NFL Free Pick: PHI/NYG
NFC East rivals square off with everything on the line as the No. 1 seeded New York Giants host the Philadelphia Eagles.
Will we give our free pick nod to the defending champion Giants or the upstart Eagles?
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made the Giants -4 point spread favorite. The over/under for this game has been set at 38.5 total points.
Top Trend: The Eagles are 5-1 against the spread in their last six games and 11-4 against the number in their last 16 games on the road. The total has also gone under in five of Philly’s last six games on the road.
Key Stat: The Giants have been an outstanding running team this season, averaging a whopping 156.4 yards per game on the ground. But the Eagles have been equally impressive in stopping opponents’ running games, allowing just 92.3 yards on the ground.
Game Outlook: No. 1 seeds in the NFL rarely lose in the opening round, so it’s hard to go against Big Blue, considering they’re also the defending champs. But this is a three-point game either way. Eli Manning and the Giants haven’t played sharp since beating the Redskins in Washington in Week 13. That was the last time they had everything clicking and they haven’t gotten back to that point since. Since Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg, they haven’t had a consistent deep threat in the passing game either. Look for Jim Johnson and the Eagles to stop the run, blitz Manning and force him into mistakes. The key is stopping Brandon Jacobs, though, because if Philly can’t do that Manning will pick them apart. The next key is to get pressure on Eli and don’t allow him to set his feet. He still struggles if he feels pressure, so Johnson dialing up plenty of blitzes should be a priority. Offensively for the Eagles, Brian Westbrook isn’t 100% healthy, but when is he ever? It’s no secret that Donovan McNabb is the key to the Eagles’ success and if he plays inconsistent and turns the ball over, Philly is done. The Eagles haven’t been the most consistent team in the league and we do believe the Giants will win, but four points from oddsmakers is a gift. Philly covers the four; the Giants win outright. We also like the under, but recommend Philly +4 above all. For the rest of our NFL Divisional Round Free Pick, see below.
Our Free NFL Pick for the Divisional Round Playoff matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants game is
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES +4
TheSpread.com Projected Final Score
New York Giants 20
Philadelphia Eagles 17
We also predict that this game will GO UNDER THE TOTAL (38.5 Sportsbook.com) SET BY ODDSMAKERS
Posted: 1/11/08 9:00AM ET