Morning Coffee: Packers, Eagles kick off in Brazil with high expectations

“Life’s this game of inches. So is football.”

That quote from Miami Sharks head coach Tony D’Amato will resonate with anybody who took the points with the Baltimore Ravens in last night’s NFL Kick-Off Game.

The reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson set an NFL record for the most rushing yards (122) by a quarterback in a season opener.

He also threw for 273 pass yards and a touchdown to give Baltimore a chance to pull off the upset win on the road against the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.

Ultimately, the Ravens fell inches short in a 27-20 loss.

After months of speculation about a potential revenge game for Baltimore, they couldn’t pull it off.

The entire game had similar vibes to last year’s AFC Championship Game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Ravens were in it until the very end, but ultimately couldn’t make the one or two key plays to seal the win.

Instead, the most popular pick to win the Super Bowl at FanDuel picked up from right where they left off last season with a win and cover at home in front of a packed house of fans convinced that the victory was the first step on a long road to solidifying a championship dynasty by becoming the first team in NFL history to three-peat.

The Chiefs are my pick to win the Super Bowl at +550.

The Ravens were considered one of their toughest tests in the AFC and Kansas City didn’t need to be at its best to beat Baltimore again last night.

After a thrilling finish between the top two choices to win the AFC last night, we get a clash between two of the top four choices to win the NFC tonight.

If you bought into the offseason hype, then maybe you’ve already bet on either the Philadelphia Eagles or the Green Bay Packers to represent the NFC in this year’s Super Bowl.

On paper, both teams have what it takes to contend.

Ultimately, it will come down to execution on the field.

As last night’s NFL season opener reminded us, every inch matters.

This is the Morning Coffee for Friday September 6th, 2024.

Packers, Eagles Kick Off In Brazil With High Expectations

Nobody expected the Packers to fall just three points shy of reaching the NFC Championship Game last season.

Green Bay rallied with a 6-2 record in the second half of the regular season to secure a playoff spot.

After that, the Packers stunned the Dallas Cowboys with a 48-32 win in the Wild Card Round.

Green Bay led the San Francisco 49ers 21-14 entering the fourth quarter of their NFC Divisional Round showdown, only to fall just short in a 24-21 loss.

That second half run has shifted their narrative.

Only the 49ers, Detroit Lions, and the Eagles have shorter odds to represent the NFC in this year’s Super Bowl than the Packers at FanDuel.

Green Bay is a top 10 choice to win the Super Bowl at +1800 – the exact same odds as the Cowboys and the New York Jets.

Tonight, the Packers will kick off their season in Brazil as a short underdog against Philadelphia.

The Eagles are currently a 2.5-point favourite at FanDuel.

Meanwhile, the total for tonight’s game is all the way up to 49.5.

Last year, all five international games went under the total.

I wouldn’t be surprised if these teams ended that trend tonight.

Just like the Packers, the Eagles are expected to contend for a Super Bowl this season.

There are plenty of similarities between the two teams.

Jordan Love and Jalen Hurts were the fourth and fifth quarterbacks selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, respectively.

Both teams are absolutely stacked at the skill positions.

Both teams will kick off this season with new coordinators.

Philadelphia and Green Bay are both projected to rank among the highest scoring teams in the NFL this season.

I’m expecting a high scoring season opener tonight.

For my FanDuel Best Bet, I had trouble selecting just one.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is 16-11 straight up and 20-7 against the spread as an underdong in his career.

The Green Bay offence is absolutely loaded, and I expect them to pick up from where they left off last season in a close game on a neutral field.

I’ll buy a point and take the Packers +3.5 at -144.

In terms of player props, I’ll take Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown to record 70+ receiving yards at -118.

At the start of last season, Brown registered at least 79 receiving yards in seven of Philadelphia’s first eight games before the offence really stagnated in the second half.

As highlighted above, I expect a high scoring game tonight with plenty of opportunities for Hurts and Brown to get on the same page early on against a suspect Packers’ secondary.

I also like Saquon Barkley over 2.5 receptions and Jayden Reed 40+ receiving yards.

Hopefully, we can run the table with a sweep tonight.

Have a great weekend, everyone!