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COVID wreaks havoc with the Eagles-Washington betting line

At least 30 Washington Football Team players are in COVID protocol or injured. Now the Eagles are favored by more than in any other game this season.

Washington Football Team's Chase Young (99) tries to get past the Eagles' Boston Scott (35) after recovering a loose snap during the second half of last year's season finale in Philadelphia.
Washington Football Team's Chase Young (99) tries to get past the Eagles' Boston Scott (35) after recovering a loose snap during the second half of last year's season finale in Philadelphia.Read moreChris Szagola / AP
    by Ed Barkowitz, For The Inquirer
    Published 

The Eagles-Washington betting line spiked on Wednesday after seven Washington players were added to the COVID-19 protocol list. The host Eagles entered the day generally favored by four points, but that number quickly grew.

“We shifted the Eagles from -4.5 all the way out to -7,” said Mike Korn, sports analyst for PointsBet.

DraftKings, as another example, had the Eagles favored by three on Sunday night. They too were up to seven as sports across the country deals with COVID-19 outbreaks. It’s the highest the Eagles have been favored all season. They went off as five-point favorites in Week 13 against the Jets.

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The total for Eagles-Washington has not moved much, however, staying around 44.5.

NBC Sports reported 30 Washington players are on either the COVID-19 or injured lists. At some point, competitive imbalance may require postponing or canceling regular-season games, something the NFL was able to avoid last season.

Cleveland put starting quarterback Baker Mayfield on the COVID-19 list Wednesday, a day after tagging eight players. That line shot from Cleveland -5 to Las Vegas -1.5.

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The surge in positive cases also is playing havoc on both sides of the betting window, as wagering becomes even more difficult.

“With all the recent COVID outbreaks, our [oddsmakers] are keeping an extremely close eye on markets across the board,” Korn said. “That being said, we never want to overreact and will remain poised.”