The New York Giants will be looking to double their win total this week as they head to Philadelphia Eagles, who are also looking to get their second win of the NFL season (8.20pm ET Thursday; TV: Live on Fox & NFL Network).
The Giants were able to outlast the Washington Football team to get in the win column for the first time this season. Washington scored a touchdown with 36 seconds left as Cam Sims caught his first touchdown of the season on Kyle Allen’s second passing touchdown of the day. Instead of tying the game at 20 and playing to win in overtime they rolled the dice and ultimately failed an abysmal two-point conversion attempt as they went for the win in regulation.
The Eagles played a hard-fought game against the Ravens and clawed all the way back but couldn’t convert a two-point conversion and ultimately lost 30-28. They were unable to come out of the loss unscathed. They lost two key pieces on an offense that is already banged up.
They will be without starting tight end Zach Ertz for 3-4 weeks with an ankle injury and explosive running back Miles Sanders with miss Thursday night and possibly the following week after suffering a knee injury. These two injuries will be massive for a team that is already short on weapons for starting quarterback Carson Wentz. The Eagles already have a difficult time protecting Wentz and now he will have even fewer weapons to trust.
Wentz constantly being under pressure and the lack of weapons could prove to be a recipe for disaster this week against the Giants. I’m not sure how they will be able to move the ball without Ertz and Sanders and both Desean Jackson and starting tackle Lane Johnson questionable.
Sanders leads the team in rushing attempts (71) and rushing yards (434) all while missing one game. Ertz is tied for the lead in receptions (24) and was first in targets (45). Sanders and Ertz were two of the more important weapons on an offense that has only had tight end Dallas Goedert for three games, wide receiver DeSean Jackson for three games, rookie first round receiver for two games and veteran wide receiver Alshon Jeffrey has yet to suit up this season.
This is a team that is lacking weapons and it shows in their 1-4-1 record. The Eagles rank 22nd in the NFL in average points scored per game. They are only able to muster on average 23.5 points per game and that likely won’t improve this week with the loss of Sanders and Ertz. The Eagles offensive line has also been decimated by injuries, which hasn’t allowed Wentz and the offense enough time to succeed like they have in past seasons.
They have given up the most sacks in the NFL with 25 through six games. They also rank second in the league in turnovers. They have given the ball away 12 times, nine of which have been Carson Wentz interceptions. The three previous seasons Wentz had thrown seven interceptions in each. He is on pace to break his career high in interceptions, which was 14 during his rookie year.
The Giants have also struggled to score after losing their star running back Saquon Barkley for the season in week two. Starting wide receiver Sterling Shepard has been dealing with turf toe and has only appeared in two games, but he may make his return on Thursday. Last year Shepard lead the team in receptions. Fellow wide receiver Darius Slayton is currently listed as questionable with a foot injury and he was limited in practice on Thursday. Slayton leads the team in receptions, targets, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. He is the only player on the Giants with a receiving touchdown this season. Slayton is one of the few big play threats the Giants have so he will be a key injury to keep an eye on.
If he is unable to go I would be more willing to take the Eagles, but both of these offenses are abysmal. The Giants are one of the worst offenses in the NFL. They rank 31st in average points per game with only 16.8 on average through the first six weeks. It took a defensive touchdown last week against Washington to get them to 20 points. They only have six touchdowns on the season. In comparison the highest average scoring offense is the Seahawks’, who have 23 touchdowns thus far.
Our Betting Preview’s Giants vs Eagles Predictions & Picks Verdict
We are going to be taking the under with the America-friendly sports gambling sites on the total points likely to be scored. Generally I try to stay away from primetime games going under, but these two offenses are just so bad and injured it is difficult to trust either of them.
The Giants should be able to generate enough pressure to make Wentz struggle with his lack of weapons and a shoddy offensive line. We think the Giants will try to control the clock by keeping the ball on the ground with Freeman and quarterback Daniel Jones a threat to run as well.
The Eagles rank 21st giving up an average of 125.5 rushing yards per game. We lean towards the Giants on the spread but much of the value has been lost already. This game opened Giants +6pts, but has already moved down to +4.5pts. We wouldn’t fault anyone for taking a chance on the Giants on the moneyline at best odds of +195 with Bovada or BetOnline, but ultimately we feel more comfortable taking the under.
We don’t see how either of these teams can score nearly enough and see this game being a 20-17 victory for the Giants. So this is USAbetting’s advised pick and the conclusion of our New York Giants vs Philadelphia Eagles predictions for this preview:
Alex Uplinger is a sports betting analyst, writer, podcast producer and an expert on NFL and college basketball. As well as his football previews for USA Betting, Alex produces and co-hosts an NFL show for Full Slate and a sports betting podcast on the Blue Wire Network.