Philadelphia Eagles fans have rich-people problems.
Their Eagles won the Super Bowl last season. This year, the team holds a comfortable lead over the Cowboys in the NFC East and is tracking toward a fifth straight playoff appearance and eighth in the last nine years.
Yet the boo birds at Lincoln Financial Field came out last week in Philadelphia’s 24-15 loss to the Bears, which was the Eagles’ second straight defeat. And, coming from a fanbase that once booed Santa Claus and pelted him with snowballs during a home game in 1968, last week’s behavior was in line with this, shall we say, passionate fanbase.
On Monday night, the Eagles could perhaps encounter a more friendly environment when they hit the road to play the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Like Philadelphia, the Chargers are 8-4, but they sit in second place in the AFC West, behind the division-leading Broncos (11-2). Los Angeles has won four of its last five, but only one of those victories (over the Steelers) has come against a team that’s .500 or better.
Bolts quarterback Justin Herbert, who had surgery to repair a fracture in his non-throwing hand, is officially listed as questionable for the game, but multiple reports say that he will play.
The Eagles are 2.5-point favorites over the Chargers on Monday night.
While Philadelphia vs. Los Angeles is the marquee attraction on Monday, there are other options on a sporting landscape that also includes a three-game NBA slate and a seven-game college basketball schedule. Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Monday, Dec. 8. All times Eastern.
NFL best bets, where to watch
Eagles at Chargers
Time: 8:15 p.m. | Location: Inglewood, Calif. | TV: ABC/ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Chargers +2.5 | Expert: Eagles -2.5 (R.J. White)
While Philadelphia’s sputtering offense (it averaged 15.5 points per game in November, its fewest in any month in 20 years) has drawn much of the ire in the City of Brotherly Love, the defense has mostly held the fort down. The Eagles have not allowed more than 24 points since Week 6, a stretch of six games, and rank second in fourth-down conversions (29.2%) and fifth in red zone efficiency (50.0%). “The Eagles have been in a slump since halftime of the Cowboys game, but this should be a spot where their defense can control the game and come away with the win,” White says. The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, disagrees. It says the Chargers have a 54.0% chance to cover and assigns a B grade to Los Angeles +2.5.
More NFL best bets
NBA best bets, where to watch
Suns at Timberwolves
Time: 7:30 p.m. | Location: Minneapolis | TV: Peacock | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Suns +9.5
Here’s a question for you: After the Oklahoma City Thunder, what team has the second-longest winning streak in the NBA? If you guessed either the Minnesota Timberwolves or the Boston Celtics, you are correct; both teams have won five in a row. The Timberwolves (15-8) have done so behind red-hot shooting. Over the winning streak, they are hitting 42.2% from beyond the 3-point arc, which ranks third in the league over that time, and have an offensive rating of 124.4, which ranks fourth. On Monday, they will face a Suns team that remains shorthanded. Devin Booker and Jalen Green are out for Phoenix, and Dillon Brooks, who has had a breakthrough offensive season this year, is questionable with left Achilles soreness. Still, the SportsLine Projection Model says the Suns have a 51.0% chance to cover and gives a C grade to Phoenix +9.5, but the Brooks situation should be monitored.
College basketball best bets, where to watch
Southern at Texas
Time: 8 p.m. | Location: Austin, Texas | TV: SEC Network | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Texas -21.5
College basketball fans can take the night off. Monday’s schedule is as light as you’re going to see until the day after the national championship game. Just seven matchups are on the slate, and no ranked team is in action. Arguably the least objectionable game on Monday is Texas vs. Southern. The Longhorns are 6-3 in the first season under coach Sean Miller and are coming off an 88-69 blowout loss to unranked Virginia in Austin. Ouch. But Texas has been a good rebounding team so far this season, ranking seventh in the country in rebound margin (12.7). Meanwhile, Southern (4-4) is 1-4 against Div. I opponents this year, with its only victory coming against Northwestern State. The SportsLine Projection Model says the Longhorns have a 68.0% chance to cover and assigns a B grade to Texas -21.5.
Looking ahead
College basketball: No. 18 Florida at No. 5 Connecticut
Time: 9 p.m. Tuesday | Location: New York City | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: UConn -4.5
The two college basketball programs that have combined to win each of the last three national championships collide on Tuesday when the UConn Huskies and Florida Gators meet in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. The Gators (5-3) are coming off a national-title winning season but have a new backcourt this year in Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland. Meanwhile the Huskies (8-1), who won the title in 2023 and ’24, are poised to make a run at the championship again. They already have three wins over ranked teams this season. The SportsLine Projection Model says UConn has a 54.0% chance to cover and gives a C grade to Huskies -4.5.
