Section 215’s Best Philly Betting Picks for 7/27 (Jalen Hurts for MVP)
By Tyler Maher
Thursday’s a relatively quiet day for Philly sports fans. The Phillies are off and the Eagles are easing into training camp, but we still have some NFL futures and NL East action to bet on.
Here are our top Philly sports betting picks for Thursday.
Best Philadelphia Betting Picks: July 27
Jason Schandl: Jalen Hurts to Win NFL MVP
You can read my full case for Hurts to win MVP here, but let me sum up for you why this is such a great bet to make.
First off, Philadelphia’s playcalling is fully centered around showcasing Hurts. Every offseason we hear buzz about how coaches want guys like Josh Allen or even Lamar Jackson to run less, but we get none of that from the Eagles about Hurts. He set a new high in per-game rush attempts last year, and Nick Sirianni and co. are going to let him cook. We also saw Philly make a bit of a jump in the rankings for team pass rate last season, and this new-look backfield means I’d expect Hurts to also throw more than ever in 2023.
That’s in part due to a huge upgrade to the receiving abilities at RB1. Miles Sanders only averaged 3.87 receiving yards per target over the last three years, while D’Andre Swift has averaged no fewer than 5.5 in any of his three years in the NFL.
The Eagles also project to have one of the league’s highest win totals again, and like it or not even a QB with great stats won’t win MVP without a great record (see Herbert, Justin). That’s especially true for a guy like Hurts, who people still seem set on discounting. Nobody will be able to call his career-high numbers “empty stats” when Philly wins 12+ games again.
Tyler Maher: Mets Moneyline vs Nationals
The Phillies are off today, so we turn our attention to another NL East matchup. Granted, it’s not the most exciting game in the world, but it’s still something, right?
The Mets are hosting the Nationals today in a battle of the two worst teams in the division. I can’t believe New York is only 4.5 games ahead of Washington in late July, but here we are.
There’s actually a pretty good pitching matchup today between a pair of All-Stars. The Mets have rookie Kodai Senga on the mound, who’s done a good job of living up to expectations this year. He’s 7-5 with a 3.27 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 99 innings, including a 2.60 ERA and a 2.67 FIP over his last five starts.
The Nationals counter with Josiah Gray, who’s taken a big step forward in his third season. The 25-year-old righty is 7-8 with a 3.45 ERA, although he still has room for improvement based on his 4.77 FIP and 1.44 WHIP.
New York has the edge on the mound and at the plate as well. The Mets are averaging 4.44 runs per game while Washington’s averaging 4.32 runs per game. Not a huge difference, but noteworthy.
Steve Cohen’s squad has been playing better in July (11-8 this month) and has a better overall run differential as well (minus-13 vs minus-91), so back the home team to get the job done today.
If you’re in need of a sportsbook to make your plays, here are some of the best ones in the industry worth checking out:
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.