Total Talk - Divisional Playoffs
By Chris David
Let’s take a closer look at each tilt and always keep an eye on the WEATHER UPDATES.
Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants (40): The weather reports out of the Tri-State area haven’t been good, with snow expected to land on Saturday. The field will be clear but the temperatures and winds will be gusty. With that being said, the passing game on this matchup will be null and void. This will be third meeting of the season between the Giants and Eagles, with the first two totals split. Philadelphia captured a 20-14 road victory on Dec. 7, while New York captured a 36-31 shootout win at Lincoln Financial Field on Nov. 9. Four of the last five in this series has gone ‘under’ but this week’s number (40 and dropping) is the lowest dating back to a regular season battle in 2005.
The Eagles’ defense has been playing great football, only allowing 10.8 PPG in their last five games. The ‘under’ has gone 3-1-1 during this stretch and the one game that went ‘over’ (Cowboys 44-6) only hit because the defense added 14 points of their own. The Giants have watched the ‘under’ close the year on a 4-1 run.
San Diego at Pittsburgh (37.5): The last game of the weekend is another rematch and this one could be the toughest to handicap. Weather plays a factor, possibly some snow in Western Pennsylvania too. The last three meetings in this series have all gone ‘under’, including the Steelers’ 11-10 victory over the Chargers on Nov. 16. Even though Pittsburgh only rang up 11 points, they did put up 400 offensive yards but was hurt by 13 penalties. Another key stat in this first battle was the red zone numbers, which saw both teams combined for a dreadful 16.6 percent (1-of-6).
San Diego’s defense has played a lot better since Ron Rivera took over for defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell, who was fired in late October. The unit has given up 18.3 PPG in the last nine games and held the Colts to 17 in last week’s Wild Card victory. No LaDainian Tomlinson for the Chargers this week would lead most to expect a large dose of Darren Sproles and Michael Bennett, but can the duo carry the load? QB Philip Rivers tossed 26 times in the first game and should surpass that number this week, especially if the team trails early.
Pittsburgh has watched the ‘over/under’ go 4-4 at home. The Chargers have seen the ‘over’ go 5-3 on the road during the regular season.
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