Will the Eagles top 11 wins? Here are three NFL win total bets to make ahead of the season

With NFL training camps opening, now is a good time to take a look at the NFL win totals futures market.

Here are three of my favorite NFL win total bets, including a bet on the Eagles.

The Eagles are overvalued. They faced the easiest strength of schedule in the NFL last season, cruised through the NFC playoffs and went 7-1 in one-score games.

The Birds were dominant, but they face a tougher path this year and should struggle more despite being priced as the best team in the NFL.

That said ... you have to bet this over.

The Eagles return nine starters on offense, including most of the best offensive line in the NFL. They return seven on defense but drafted legit defensive playmakers in Jalen Carter (top-10 pick) and Nolan Smith, and don’t expect any regression in the trenches after they led the league in ESPN’s pass rush win rate.

The Eagles improved while the rest of the NFC got worse. They’re projected to be favored in 15 games this year, including five games by a touchdown or more.

This is far from a lock, given the Eagles are replacing both coordinators and could suffer from the dreaded Super Bowl Hangover.

But I can’t see them losing three more games than they did last season, especially when two of their three 2022 losses came when Jalen Hurts was injured (Cowboys, Saints).

This is such chalky, public play, but it’s the right side.

The play: Philadelphia Eagles - Over 11.5 Wins (+110) Caesars Sportsbook

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The New York Jets’ first six weeks:

That is the toughest six-week schedule stretch for any NFL team this season. They’ll likely be underdogs in four of those six games. And the other two games aren’t gimmes.

Bill Belichick and the Patriots are always difficult to scheme and play against. They get the Broncos at mile-high altitude sandwiched in-between matchups with the defending AFC and NFC champions. Otherwise known as the biggest trap spot of the season.

They also get the Cowboys on short rest in Week 2 after opening the season on Monday Night Football.

If they start the season 1-5, the Jets might not be able to climb out of that hole, and this season could go off the rails.

Overall, the Jets have the:

The Jets will embark on this task with a new quarterback and offensive coordinator trying to implement a new offensive system. How long will it take them to get it together?

There’s reason to have doubts about their new QB-OC combo, too. Aaron Rodgers was a league-average quarterback by most advanced metrics last season, and Nathaniel Hackett looked clueless as a play-caller in Denver.

The offensive line has to stay healthy. But even then, this unit is impossible to project given its struggles last season — the Jets finished 30th in Pro Football Focus’ pass-blocking grades last year.

If they can’t protect their aging quarterback, this season could go off the rails.

There are far too many question marks for the Jets.

The play: New York Jets - Under 9.5 Wins (+110) at DraftKings Sportsbook

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The Bears are set to break out this year.

Their defense was awful last season, so the Bears added two top-10 linebackers (T.J. Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds) and two above-average defensive linemen (Andrew Billings, DeMarcus Walker).

Justin Fields couldn’t throw the ball because his offensive line didn’t protect him, and his wide receivers couldn’t get open. So, the Bears revamped the offensive line and added wideout D.J. Moore.

Fields himself is set for the classic year three quarterback leap. He’s still a dangerous dual-action quarterback in a prolific rushing offense — the Bears led the league in rushing yards last season, largely because of Fields — and the Bears could field an Eagles-like offense with an improved passing attack.

The Bears also hit the schedule lottery. They have the third-easiest schedule in the NFL by opposing win totals and the sixth-easiest by Sharp’s projections. They have almost two weeks more rest than their opponents (+12 net rest days), and three extended rest spots come before divisional matchups (Minnesota in Week 6, Detroit in Week 11, Detroit in Week 14).

The Bears also went 1-7 in one-score games last season. So, expect their close-game luck to flip with more talent and an easier schedule, and expect them to explode if Fields takes the expected jump.

The play: Bears over 7.5 wins (-122) at FanDuel Sportsbook

» READ MORE: Full sports betting coverage from The Philadelphia Inquirer

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