The Philadelphia Eagles have the edge in their rivalry against the New York Giants, having won six of the last seven games outright, and going 5-2 against the spread in the process. The NFC East champions are looking to extend that run this Sunday in Week 15 of the 2017 NFL season.
The Philadelphia Eagles are still one of the top teams in NFC after a win against the Rams, 43-35. Superstar quarterback and MVP candidate, Carson Wentz was hurt in the victory. He will be out the remainder of the year with a torn ACL. Before the injury, Wentz was playing decent. He completed 23 of 41 passes for 291 yards and four touchdowns. He also threw a touchdown after he hurt his knee, then exited the game.
The injury to Wentz is huge, but the team is confident former Eagles starter Nick Foles can lead them to wins in the playoffs. Foles completed six of 10 passes for 42 yards against the Rams. Look for Foles to be a solid backup this week against the Giants. He has played in these situations before. Defensively, the Eagles are allowing 312 total yards and 19 points scored per game this season.
The run defense has been the Eagles staple this year. The team is allowing 71 yards rushing per game this season. In last weeks win against the Rams, the Eagles allowed 307 yards against one of the most high powered offenses in the NFL. Philadelphia allowed 109 yards on 17 attempts. Good enough for 6.4 yards per carry. Uncharacteristic for the Eagles. This week, the Eagles should have no issues holding the Giants to under 75 yards on the ground.
The New York Giants have been the talk of the NFL all season, but for all the wrong reasons. There is literally nowhere to begin when it comes to the issues with the Giants this year. After the injury to Odell Beckham Jr., the team basically took vacation and it has shown. Eli Manning was benched last week in favor of Geno Smith. After the loss, head coach Ben Mcadoo was fired and Geno Smith was benched.
Eli Manning started last week against the Cowboys, but his performance was underwhelming. Manning completed 31 of 46 passes for 228 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in the loss.
Defensively, the Giants are allowing 405 yards and giving up 24.7 points per game this year. The New York secondary has been especially bad this season. They are allowing 275 yards passing per game this year. The Giants defense should not take Nick Foles and company lightly. He has played well as a starter in this league.
Writer’s Prediction
This game won’t be as exciting as it has been in years past. Hopefully, the rivalry will have some excitement this week. Philadelphia is in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see how the long of a leash he is given running the offense. The Giants have a punchers chance to win this one, but will lose by double digits at home. Take the Eagles to cover. Pick: Eagles (-7.5)
