NFL Divisional Round: New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles Betting Preview
NFC East rivals will collide Saturday night as the New York Giants (10-7-1) take on the Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs. The Eagles will host this one at Lincoln Financial Field, with kickoff scheduled for 8:15 pm ET.
For New York to get here, they upset the Minnesota Vikings 31-24 in the Wild Card round last week. In the win, Daniel Jones threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns, but he also rushed 17 times for 78 yards.
Saquon Barkley added 53 yards rushing and two touchdowns on the day.
For the Eagles, they enjoyed a bye last week as the top-ranked team in the NFC. This will actually be a rematch of their Week 18 game, when they beat the Giants 22-16 at home. In the win, Jalen Hurts threw for 229 yards and an interception. It is worth noting that the Giants rested most of their starters in that contest.
The Eagles are the favorites playing at home. They are -360 to win, while the Giants’ moneyline sits at +290.
The spread features the Giants as 7.5-point underdogs (-108), and the over/under for total points is 48.5.
Giants Hope Third Time’s A Charm
In both of their head-to-head matchups this year, the Giants lost to the Eagles. The Giants looked sharp last week, though, and if they can play to that level, the third time might be the charm in taking down their divisional foe.
Offensively, the Giants rank 14th in the NFL, averaging 22 points per game. Under center, they are led by 25-year-old quarterback Daniel Jones, who threw for 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions during the regular season. He also rushed for 708 yards and another seven scores.
The leader on the ground for the Giants is veteran running back Saquon Barkley. In 16 games this season, he rushed for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also added 57 receptions for 338 yards in the passing game.
On the defensive side, the Giants rank 18th, allowing 21.9 points per game to opponents.
Eagles Hope To Take Advantage Of Home Field
At 14-3, the Eagles were dominant regardless of the venue. Still, at 7-2 at Lincoln Financial Field this year, they will certainly be energized playing in front of their home crowd.
The Eagles ranked in the top-ten on both sides of the ball. On defense, they rank eighth in the league, allowing 20.2 points per game (18.8 at home).
Offensively, they rank even better at third in the NFL, averaging 28.1 points per game (26.9 at home). That is in large part thanks to a dominant season by quarterback Jalen Hurts.
In 15 games, Hurts threw for 3,701 yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He also rushed 165 times for 760 yards and 13 scores.
Hurts’ favorite targets on offense are wide receivers A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith. For Brown, he had 88 receptions for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns. Smith was almost as dominant, hauling in 95 receptions for 1,196 yards and seven scores.
Take New York And The Points
Looking at the trends, the Giants have done well against the spread. In fact, they are 5-0 against the spread in their last five games and 8-4 in their last 12 with the Eagles. Even though they are winless in their last nine games at Philadelphia, they are 8-1 against the spread in their last nine road games overall.
For Philadelphia, they have had a sensational season this year, but they have not been as dominant down the stretch. In their last five games, they are just 1-4 against the spread and they are 0-5 against the spread in their last five January games.
The Giants may have a hard time toppling the Eagles, but that doesn’t mean this one won’t be close. While Daniel Jones will be facing a far tougher defense than he saw last week, the Giants still have the weapons to put up points on Philadelphia.
Expect the outcome to come down to just one or two plays Saturday, and for that reason, take the Giants and the +7.5 points (-108).
