NFL Week 5: Sam Darnold injury news makes impact on Jets-Eagles point spread

The Philadelphia Eagles, fresh off a crucial road win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 4, will play host to the New York Jets in Week 5. Because of New York's struggles to this point in the 2019 NFL season, the Eagles were always expected to enter kick-off as substantial betting favorites and, when the opening point spread arrived in the two-touchdown range, there was little surprise. With that as the backdrop, the line did tick down from highs of 14 (or even 14.5) in some places to 13 or 13.5 during the week, with the looming injury status of Jets quarterback Sam Darnold as perhaps the biggest domino yet to fall. 

On Friday, word broke from Jets head coach Adam Gase that Darnold, still battling the after-effects of mononucleosis, would not be cleared for Week 5 and, as a result, Luke Falk projects to start for New York. Almost immediately, point spread movement occurred, with DraftKings and FanDuel sportsbooks moving from 13.5 to 14.5 instantly and other outlets sliding from 13.5 to 14. Darnold has not appeared since Week 1 but, even with some uncertainty in terms of his readiness for on-field contribution, the movement indicates that there was some hope in the market that he might find his way into the lineup and, if that happened, the expectation would be a higher level of performance than what the Jets have received from Falk. 

Handicappers will certainly have a close eye on this line as kick-off approaches on Sunday but, for the moment, Philadelphia is now a full, two-touchdown favorite virtually across the board. While it might not seem significant, the difference between 13.5 and 14 (or 14.5) is tangible and noteworthy. 

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