NFL fans have become accustomed to a Thursday night game in opening week, but this year the league has added a rare Friday night game that will take place in Brazil between two NFC heavyweights.
Previously, there had only been 12 Friday games in NFL history, and you have to go back to 1970 to find the last time the league scheduled a game on a Friday of Week 1.
The Packers and Eagles will be at the forefront of a new trend when the two teams meet at the Arena Corinthians in São Paulo, site of the 2014 World Cup.
The biggest surprise of the duel is the total points, which has increased to 49.5 points after an opening score of 48.5. According to Action Network, unders are more profitable than overs in Week 1, as they have reached 164-137-2 for 17.35 units.
Bettors can establish some correlation by betting that both quarterbacks will come in below their predictions.
Here are my favorite player specials for the Packers vs. Eagles game in Brazil on Friday.
Packers vs. Eagles – Special Bets
Jordan Love under 34.5 pass attempts (-105, DraftKings)
The Packers were one of the biggest surprises in the NFC last season, winning their final three games to secure a wild-card spot.
Love was a big reason for the second-half surge, throwing for over 4,000 yards and posting a 32-11 touchdown-interception ratio in his first season as a full-time starter, earning the quarterback a four-year, $220 million contract extension in the offseason.
Green Bay also signed free agent running back Josh Jacobs to a four-year, $48 million deal to bolster the offense. The Packers’ offense thrives on play-action, so signing Jacobs is an essential part of any future success.
Week 1 is often about establishing a rhythm, and the Packers will likely want to get Jacobs involved sooner rather than later.
Love has managed fewer than 34.5 attempts in the last five games of 2023 and in five of his last six games away from Lambeau Field.
As both teams have to adapt to the conditions in Brazil, it is expected that they will use the running game as a stabilizing force.
Jalen Hurts less than 1.5 passing touchdowns (-138, FanDuel)
With the signing of Saquon Barkley as a free agent, the Eagles also have a new runner in their backfield who should improve the team’s performance in the red zone.
According to TeamRankings, the Eagles ranked ninth in red zone touchdown percentage (59.7%) and eighth in total touchdowns (2.8 per game) last season.
However, they fell to 18th in passing touchdowns at 1.4 per game. It’s imperative that teams play to their strengths, and the Eagles are more built to score on the ground.
Betting on the NFL?
Additionally, Hurts has stayed under that touchdown rule in his last five games against teams with a top-10 pass defense.
Looking back at his last 10 games, this prop line has been undervalued seven times and had a 67% hit rate in the 2023 season.
In a game where both offenses will be trying to shake off their early slumps, the Eagles will likely rely more on their running game to get into the end zone.
