Eagles-Giants preview and predictions

The Eagles play their eighth game of the season this afternoon, the halfway point of their 2016 season. It’s a must win game as the Eagles can not afford to fall to 0-3 in the division if they want to make a run to the playoffs. After a hot start that had the Eagles looking like NFC East contenders, they could end the day in last place, or in second.

To get to second, they’ll have to beat a Giants team that has been surprisingly not terrible on defense but surprisingly lousy on offense. The Giants are 26th in points per game with Eli Manning and Odell Beckham having down years and no one on offense stepping up to fill the void. Shane Vereen is the team’s leading rusher despite being on IR after three games, rookie WR Sterling Shepard has a paltry 10.8 yards per catch. The Giants are 23rd in both pass and run DVOA. The Giants defense has improved, but is still a weakness. They are 10th in scoring but rank near the bottom of the league in turnovers and sacks, the two areas they spent a lot of money in the offseason to try to improve. They have more games without a turnover (4) than with (3), and safety Landon Collins leads the team in sacks with 2.

But they’re coming off their bye, they are the third straight opponent the Eagles are facing coming off a bye. And they’re at home, the Eagles are 1-3 on the road.

Even with those advantages, it’s hard to pick against the Eagles. They have one of the best defenses and special teams in the league, which should be enough to see them through this game and keep them on track for the playoffs.

Game Predictions

Score: Eagles 27, Giants 17

Bold prediction: Malcolm Jenkins interception

Make your predictions in the comments