The Eagles are actually favored to win a game for the first time in a few weeks

The Philadelphia Eagles love to play the underdog card but they won’t be able to do that this week.

The Birds are currently listed as four-point favorites against the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. It’s the first time the Eagles are favored since heading into their Week 3 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The line actually opened with the Eagles as six-point favorites so it’s clear that some money is coming in on the Giants’ side.

That seems foolish to me!

Sure, the Giants are coming off their first win of the season. But they easily could’ve lost to the Washington Football Team, who failed to convert a two-point try late in the game that would’ve given them a lead. Ergo, the Giants could very well be 0-6 right now.

One would think the Eagles’ defense should be able to contain a Giants offense that ranks second-to-last in offensive points per game with 14.5. Sam Darnold is the only quarterback with a passer rating worse than Daniel Jones. Jones has accounted for 10 combined interceptions and fumbles to just three touchdown passes this year.

Turnover issues seem bound to continue with Jones being “protected” by a Giants offensive line that Pro Football Focus grades as the league’s worst in pass blocking. The Eagles’ defensive line could really eat against that unit; keep in mind Philly ranks fourth in sacks.

Tougher sledding could be in store for the Eagles’ offense. Doug Pederson has overseen two relatively good scoring outputs against two of the NFL’s toughest defenses over the past two weeks. Carson Wentz is playing better than he was early in the year.

But the Giants aren’t a total pushover on defense; they rank 14th best in opponent offensive points per game. And the Eagles are obviously dealing with a TON of injury issues. They’re going to be without the likes of Miles Sanders, Zach Ertz, Lane Johnson, and Jack Driscoll in addition to other key starters already on injured reserve.

Nothing should be certain with how bad the Eagles are. But even when things have gone wrong for Philly in the past, they can always rely on beating the Giants. They absolutely own that team. Maybe that’s bound to change in the Joe Judge era but I’ll believe it when I see it.

The Eagles know they can still win this crappy NFC East. They’ll emerge victorious this week.