The Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots will collide in Super Bowl LII on Sunday 2/4. The opening kickoff from US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota is slated for 6:30 PM ET. A current (2/1) consensus of NFL betting odds at all top-rated offshore sportsbooks calculates New England to be a 4.5-point favorite. The total in this contest ranges from 47.5 to 48.5.

Super Bowl Experience

The Eagles will be playing in their first Super Bowl since 2005. Ironically, their opponent on that day was the New England Patriots, and they fell short in a narrow 24-21 loss.

Since that previously mentioned 2005 world championship game, and not counting this upcoming 2018 edition, New England has appeared in 4 additional Super Bowls. As a matter of fact, this will be New England’s 8^th Super Bowl appearance under the guidance of current head coach Bill Belichik, and they won 5 of those previous 7 contests. Furthermore, New England will be seeking its 3^rd Super Bowl win in 4 years on Sunday. They defeated Atlanta last year during the first overtime game in Super Bowl history. New England succeeded on a goal line stop during the game’s final seconds to beat Seattle 28-24 in 2015

Strong Defensive Units

Philadelphia has held each of their last 4 opponents to 10 points or less. Additionally, the Eagles allowed 10 points or fewer on 8 separate occasions this season. During regular season action, the Eagles ranked 4th in total defense (306.5 YPG), 4^th in scoring (18.4 PPG), and were #1 against the run (79.2 YPG). Through 2 postseason games Philadelphia has surrendered a mere 8.5 points and 307.0 yards per game.

The New England defense was torched in their first 4 games of the season. During that span, New England surrendered 32.0 points and 454.3 yards per game. However, during their last 14 games they’ve allowed 17 points or less 11 times. During their 2 postseason wins, New England is allowing 17.0 points and 274.5. yards per game.

Patriots Excellent ATS Results as Favorites

Since the start of last season, New England has gone an eye-popping 27-9 ATS (75%) as a favorite. If those games were played on the road or at a neutral site, New England improved to 13-3 ATS and 15-1 straight up.

The Eagles reached the Super Bowl by way of back to back home underdog straight up wins in the NFC Divisional Round and Championship games. Since 2004, any team that reached the Super Bowl after 2 straight up underdog wins in a row, has gone a perfect 6-0 ATS and won outright 4 times.

First Half Bets

The 1^st half betting odds for Super Bowl LII shows New England as a 3.0-point favorite, and there’s a total of 24.0. New England has gone over the 1^st half posted total in each of their last 5 games, and there was a combined 25.8 points scored per contest. The Patriots are 12-4-2 straight up and 10-8 ATS during the first half of games this season.

Philadelphia has been an extremely profitable 1^st half bet during this current NFL campaign, going 13-5 ATS (72%), and that includes 5-1 (83%) ATS as an underdog. The Eagles outscored their opponents by an average of 6.2 points per contest during the 1^st half of its 18 games played. The Eagles have given up just a mere 8.2 points per contest during the 1^st half of their 18 games.

Money Line Betting Angle

The NFL odds at 5Dimes shows New England to be a money line favorite of -190, and Philadelphia is +175. Philadelphia defeated Minnesota 38-7 as a 3.0-point underdog in the NFL Championship Game.

Philadelphia averages only 1.23 turnovers committed per contest. Conversely, New England forces just 1.0 turnover per contest. This creates a lucrative NFL money line betting angle illustrated below.

Any team (Philadelphia) that commits 1.25 turnovers or less per game, versus an opponent (New England) which forces 1.25 turnovers or less per outing, resulted in those teams going 66-22 (75%) straight up since 2008. Since this betting algorithm sides with Sunday’s underdog, thinking about taking Philadelphia plus the points for one of your NFL picks should make your choice more decisive one.

Ross Benjamin is a top sports analyst and one of the sports industry's most respected handicappers. Follow him on Twitter: @RossBenjamin1 or visit his website at RBWins.com