After wading through mediocrity last season, the NFC East has become the toughest division in football in 2016. The play of young quarterbacks has led to the turnaround, but the division still has one of the longest tenured signal-callers. Youth and experience collide when Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles play their second straight inter-division contest against Eli Manning and the New York Giants in Week 9. Riding a two-game winning streak and coming off their bye, the Giants can leapfrog the Eagles in the division standings with a win.
Watch this regular season Week 9 matchup live on Sunday, November 6, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium.
Odds Analysis
With the Eagles playing late Sunday night, the spread and total hadn’t hit the board yet. I expect the Giants to get the edge for being at home and coming off a bye while Philly is faced with another crucial division game on the road. New York is 0-2 SU and ATS in the past two seasons following its bye.
Injury Report
Allen Barbre – The Eagles’ starting left guard exited Sunday night’s game with a hamstring injury, causing more trepidation along the offensive front. Philly is without starting tackle Lane Johnson, who is serving a 10-game suspension, and reserve guard Isaac Seumalo remains sidelined. Since Johnson’s suspension started three games ago, the Eagles offensive production is down over seven points per game.
Key Stats
The Giants have a winning record and come off their bye with a two-game winning streak, but they’ve been less than dominating in the first half of the year. The team spent millions in the offseason to upgrade its defense and the investment has paid off. The additions of Olivier Vernon, Janoris Jenkins and Damon Harrison have the Giants ranked 17th in total defense and 10th in scoring defense, both vast improvements over last season.
One area where the group hasn’t had a lot of success is in the turnover department. The Giants have just seven takeaways this season and only three teams have fewer, and New York’s minus-7 turnover differential ranks 29th in the league. Despite the overall ineptness of the offense and poor numbers in the turnover category, somehow the Giants are 4-3 heading into their showdown with the Eagles.
Free ATS Pick
It’s easy to go with the team coming off a bye given all the benefits of having an off-week, but the Giants have been less than dynamic this season. Given all the weapons Big Blue has on offense, it’s surprising to see them ranked 27th in the league in scoring. A closer look tells us all we need to know, however. There is no running game and the loss of Rashad Jennings for a few games made it even worse, if it could be that. The Giants are dead last in the NFL in running the football with just over 70 yards per game. That won’t get it done no matter who your quarterback is. A lot of the blame has been tossed at Manning for the problems, but when teams don’t honor the run, it’s tough to consistently move the football.
Without a doubt the Giants need to find something on the ground or this season could turn out similar to last. Jennings returned two games ago and the Giants responded by winning both. In fact, New York is undefeated in games the back plays and winless when he doesn’t. He could be the rabbit’s tail or it’s just a coincidence. I’m wagering on the latter since his numbers aren’t scaring anyone. Philly’s been good on defense and coordinator Jim Schwartz has done a masterful job. The unit was undone by Dallas Sunday night, but the Giants don’t have the same personnel, and if New York can’t run the ball, they’ll find it difficult to penetrate the Eagles defense.
NFL Odds: Eagles 26, Giants 18
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