The New Orleans Saints hold the lead in the recent series with the Philadelphia Eagles, winning four of the last five meetings outright including a blowout victory just eight weeks ago, and going 4-1 against the spread at online sports betting sites in the process.

Can the Saints do it again when they host the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles for an NFC Divisional Round bout Sunday afternoon at the Superdome?

NFL point spread: The Saints opened as nine-point favorites; the total was 51.5 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NFL betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 26.0-19.8 Saints (NFL picks on every game)

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Why the Eagles can cover the spread

Philadelphia reached the divisional round of these NFC playoffs by knocking off the Bears in Chicago on Sunday 16-15. The Eagles drove the opening possession of the game 50 yards to a field goal, trailed 6-3 at the half, then drove their first possession of the second half 83 yards to a touchdown.

Near the end, down 15-10, Philadelphia drove 60 yards to a fourth-down, Nick Foles-to-Golden Tate touchdown, then survived a Bears field-goal attempt with 10 seconds left that hit the upright and the crossbar before bouncing backward.

For the day, the Eagles held a 21-17 edge in first downs and a 31-29 edge in time of possession and overcame a 2-0 turnover deficit. They also won straight up as 6.5-point dogs. Philadelphia is now 4-0 both SU and ATS over its last four games, and 5-1 SU and ATS with Nick Foles as the starter at quarterback this season.

Why the Saints can cover the spread

New Orleans used three straight wins in December to secure the No. 1 seed in these NFC playoffs. The Saints lost their meaningless regular-season finale to Carolina, choosing to clear the bench, so they should be well-rested for Sunday.

New Orleans started this season with that somewhat-inexplicable loss to Tampa Bay, then won its next 10 games in a row, beating Baltimore, the Rams and the Eagles along the way. On the season, the Saints are 3-1 both SU and ATS against teams that made the playoffs.

Drew Brees gets most of the ink for New Orleans, but the Saints also own the sixth-ranked rushing attack and the second-ranked run defense. On the whole, New Orleans out-rushed opponents this season by a 127-80 yards-per-game margin, and that's usually a good way to win a game and cover a spread in the NFL.

Smart betting pick

The Saints just beat Philadelphia back in October 48-7, easily covering as seven-point favorites. New Orleans probably won't win this one by 41 points but it is 6-1 in home games that mattered this season, winning by an average score of 37-25. The smart money here gives the points with the Saints.

NFL betting trends

The Eagles are 1-4 SU and ATS in their last five games against the Saints.

The total has gone under in three of the Eagles' last four games against the Saints.

The Saints are 8-0 SU and 6-2 ATS in their last eight games at home against teams with winning records.

All NFL odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.