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Philadelphia Eagles (2-3) vs. New York Giants (1-4) at MetLife Stadium
NFL Week 6: 8:20 ET on Thursday, October 11, 2018
It’s a battle of two bitter NFC East rivals, as the Philadelphia Eagles travel to take on the New York Giants on Thursday night football. Philadelphia has dominated this series of late, winning three straight and seven of the last eight overall. However, the Giants lead the all-time series 85-83-2. Last season, Philadelphia 1 x 3 in September and then defeated the Giants in New York in December by five.
Eagles Rally Falls Short, Vikings Victorious, 23-21
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The rematch of last year’s NFC Championship game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings was hailed as a potential game of the week, and it lived up to the hype, as Philadelphia battled back from a 14 point deficit but would still fall by two points in the 23-21 loss. Quarterback Carson Wentz threw four 311 yards and two touchdowns in the defeat and tight end Zach Ertz had 110 yards receiving and a touchdown.
After the two teams traded field goals, Minnesota would take the lead with 17 unanswered points. A Wentz fumble was recovered by Linval Joseph, who returned the ball 64 yards for a touchdown. Four minutes later, Kirk Cousins connected with Adam Thielen for a 3-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 14. Minnesota lead at the half 17-3.
Each team would add a field goal in the third quarter, and Philadelphia would pull within six when Wentz connected with Wendell Smallwood for a 12-yard touchdown reception. The two-point conversion was good to make it 20-14. After Minnesota hit a field-goal, Wentz found his tight end in the end zone for a 7-yard score. That pulled the Eagles within two, but Minnesota was able to run out the clock to earn the victory.
Philadelphia is averaging 20.6 points per game while giving up 20.8. They are averaging 363.8 yards of offense per contest while giving up 343.2. The Eagles have one of the stingier defenses in the league, allowing 66.4 yards per game on the ground.
Last Second Field Goal Ruins Manning’s Big Day, 33-31
Eli Manning looked like his old self on Sunday, throwing for 326 yards and two touchdowns to help rally the Giants from 11 points down to take the lead with 1:08 left in the contest, but a last-second field goal by Graham Gano ended the Giants hopes of pulling this game out as they fell 33-31.
After New York got an Adrick Rosas 42 yard field goal, Carolina quarterback Cam Newton threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Samuel to give Carolina the lead. A little less than a minute into the second quarter, Odell Beckham, Jr. fumbled the punt return. It was picked up by Colin Jones who returned the ball for a touchdown. Gano then connected on a 47-yard field goal to extend the Panthers lead to 14.
The Giants would pull back within seven with a little trickery. Beckham took the ball on a reverse and found running back Saquon Barkley for a 57-yard touchdown to make it 17-10. Each team added a field goal before the half ended.
A Newton touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey extended the Panthers lead back to 13 but Manning would find Beckham for a 33-yard touchdown pass to pull the Giants within three. After Gano hit his third field goal of the game, Manning came up big again, this time connecting with Barkley for a 15-yard touchdown to give New York their first lead since the first quarter. The Panthers moved to the Giants 45 with just five seconds left on the clock. That left a 63-yard field goal attempt for the victory, which Gano nailed.
The Giants are averaging 20.8 points per game while giving up 25.6 points on average. Offensively, they are averaging 337.8 yards but are only averaging 75.6 yards on the ground. Their defense is giving up an average of 353.8 yards per game.
Trends:
Philadelphia:
- 5-1 ATS in their last six games in October.
- 4-1 ATS in their last five games on a Thursday night.
- 13-6 ATS in their last 19 games versus NFC teams.
- 0-4 ATS in their last four games overall.
New York:
- 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games at home.
- 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games versus NFC teams.
- 5-2-1 ATS and their last eight games in October.
The Winner Prediction
Philadelphia was looking like a much safer bet until Monday when it was reported that running back Jay Ajayi would be out for the remainder of the season. That puts the Eagles struggling offense in an even worse situation. Manning is coming off a game that the Giants should’ve won had it not been for the poor performance of their defense. That should give Philadelphia the opportunity to move the ball, but don’t be surprised to see the Giants have success offensively as well. The Giants are getting points at home and that makes them a smart bet.
The Pick: New York Giants +3(-105)
The Total
The total is set at 43.5, and that seems pretty low for two defenses that have not been particularly impressive. Wentz looks like he is getting more confident with this Eagles offense and Manning looks like he has gone back to the future.
The Pick: Over 43.5 (-110)