NFL Sportsbook Free Picks – Eagles-Giants Engage In NFC East Title Fight

The race for the NFC East is usually a three horse race, but with Dallas and Washington imploding in on themselves the sportsbooks have generally graded Philadelphia and New York as the only two teams that have a chance of making the playoffs. One team could see their value jeopardized with a loss, so the pressure is monumental when the Giants and Eagles face off in another, epic game.

The Eagles have been wonky in terms of betting. At 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS in their last 5 games, they seem profitable in the sportsbook, but they almost failed to cover against the Houston Texans just two weeks ago. Philadelphia hasn’t really done a great job of closing teams out overall, and their defense has experienced some troubling injuries.

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Historically, the Eagles have owned the Giants. They’re 7-3 SU in their last 10 meetings and Andy Reid’s crew is also a clean 5-0 SU in the past 5 games. In the sportsbook, they’ve been a cash cow when visiting  New York as well, going 4-1 SU and ATS when the make visits to the Meadowlands.

Philadelphia Eagles (9-4) vs. New York Giants (9-4)

Sunday, December 19th — Meadowlands Stadium — 1:00pm EST

NFL Sportsbook Betting Line: NYG -3.0 (46.0)

So now we know that the trends, momentum and a solid tradition of winning when playing the Giants, so why are you even bothering to read on? Well for one, the Giants have become a bit more complete with Hakeem Nicks, though losing Steve Smith is a devastating blow.

The Giants have been coming on strong, and it’s evident that the running game issues in New York have been resolved. That in itself has made Eli Manning become less of a workhorse, and the reduced rate of passes he has to produce has made him much more efficient.

Still, the fact that Asante Samuel is back without Steve Smith tearing up the middle makes Manning’s job much more difficult. The Giants essentially have three receivers in Manningham, Nicks and Hagan that all serve the same, flanker purpose. They shouldn’t be favored in the sportsbook merely because they’re at home. Eli doesn’t have a weapon he can use on short yardage plays.

The Giants’ supposed team speed on defense is killer against pocket quarterbacks but against mobile passers like Vick, their over aggressive nature can actually turn against them. With rushers collapsing the edges, Vick can step up in to the open and break open for first downs or use his canon of an arm to spot guys anywhere on the field.

There are those that will like what they’ve seen out of the Giants in the past two games, but Vick is a matchup nightmare for them. The public will generally side with the Eagles, so if you like them as road dogs, take this line as soon as possible in the sportsbook before it moves up over the weekend.

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