a step close to claiming the NFC East.

This week the Eagles face the San Fransisco 49ers. The 49ers are coming off a nice Monday night win over the Arizona Cardinals, keeping slim hopes alive of making a playoff run.

The Philadelphia Eagles are an 8 point favorite to beat the San Francisco 49ers at home this week and continue their run to a division championship. The over/under in the contest has been installed at 44.5. Last week against the Eagles/Giants game was a shootout as the total reached 83 points, almost twice what the O/U was set at prior to kick off. San Fransico's Monday night match up with Arizona went the under.

Philadelphia has been in a fight all season long in the NFC East Division. With three weeks remaining, it is still possible for three of the four teams in that division to claim the title - Dallas, New York and Philadelphia.

The Eagles offense has been on a roll. In the last two games, quarterback Donovan McNabb and the rest of the Eagles' offense have put up 79 points.

Against the Giants, McNabb threw for 274 yards on 17 of 26 passing, adding two touchdowns and one interception to his record. McNabb was helped by back up quarterback Michael Vick who was implemented on special offensive packages. Vick threw for 32 yards in the game, and ran for a key score just before half time.

As the season has progressed, Eagles head coach Andy Reid seems to be more comfortable in opening up more of the playbook when instilling Vick in the offense, as Vick has scored touchdowns in each of the last two games.

The Eagles opponent this week, the 49ers, face must-win games the rest of this season. The 49ers are 6-7, which puts them two games back of Arizona in the NFC West. San Fransisco must win and hope for Arizona to stumble to close the season.

The 49ers did what they needed to do Monday Night, beating the Cardinals 24-9, stifling one of the best offenses in all of football. The 49ers limited the Cardinals to 245 total yards of offense and only nine points.

Offensively, San Fransisco quarterback Alex Smith has thrown for 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions throughout the season. He split evenly in the win over Arizona, throwing two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Smith will have to take care of the ball against Philadelphia, as the Eagles have one of the most dangerous secondary in the NFL, with defensive backs Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown. Brown has five interceptions and Samuel has seven.

According to the NFL Weekly Betting Trends at Bodog Sportsbook, The 49ers are 8-1-2 ATS versus a team with a winning record. The Eagles are 4-1 ATS when at home facing a team with a losing record. The Eagles are also 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games in December.

Kickoff between the Eagles and 49ers is set for 1pm EST.