The Philadelphia Eagles (2-3) travel to East Rutherford to play the New York Giants (1-4) on Thursday Night Football.
The Giants, winners of two of their last 10 games at home, have not fared well lately against the defending Super Bowl champion as they have lost seven of the last eight against the Eagles.
That domination is reflected by the fact that the Giants are a three-point underdog even though they are playing at home. The over-under for the game is set at 44.
The Eagles will be without running back Jay Ajayi for the remainder of the season after he suffered a torn ACL last week against the Minnesota Vikings. The Eagles’ running attack is pretty banged up as Corey Clement has been sidelined for two weeks, and Darren Sproles has been out with a hamstring injury.
Look for Wendell Smallwood to handle most of the carries against the Giants, while Clement, who’s coming back from a quad injury, could also see some action tonight.
The fact that the Eagles won’t have their best running backs in this game are wonderful news for the Giants as they have struggled all season long against the run and are currently ranked 27th in the league allowing an average of 124 rushing yards per game.
If the Giants want to win Eli Manning must have a good game, but that is easier said than done as historically he’s struggled against Philadelphia. A good rapport with Odell Beckham Jr. will be necessary to make that possible, but he will have to deal with Jalen Mills and Sam Darby.
Fortunately for Manning, although New York’s offensive line might struggle to stop Philadelphia’s pass rush, the Eagles cornerbacks have faltered over the early part of the season, giving Beckham a solid chance to have another big performance tonight.
Look for the Eagles to win this one and cover as the total will likely go over in a game where the Giants defense will struggle to stop an underperforming Carson Wentz.
Expect Wentz to pass for over 250 yards and throw for a pair of touchdowns. Perhaps a good performance here can help him regain his mojo back and start playing like he did last year when he led the Eagles to an 11-1 record.
Prediction: Eagles 28 – 20 Giants
