Philadelphia Eagles (8-4 SU, 7-5 ATS) vs. New York Giants (7-5 SU, 5-6-1 ATS), Week 14 NFL, 8:20 p.m. EST, Sunday, December 13, 2009, Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J. TV: NBC
by Ryno of Predictem.com
Point Spread: Eagles +1/Giants -1
Over/Under: 44.5
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Sunday Night Football on NBC doesn't get much better than this. First place in the NFC East and rivalry bragging rights are on the line, as the New York Giants host the Philadelphia Eagles.
After the Eagles' 34-7 win at Atlanta on Sunday and the Cowboys' 31-24 loss to the Giants, the Eagles are now tied with the Cowboys for first place in the division and the Giants are just one game behind. There is no doubt that this game will have huge division and playoff implications. Neither team can afford to lose this game, so it should be an intense hard-fought game between two bitter rivals.
The Giants are looking for revenge from their embarrassing 40-17 loss at Philadelphia earlier this season. In that game, Donovan McNabb threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns - one each to DeSean Jackson, Brent Celek and Jeremy Maclin. LeSean McCoy, filling in for an injured Brian Westbrook who is still injured and will not play this Sunday either, ran for 82 yards and a touchdown. Fullback Leonard Weaver ran for 75 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles forced three turnovers, including two interceptions thrown by Eli Manning.
Despite winning three games in a row and now being tied for first place, the Eagles haven't been playing incredible football. After consecutive losses to the Cowboys and Chargers, they barely got by with fourth quarter comeback victories over the Bears and Redskins. The results weren't impressive but it was impressive that McNabb and the Eagles notched consecutive fourth quarter comeback victories since they rarely do so. The 34-7 win over the Falcons was an easy dominant victory but the Falcons were playing without Matt Ryan and Michael Turner, so that takes some of the glamour out of the win.
The Giants started off 5-0 but went on a dry spell with five straight losses. But since their bye week, they've won two of their last three games, including the win over the Cowboys on Sunday. That wins gets them back into the division race and gives them some momentum and confidence down the stretch of the season. The Giants defense has not been very good lately, giving up at least 24 points in each of their last three games and averaging over 30 points per game allowed in their last seven games. But the Giants offense has been erratic, scoring 34 points against the Falcons, then just six against the Broncos, and coming back with 31 against the Cowboys. Even against the Cowboys, Eli Manning completed only 11 of his 25 pass attempts and threw an interception. They ran for 100 yards and Steve Smith had six receptions for 110 yards. But the Giants found a way to win the game.
This game is going to come down which team's defense steps up the most and puts pressure on the quarterback and comes away with turnovers. That will decide which team wins this game. Both teams are capable of lighting it up on offense, especially through the air. But defensive stops will be the key in this one.
The Eagles are 16-7 ATS in their last 23 road games. The total has gone over in nine of their last 13 games. The Giants are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games and 2-4-1 ATS in their last seven road games.
Ryno's Pick: The Eagles have a lot of momentum right now after three straight wins, including a blowout victory and two comeback victories. The Eagles are hitting their stride on both sides of the ball. Their defense dominated a depleted Falcons team last week, and their offense has been able to move the ball down the field for the past few weeks. The issue has been scoring in the red zone, as it has been for the Eagles for a long time now. The way McNabb and the Eagles offense have been playing, they will have opportunities to score points but they have to get in the end zone when they get close. The Giants are only a game back from first place but they aren't playing the way they were earlier in the season. The Eagles dominated the Giants earlier in the season and it won't be much different this time around. Take the Eagles +1.
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