The Philadelphia Eagles had lost four straight games and six of seven, the playoff dream ended several weeks ago and they were on the road with a chance to win a football game. You have to hand it to Doug Pederson and his decision to attempt a 2-point conversion down by a point. But you have to hate the execution of his team. And that’s what the last three months have been like for Philly with several near misses. The Eagles will pull out all the stops again in an effort to stem the tide when they face the division rival New York Giants in Week 16.
This matchup in Week 16 of the regular season will take place on Thursday, December 22, 2016, at 8:30 p.m. ET at Lincoln Financial Field.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
New York Giants -3
Philadelphia Eagles +3
Over/Under 42
Odds Analysis
The line opened at Giants -3 and nearly 75 percent of the early wagers were on the visitors. The line hasn’t moved yet, but it’s likely a matter of time. New York got the cover win as a 3-point favorite when the teams met in Week 9 while easily cashing the over. The numbers are the same, but the Eagles at home look like the strong pick this time around.
Injury Report
Janoris Jenkins – The Giants lost their top cornerback to a back injury against the Lions. Jenkins, one of the team’s big free agent signees, has been a shut down player, often shadowing the opponent’s top receiver and earning his big money deal. He entered the weekend with 17 pass breakups and three interceptions while defending the best receivers. The Eagles have shifted their focus to a ground attack, but could take some shots if Jenkins isn’t out there.
Kenjon Barner – Philadelphia’s commitment to running the football may have hit a snag with the hamstring injury to Barner. The Eagles are already without Darren Sproles, who remains in the concussion protocol, leaving Ryan Mathews and Byron Marshall as the only experienced ball carriers. Mathews did go for 128 yards against the Ravens and will face another top run defense this week.
Matchup to Watch
New York’s ability to get off the field and not allow opponents to extend drives has been a huge reason for the success of the defense. Once again the Giants were stellar on third down situations against the Lions, holding them to just five conversions on 14 third down tries. The result was another dominant performance, holding Detroit without a touchdown and just two field goals in a 17-6 win.
In beating the Cowboys two weeks ago, the Giants held Dallas to just one third down conversion in 15 tries and they have the third-best third down defense in the NFL by allowing opponent’s to convert on only 35.5 percent of their third down chances. It won’t be an easy task for the Eagles to maintain drives in this game. Philadelphia converts just 37.9 percent of its third downs into first downs and struggled with just three conversions in 15 such situations when the teams met in Week 9.
Free ATS Pick
The Eagles have absolutely nothing to lose and that makes them a dangerous team. They rolled the dice against the Ravens going for the win with a 2-point conversion attempt after scoring a touchdown with a few seconds remaining. The gamble didn’t pay off and the Eagles lost their fifth straight game. But it said a lot about Pederson and the players respected the call. Faced with a similar situation, we can expect the coach to reach into his bag of tricks in an effort beat the Giants.
New York had the benefit of playing against a lame Matthew Stafford last week and the Giants used that to their advantage. The Lions’ quarterback was obviously hindered by his injury and the defense made him pay. The Eagles hung close when the teams played a few weeks back and Carson Wentz had his best game statistically throwing for 364 yards. The Eagles amassed 441 yards of offense against the Giants but red zone failures and two turnovers hurt. Philly will attempt to run the ball to take some pressure off Wentz and if they’re successful they could be in line for the upset. The Giants have issues on offense, mainly Eli Manning’s interceptions and no running game. The Eagles will limit the big plays while coming up with some magic of their own to get a home victory.
NFL Odds: Eagles 24, Giants 20
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