49ers-Eagles picks, predictions: How can the upset happen?

The San Francisco 49ers are in Philadelphia today to face the Eagles in a Week 8 matchup. The 49ers are winless and head into this game as a 13-point underdog. Odds are decidedly not in their favor. There are some people out there predicting a potential upset, but they are far and few between.

We took a few minutes to chat with Bleeding Green Nation editor Brandon Lee Gowton this week. I wanted to get his prediction for the game, but given the huge spread, I also wanted to see what he thinks could lead to an upset. Here’s what he had to say.

To be honest, it makes me a little nervous. The Eagles are 5-5 in matchups when they're double-digit favorites dating back to 2006 (via PhillyVoice). They're 2-4 in their last six.

But I'm convinced this year's team isn't going to fall into a trap situation. They should know they can't just take it easy after losing two of the most important players on the team (Peters and Hicks) for the season. This game and the next game (Broncos) are both at home. This is an opportunity for the Birds to go 8-1 entering their Week 10 bye.

I think this is a tough spot for the 49ers. Traveling east for a 1:00 PM game is never easy on West Coast teams. I also just think the Eagles are playing at such a high level right now and San Francisco is lacking talent.

I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I don't see a ton of favorable matchups for the 49ers. I guess it's possible Vaitai totally flops at left tackle and Wentz/the run game suffers dramatically. But at the same time, that's just one player.

It's a cliche cop-out, but I'd say the biggest weakness for the Eagles in this one is complacency. They can't allow themselves to overlook a 49ers team that went on a stretch where they lost five in a row by only three points or fewer. San Francisco might be 0-7, but they've shown some nice fight. I'm sure they'll want to come out with a much better effort than they did in last week's blowout loss to the Cowboys.

One thing that concerns me about this game is that the Eagles are playing on a short week. I don't think that change the entire outcome of the game, but it's a factor. I'm also interested to see if the projected forecast, which predicts rain for Sunday, has an impact on the game. Maybe things get sloppy and ugly in the wet weather.

There's a lot of pressure on the Eagles to win this game. A loss to the 49ers at home would be embarrassing and probably set the city ablaze in hot takes. The 49ers, meanwhile, have nothing to lose, so that's always dangerous.