The Philadelphia Eagles (4-1) and the New York Giants (1-4) will renew their NFC East rivalry on Thursday night in a nationally televised matchup for this Eagles vs. Giants prediction. This is their first meeting this season, as the Eagles swept the season series both home and away last year. The Eagles just fell at home against the Broncos 21-17 as 4.5-point favorites, while the Giants lost on the road in New Orleans 26-14 as 2.5-point dogs. Kickoff is set for 8:15 EST and can be found on Amazon Prime. See below for out Eagles vs. Giants prediction, and keep up with all of our best Free NFL Picks.
Philadelphia Takes First Loss
The Philadelphia Eagles looked like the best team in football heading into the last week, but finally took their first loss as they were favored against the visiting Denver Broncos. Philly started with some solid wins, including road victories over the Chiefs and Buccaneers. The Eagles took a 17-3 lead into the fourth quarter against Denver, before giving up an 18-0 run in the loss. Jalen Hurts finished that game with 280 passing yards and two touchdown passes in the losing effort.
Hurts is putting up strong numbers at first glance, as he is taking care of the ball and limiting turnovers, but the offense has been known to stall at times. He has passed for 889 yards through the first five games, with a clean 7-0 TD-INT ratio. He is still a threat in the rushing game with 182 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, with the tush push still legal as one of the most unstoppable plays in the league. Opposing defenses have been stacking the box against their run game, as Saquon Barkley has not put up the same type of numbers as he did last year. So far in this season, Barkley is averaging just 53.4 yards per game with three rushing touchdowns.
DeVonta Smith has been their most productive wideout; the 6’0 speedster has 25 catches for 272 yards and a touchdown. A.J. Brown is their physical receiver; he has 19 grabs for 194 yards, but is looking for the ball more in the passing game. Their defense has seven sacks, led by linebacker Zach Baun with two, and their defensive unit has three interceptions from three different players.
Injury Report:
Out: LB Nakobe Dean
Questionable: RB Saquon Barkley, TE Grant Calcaterra, LB Jihad Campbell, G Landon Dickerson
Giants Lose Momentum
The New York Giants were riding high last week. The franchise made the change to rookie Jaxson Dart at quarterback and picked up their first win of the season against the Chargers in MetLife Stadium. All of that momentum came to a screeching halt in their Week 5 game, as they played the lowly Saints but took a 26-14 loss in the process. The defeat knocks them back to 1-4 on the season, with most thinking the Giants need to continue their rebuild and need more pieces to truly contend.
Dart will start again here at quarterback, his third outing as the full-time starter. He has appeared in four games and has 313 yards with a 3-2 TD-INT ratio. Dart is capable of running out of the pocket when needed, as he has 109 yards on the ground in his limited appearances. Last week against the Saints, he passed for a career-high 202 passing yards in the loss. However, he’s banged up thus far and is dealing with a hamstring injury. Cam Skattebo has taken over the top spot in the backfield. He is another rookie and has amassed 240 yards with two touchdowns, blending his mix of power and speed. However, he also lost a fumble against the Saints in the most inauspicious time.
WR Malik Nabers will miss the rest of the season with his knee injury, putting the pressure on Wan’Dale Robinson to be their top wideout. He is a fast 5’8 receiver who has 267 receiving yards and a touchdown so far. Their defense has ten sacks on the year, led by edge rusher Brian Burns with five. Dru Phillips has two interceptions out of the secondary, leading the defensive unit who has just three total picks on the year.
Injury Report:
Questionable: WR Darius Slayton. RB Tyrone Tracy Jr., CB Dru Phillips, OT Jermaine Eluemunor
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants picks
Spread pick and prediction for Eagles vs. Giants
- Giants +6.5 (5 units)
The Giants are a divisional home dog on a short week, making them the clear play here. Divisional dogs at home are always a strong play, as the coaching staffs are familiar with each other, which will lead to hard-fought, tight battles. On top of this, it is a short week, and Thursday nights have been notorious for unders. In a low-scoring game, taking the home team getting 6.5 points is the right side, and the Eagles offense has not been strong enough to trust for a road blowout. A.J. Brown has been invisible, as the Eagles have not put up strong passing numbers with opposing defenses loading up against the run. The Giants will force the Eagles to pass and rely on their defense in a low-scoring game that sees New York cover the number.
Take the Giants with the points.
Over/Under Pick for Eagles vs. Giants
- Under 40.5 (4 units)
Prime time unders are always a strong play, which is why Vegas has lowered this number all the way down to 40.5. As mentioned earlier, the Eagles’ offense has been underwhelming, and the passing game cannot get going, while Saquon Barkley has put up the same production as he has in past seasons. On the other side, the Giants are still trying to work Dart into the lineup and are trying to replace Nabers on the perimeter. These teams are both better on the defensive side of the ball than they are on offense, expect a low-scoring game in this short week.