Week 1 Friday Night Football Preview: Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles Best Bets, Prop Predictions

This year we are blessed with Friday Night Football as part of our opening week slate for the NFL season. The game will take place in Brazil and will feature two teams who were headed in very different directions at the end of the 2023 season. In what should be another great opening week matchup, we get the Green Bay Packers taking on the Philadelphia Eagles.

Both of these teams have shot to be in the mix when we get deep into January. We will get a showcase of two of the top young QBs in the league in Jalen Hurts and Jordan Love and there will be fireworks when their offenses take the field. What a time we're living in when we get spoiled with NFL football on a Friday night. 

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Week 1 NFL Best Bets

Last season the Eagles started off the season on fire and looked like one of if not the best team in the NFL. Hurts was an MVP candidate and they looked unstoppable. At some point, something went very wrong in Philly and the team completely collapsed. After starting the season off 10-1 they would lose five of their final six games before getting embarrassed in the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now they will look to right the ship and make another run at a potential Super Bowl. 

The team added stud running back Saquon Barkley this offseason to an already stacked offense that also features A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. We don't see any reason why this offense won't get back on track and look like the elite offense that we know they can be.

However, the defense may be in for a long night. Their linebackers and secondary are less than stellar and will have a tall task in slowing down the Packers offensive onslaught. 

Love developed into a budding young star right before our eyes last season. After a bit of a slow start to his career as a starter, he emerged as potential superstar down the stretch. It didn't take long for him to make the entire state of Wisconsin forget about Aaron Rodgers.

He may not have the best weapons in the NFL, but his pass-catchers are one of the deepest groups in the league. Jayden Reed, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are all excellent young wideouts, and Dontayvion Wicks could also emerge as a significant factor in this passing attack.

Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave could also prove to be one of the best young tight end duos in the league by the end of the year. On top of all that, they also added running back Josh Jacobs in free agency and drafted rookie runner MarShawn Lloyd. This could end up being one of the best offenses in the league in 2024. 

Much like their opponents in this one, the Packers' defense is going to have a rough night. They are a mid-level defense and won't be able to handle all the weapons the Eagles will throw at them in this game. Games on foreign soil tend to be low scoring, but we'd be shocked if we don't end up with a shootout on our hands in Brazil. 

This is one of the toughest games to predict all week. These teams are evenly matched and loaded with talent. While it's going to take a lot of deep thought to decide on a winner, we won't have to rack our brain too hard when throwing some money down on the over/under.  

The Picks

Spread: Green Bay Packers +2 (-108) 
Over/Under: Over 49 (-112)
Moneyline: Green Bay Packers (+110)

Player Props of the Night

Prop #1: Josh Jacobs, Anytime TD Scorer (+115)

One of the biggest short-comings the Packers offense had last season was the fact that they were awful when it came to punching the ball in for a TD down by the goal line. Their inability to do so is one of the reasons that Love threw for so many TDs inside the red zone. Green Bay signed Jacobs to fix this problem and they will make it a point to utilize him when they are down close and add another important element to their offensive arsenal. 

Prop #2: Saquon Barkley, 70+ Rushing Yards (+120)

The one thing the Philly offense has been missing during the Hurts era is a true elite RB1 in their backfield. That is no longer a concern after they signed Barkley, who will get to play in a good offense behind a great offensive line for the first time in his career. The Eagles have a new toy to play with and what we see in this game may strike fear in the hearts of defensive coordinators across the league. We expect him to blow by this number in his Eagles' debut. 

Prop #3: Jayden Reed, 50+ Receiving Yards (+135)

It has been highly debated all offseason which Packers' wideout will emerge as top guy. Watson may be more of a playmaker, however, Reed is the guy who will give you consistency and strong floor. That's why we are throwing some cash down on him topping 50 yards. We love the +135 odds we are getting for an easily obtainable target.