NFL Week 3 betting advice: Eagles vs. Buccaneers pick

Steve Maltepes, known as “The Philly Godfather,” will impart his gambling wisdom on the Eagles and where the smart money is going on various pro football games each weekend this season. Maltepes is one of the nation’s hottest sports betting experts who appears weekly on national radio and has his own website, www.thephillygodfather.com.

Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0), 7:15 p.m. Monday

The Line: Eagles minus-4.5/Total: 46

What is the line telling you: When the line first came out, the line was 7, and has since dropped to 4.5, with a combined score of 46. The Eagles are a tough team to invest in right now. The first week of the season they got lucky against New England, which coughed the ball up twice in the first half, and against Minnesota last week, if the Vikings don’t turn the ball over four times and have that happen to them before halftime, it would have been a different outcome. Tampa Bay, at home, Monday night, they’re going to be fired up. The 7 was a good pick. Anything under that, it’s not a wise pick.

Bottom line: Take the over at 46, but if you’re going to put something down, take the Eagles as a 6-point teaser, giving them 6 points, for a plus-1.5 and dropping the total from 46 to 39, taking the over on the 39.

Eagles game props

Jalen Hurts over passing yards 236.5

Hurts under 44.5 yards rushing

What is the line telling you:

Hurts comes back after underperforming the first two weeks of the season. He gets is going against a weak pass defense. Hurts under 44.5 yards rushing is a good pick, since the Bucs’ defense is one of the best against the run, which is No. 5 in rushing yards per attempt.

AROUND THE NFL

Houston Texans (0-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1), 1:00 p.m. Sunday

The Line: Jaguars minus-8.5/Total: 44

What is the line telling you: The current price is Jacksonville minus 8.5 or 9, depending upon where you shop. The total is at 44, which feels low. These are two young quarterbacks that matchup against two defenses that have not put up much getting to the quarterback this season. The Texans rank No. 23 for defenses as far as opponent yards per play, while the Jags are mediocre, ranked No. 14. Neither pass defenses have shown much.

Bottom line: We like the over, considering the Colts and Jags combined to put up 52 points in Week 1. The Colts and Texans combined to put up 51 points last week. Trevor Lawrence should have a big game.

Tennessee Titans (1-1) at Cleveland Browns (1-1), 1:00 p.m. Sunday

The Line: Browns minus-3.5/Total: 39.5

What is the line telling you: This game opened with the Browns being a four-point favorite and the combined set at 41. The line has since dropped to 3.5 at most shops, and the total has dropped to 39.5. The Browns have arguably the best run defense in the NFL so far this season. They are ranked No. 3 in average opponent yards per pass attempt, and ranked overall No. 2 to Dallas in opponent yards per play. The Titans’ offense will have a problem moving the ball. Expect a big day from Deshaun Watson, who is going against a Texans’ defense that is ranked No. 28 in the NFL in opponent yards per pass attempt, and 20 th in yards per play.

Bottom line: Take the Browns on the moneyline.

(Betting lines are subject to change.)

The Philly Godfather can be followed on Twitter @Phillygodfather & his website is www.thephillygodfather.com.

Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter based in the Philadelphia area who has written feature stories for SI.com, ESPN.com, NFL.com, MLB.com, Deadspin and The Philadelphia Daily News. In 2006, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for a special project piece for ESPN.com called “Love at First Beep.” He is most noted for his award-winning ESPN.com feature on high school wrestler A.J. Detwiler in February 2006, which appeared on SportsCenter. In 2015, he was elected president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.