The New York Giants went into last weekend’s game against the Green Bay Packers with a 2-9 record and a live hope of finishing in first place in the NFC East. The Philadelphia Eagles were a comparatively decent-looking 5-6 team heading into the same weekend, but managed to lose 37-31 at Miami – in a season where the Dolphins have made it fairly clear that winning isn’t a priority for them. This evening’s NFL game, in a slightly different world, could have been a clash for first place in the division – which is a marker of just how bad the NFC East is.
Nonetheless, someone has to win it, and the Dallas Cowboys (6-7)’ Thursday Nightmare against Chicago has opened a window of possibility for the Eagles, and given that the inter-divisional clash this evening is against a lamentable Giants side, there is a chance that even Doug Pederson’s struggling side might not make their usual mess of this one. After all, they can’t be that bad – they won the Superbowl in 2018, and they could yet secure home field advantage for a portion of the playoffs with a divisional title.
Hosts confident of a high-scoring game
Although the Eagles were bad last week – it’s honestly hard to know how any team loses to the Dolphins without intending to – they still managed to post 31 points in defeat. If there’s one thing the Giants know how to do, it’s concede points, so there is certainly something here for Carson Wentz and his attacking entourage to work with. Overall on the season, the Eagles’ offence has been patchy at best, but it’s only been bad when the team has faced a leading opponent like the Patriots or Seahawks. The Giants are very much not a leading opponent, so Wentz should be able to find a groove here.
Pat Shurmur’s side have given up 30+ points four times in their last five games, including games against the reliably abysmal Detroit Lions and in a clash against city rivals the Jets. If the Eagles were praying for an easy one to get their playoff hopes back on track, they really couldn’t have been gifted a more welcoming proposition than this. Betway have 11/10 on the home side scoring more than 27.5 points in this game, and they’re more than capable of getting there against this Giants side.
Giants to struggle in the air and on the ground
In losing to the Packers, the Giants defence had one of those days where they couldn’t lay a glove on their opponent; Aaron Rodgers threw for four touchdowns and 243 yards, and although the Packers combined for only 69 rushing yards, main back Jamaal Williams made 41 of those on his ten carries. The Pack didn’t do much on the ground because they didn’t have to, and with one of the best quarterbacks of a generation to carry them, they stuck to their strongest suit. Had they chosen to push the run last weekend, they’d probably have found success that way too.
This week – particularly in light of the Eagles simply needing a win – it is likely that we’ll see a more cautious approach from the Giants’ opponent and the ball will stay on the ground at least until a lead is established. Eagles tailback Miles Sanders is 6/1 with Paddy Power to score the game’s first touchdown, and given that he is a threat both rushing and receiving he’s probably the best choice in that market.
Eagles to keep their divisional hopes going
The very most games any team in the NFC East can win this season is nine. Nine wins, and possibly fewer, will be good enough to win the division. But, hey, someone has to win it, and if the Eagles show even a modicum of the cussedness that carried them past the New England Patriots in that classic Super Bowl LII, they can get one more win on the board here. That would take them to 6-7, and a share of the divisional lead with Dallas. With outings against the Giants and Washington still to come, and a home game with the Cowboys, it’s not tough to see the Birds winning out from here.
This should be as straightforward as wins get for the hosts tonight, and they should win with a bit to spare against a Giants team which may be giving Super Bowl-winning QB Eli Manning a final start in the absence of rookie Daniel Jones. Manning could potentially wind the clock back with a confident performance, but his supporting cast just isn’t there yet. The points spread with NetBet is 9.5 to Philly, and we can easily see them winning by more than that, so backing Eagles (-9.5) at Evens is potentially a very smart move.
Bets of the Day
Eagles more than 27.5 points (Betway, 11/10); Eagles (-9.5) to win (NetBet, Evens); Myles Sanders 1st touchdown (Paddy Power, 6/1)
