NFC East Game Previews- New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Date/Time: Sunday, Sept.25 1 p.m. (ET)
Venue: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA.
Broadcast: FOX
Giants @ Eagles lines by BetOnline.com
Point spread: Eagles -7
Over/Under: OFF
The New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles square-off this Sunday afternoon in a huge early-season NFC East showdown. Kick-off from the Linc is slated for 1 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast nationally on FOX.
New York started the season on a bad note with a 28-14 loss to Washington as a 2.5-point road favorite, so this game becomes all that more important to avoid a 0-2 hole in the division. It bounced back last Monday night with a 28-16 victory over St. Louis as a seven-point home favorite, but is still looking for better consistency on both sides of the ball.
The Giants’ passing game took a major hit against the Rams when Mario Manningham was knocked-out of the game with a concussion and Domenik Hixon went down with a knee injury. Manningham is listed as questionable, but Hixon is gone for the year with a torn ACL. The game plan on Sunday will shift heavily towards a rushing attack that features both Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs, who should have success against an Eagles’ defense that has been extremely porous against the run so far.
The line on this game remains ‘OFF’ as we await word on whether or not Michael Vick will be ready to go after receiving a concussion in last Sunday night’s game against Atlanta. The Eagles came in as 2.5-point road favorites, but ended up falling 35-31 in a game that went ‘over’ the 48.5-point line. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
As of now Vick is expected to play, but if he cannot go then third-string quarterback Mike Kafka should make his first NFL start as Vince Young is still recovering from a sore hamstring. Kafka looked sharp against the Falcons, completing 7-of-9 attempts for 72 yards and almost pulled this game out late in the fourth, but if he does get the start you can expect Philadelphia to actually open as a mild underdog in this game.
Being the underdog in this series might not be the worst thing in the world as they are 11-2 against the spread in the last 13 games, but Philadelphia’s best chance to extend its current winning streak over the Giants to seven games is with Vick at the helm. The Eagles have not only won the last six games straight-up but against the spread as well. The total has gone ‘over’ in three of the last four games.
Assuming that Vick is ready to go, look for Philadelphia to win this game, but if the spread is eventually set at 4.5 points or more, take the Giants to cover with the points.
The Pick: Philadelphia 28 New York 24
