New York Giants (7-1) +3, 43 O/U at Philadelphia Eagles (5-3) -3,
43 O/U, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pa., 8:15 PM Eastern,
Sunday, NBC
by Badger of Predictem.com
The suits at NBC have got to like the match up they have this week for Sunday Night Football, as the ratings are sure to be through the
roof when the New York Giants travel to Lincoln Financial Field to
take on the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles.
The Giants and Eagles are two of the NFC heavyweights this season, both have top-10 defenses, and both come into the Sunday night game on a roll.
New York drilled the hated Dallas Cowboys last Sunday, 35-14, and it wouldnt have been that close had Giant quarterback Eli Manning not throw an interception for a touchdown for one of the Cowboys two
scores. The win was the Giants third straight and their second in a
row over a top-quality opponent after beating Pittsburgh the week
before.
Philly also enters the game Sunday on a three-game win streak, fresh
off of a less glamorous but still solid road victory, 26-7, over the
Seattle Seahawks last week. Theres no doubt that when the Eagles
have running back Brian Westbrook in the lineup they are capable of
matching up with any team in the NFL.
Oddsmakers were nearly unanimous in opening the game with the home-
team Eagles as standard 3-point favorites, as just about every
sportsbook in Las Vegas on offshore opened with 3-points as their
spread. Early money has been well distributed on both sides since
most books are still listing the game at minus-3, although the Mirage
in Las Vegas and 5Dimes.com offshore are both listing the Eagles at
minus-2.5.
The over/under total opened at 43 and has remained there through
early betting. The moneyline bet lists the Eagles at -150, with the
Giants a sharp looking +130 underdog.
Offensively this game features two contrasting styles of offense that
are both equally effective, as the Giants are the NFLs 2nd-ranked
scoring unit (28.2 points per game) and the Eagles are an incredible
slouch at 5th in the league (27.5 ppg).
The Giants use a heavy dose of running with Brandon Jacobs and crew
(162.6 ypg 2nd) to set up a potent play-action passing game for
Manning (208.8 ypg 16th).
While the Eagles use a revived Donovan McNabb to play a west-coast pass-first style of attack under head coach Andy Reid, as their
passing game (368.4 ypg 6th) is used to set up he run (97.4 ypg
23rd).
Its no coincidence that defensively these teams are two of the games
best, as the Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo learned his
craft from Phillys Jim Johnson. Watching Spagnuolos 3rd-overall
unit (260.4 ypg) blitz and try to confuse McNabb, while the master
Johnson pulls the strings on the 5th-overall defense (280.5 ypg) on
Manning is game of the week worthy.
Last year the Giants swept the Eagles in the season series, taking the game at Lincoln Financial Field by a score of 16-13. In fact, the Giants have won three out of the last four games in Philly, with the
only loss coming in the wildcard round of the 2006.
There are a few other very streaky betting trends going in this game,
as the Giants are 3-0 ATS in the last three games and the under is
3-0 in the last three head-to-head.
Badgers Pick: This one will be a classic NFC East grudge match,
full of defensive pressure at the line of scrimmage. Even two of the
games best offenses dont stand a chance versus two of the elite
defenses. Take the under of 43.
