In the wake of some schedule juggling this week due to the large number of COVID-19 cases, there will be two NFL games on Tuesday night. ESPN betting analysts Anita Marks, Tyler Fulghum and Joe Fortenbaugh and Football Outsiders' Aaron Schatz offer up their best bets for Tuesday's games between the Washington Football Team and Philadelphia Eagles in Philly and the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams from L.A.
Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook as of Monday, unless otherwise noted.
Washington Football Team at Philadelphia Eagles (-6.5, 42)
Marks: Washington has been hit hard by COVID-19 this week. Meanwhile, the Eagles are coming off their bye week and are the healthier team. The Eagles' rushing offense should have a lot of success against a Washington defense that has had difficulty against mobile quarterbacks this season. Miles Sanders returns to an Eagles backfield that is crowded with a lot of healthy backs ready to contribute.
Pick: Eagles -.5 in 6-point teaser with Rams (-1), Eagles team total over 24.5 (+100), Eagles 1st quarter (.5) (-110), Eagles 1st half & end result (+160), Hurts over 44.5 rushing yards, Miles Sanders under 55.5 rushing yards
Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams (-7, 45.5)
Fortenbaugh: The closing total was 53.5 when these two met in Seattle back in Week 5 ... for a Thursday night game where overs generally go to die! Only 43 points were scored as Los Angeles won 26-17, but keep in mind the fact that this was the matchup where Russell Wilson injured his finger and was replaced by Geno Smith. Well, Russ is healthy now and the Seahawks have hung 63 points over their past two outings. Meanwhile, the Rams currently rank first in the NFL in yards per play (6.2), fourth in scoring (28.2 points per game) and have rolled up 28 or more points in six of their past eight outings. Considering the circumstances surrounding a closing total of 53.5 in their first encounter, I think 45.5 is an over-adjustment that presents value in betting the over.
Pick: Over 45.5 points
Marks: Cooper Kupp is coming off a 13-reception game last week, and should see much of the same Tuesday against the Seahawks out of the slot. Tyler Higbee is not expected to play, and Van Jefferson should see an uptick in targets -- especially in the red zone -- where he has scored a touchdown in three straight games. Rashaad Penny is coming off an impressive performance (16 carries for 137 yards and two touchdowns). Pete Carroll said Penny deserves to be the lead back moving forward -- so I'm banking on it.
Pick: Rams -1 in 6-point teaser with Eagles (-.5) Kupp OVER 8.5 receptions (-125) & 103.5 Receiving Yards (-115), Jefferson OVER 52.5 yards (-115), May Gay OVER 7.5 points (-125)
Fulghum: It looks like the Rams' offense will be largely intact for Tuesday night's matchup with the Seahawks. Odell Beckham Jr. and Darrell Henderson Jr. were removed from COVID-19 protocols. The only potential absence could be TE Tyler Higbee. Beckham seems to be getting more and more comfortable each and every week in Sean McVay's offense (he has scored a TD in three straight games). Sony Michel has given the Rams' run game more heft. Cooper Kupp is ... well, Cooper Kupp. On the other side, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks' offense have been somewhat resurgent in back-to-back wins, scoring 30-plus points. Rams games usually promote more snaps and more points, and with this game in the comfy confines of SoFi Stadium, both teams should be able to put points on the board.
Pick: Over 45.5
Schatz: Seattle has generally been more efficient this year than conventional wisdom believes. The Seahawks' problem has been mixing big deep throws with too many three-and-outs, leading to a problem where they don't run enough plays to score enough points even though they're efficient on a per-play basis. But this hasn't been a problem the past two weeks, as they're back to running a normal number of plays. People also forget to mentally filter out the three weeks the Seahawks spent with Geno Smith at quarterback. Remove those three weeks, and Seattle goes from 14th to seventh in offensive DVOA. Wilson struggled upon returning from his finger injury, but he certainly looked healthy and outstanding against Houston last week. Obviously, there's a difference between the Rams and Texans on defense, but the Rams will still be missing players due to COVID-19 despite this game getting kicked back two days. Los Angeles is the better team, no doubt. But we're not betting on Seattle to win here, just to cover, and 7 points is a sizable line.
Pick: Seahawks +7