NFC East rivals collide at Lincoln Field in the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs when the New York Giants visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday.
The Giants picked up their first playoff win in 11 years with a 31-24 upset win over the Minnesota Vikings in the wild-card game. Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley led the way by being dual threats on offense. Jones rushed for 78 yards, the most ever by a Giants QB in the postseason while Barkley accounted for two rush TDs.
The Eagles took last week off as the top seed in the NFC playoff. Philadelphia needed the rest as QB Jalen hurts and continues to recover from injury. The Giants clinched the top seed in the Conference by beating the Giants in Week 18 and they also swept the season series between these division rivals.
New York upset Minnesota last week as +2.5 point underdogs for their first playoff win in over a decade. Daniel Jones threw for 300 yards with two TD passes while rushing for 70+ yards, becoming the first player in NFL playoff history to post those numbers. Saquon Barkley also fueled the Giants’ offense with 53 rushing yards and 2 rush TDs.
Jones has been notorious for his turnovers in his young NFL career. But in his last 226 passes, the Giants’ QB has thrown only 1 INT. The Giants have not won back-to-back games since November but they have covered the betting spread in all but one of their last 7 games played.
The Eagles raced to a 13-1 SU start this season. But after Jalen Hurts injured his right shoulder, they lost two consecutive games and failed to cover the spread in their regular season finale. Hurts was however outstanding during the Eagles’ first win over the Giants this season, throwing for 217 yards with 2 passing TDs while rushing for 77 yards and a score.
Running back Miles Sanders also had one of his best games ever during that 48-22 wipeout of the Giants with 144 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles ranked third in offense during the regular season at 389.1 yards per game. The defense has been equally better at no.2 in yards allowed at 301.5.
The Giants are 2-8 SU in their last 10 games played against the Eagles. New York is also 0-5 SU in their last 5 games played in Philadelphia.
New York Giants SU trends:
Philadelphia Eagles SU trends:
The Eagles are 14-3 SU in their last 17 games played.
The Eagles are 7-2 SU in their last 9 games played at home.
The Eagles are 9-3 SU in their last 12 games played against the NFC.
The Eagles are 4-2 SU in their last six home games against the NFC.
Daniel Jones threw for over 300 yards while also rushing for 78 while setting the Giants record for rushing yards by a quarterback in the playoffs. Saquon Barkley was also a dual threat for the Giants with 56 rushing yards and two scores plus five catches for 56 yards.
The Giants are one of the hottest teams in the NFL as they have covered the number seven times in their last 8 games played. That included last Sunday when they defeated the Vikings 31-24 for their first playoff win in 11 years. The Giants are also 11-2 ATS in their last 13 games played. However, while they have been excellent against the spread, the Giants have not won back-to-back games outright since November.
The Eagles are the top seed in the conference and arguably the best team during the regular season. However, the question is how healthy or not is Jalen Hurts. Hurts missed a day of throwing drills last week as he continues to recover from a right shoulder sprain, although he resumed throwing activities after that. That said, it’s hard to say what condition he will be on Saturday when they play the Giants.
The Eagles started the season with a 13-1 SU record but lost the two games that Hurts missed and failed to cover the spread when a, not 1000% Hurts played in their season-finale. Given those, it’s clear that Hurts’ health will be the key to the Eagles in the postseason.
To have a chance at winning this game, the Giants need to stop the Philly rushing game that averaged close to 150 rushing yards per game. The best way to do that is perhaps to keep the Eagles off the field by running the ball themselves so look for Jones and Barkley to be the keys for them.
The Giants also need to score big to beat the Eagles. They have scored 30 or more in two of their last three games played so that shouldn’t be as big of an issue as stopping the Eagles’ rushing attack.
Meanwhile, the Eagles rushing attack should fare well against a Giants defense that ranked 27th against the run. However, part of their game could be compromised if Hurts is not healthy. But if Hurts is healthy, it’s going to be double trouble for the Giants as Hurts can also air out the football.
The Eagles have beaten the Giants 9 straight times at home and they are 5-0 in Divisional playoff games. They are also coming off a bye. Give me the Eagles.
Prediction: Philadelphia Eagles
The Giants are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games played against the Eagles. The road team is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 games played between these two teams.
New York Giants ATS trends:
Philadelphia Eagles ATS trends:
Giants
+7.5 (-110)
Eagles
-7.5 (-110)
Odds from BetOnline as of 01/20/2023
There’s no question that the oddsmakers have undervalued the Eagles due to Jalen Hurts’ health issue and it certainly feels like the Eagles are flying under the radar heading to the playoffs.
Philadelphia however had an extra week’s rest which should have given Hurts more time to get better. It could be that he is not 100% but he will be in better shape than when he was in the regular-season finale.
The Eagles know too well how to beat the Giants. They have won their last 9 meetings at Lincoln Field and have done so by a double-digit average winning margin. I’m picking the Eagles to win by double digits here.
Prediction: Philadelphia Eagles -7.5
The under is 4-1 in their last 5 meetings in Philadelphia.
New York Giants over/under trends:
Philadelphia Eagles over/under trends:
Over
47.5 (-110)
Under
47.5 (-110)
Odds from BetOnline as of 01/20/2023
The Giants’ offense scored 30+ points twice in their last three games played. However, prior to that, they failed to hit that mark in 43 consecutive games. I expect them to regress to their usual self against one of the top defenses in the NFL this season.
Given that Hurts wasn’t 100% in Week 18, I don’t expect the Eagles offense to be as sharp as it should be. Philly is also coming off a bye so while they are rested, they could also be rusty.
Philly also loves to run the ball and with the Giants’ best chance here is to slow them down and run the football too, this game should fall short of the total.
Prediction: Under 47.5
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