It gets real tonight in the NFC East as the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles battle for control of the division. The Giants (3-2) and the Eagles (2-3) are pretty much the only viable options coming out of the eastern division right now and the winner of this game is in what we call in the south, “the catbird seat.”
Scroll on down for the live blog. Keep reading for the preview information.
Here’s your line information as of Monday.
Eagles (-3.5), 50.5 O/U o: -110, u: 110, Money Line: Giants +183, Eagles – 213
Here’s the pick from my Friday Afternoon Quarterback column.
Monday Night
New York Giants at Philadelphia (-5)
The Giants are already in control of the NFC East, but to keep it they need to win games like this. Plus, the University of Southern California needs its head coach situation solved as soon as possible. Take care of them, Eli. Giants 34, Eagles 30
And here’s the info from this week’s NFL Power Rankings.
9. New York Giants – (3-2) The Giants can take complete control of the NFC East against the Eagles this week and unlike last Sunday night, Eli Manning may have a few NFL receivers on the field with which to do it. Last week: No. 10
14. Philadelphia Eagles – (2-3) I would send a congratulatory email to Chip Kelly for the win over the Saints, but I’m not sure the email would get through past all those contract offers and not-so-subtle inquiries from USC. Last week: No. 17
And here are five key stats from CBS Sports Net.
Key stat: The Giants have turned the ball over just three times in five games, while the Eagles are tied for second in the NFL with 13 takeaways.
Key stat: The Giants and Eagles are the only two teams in football that had three red-zone turnovers in the first five weeks of the season, with all six of their turnovers coming from quarterbacks.
Key stat: Both New York and Philly have surrendered just 3.5 yards per rushing attempt, which is tied for first in the NFL
Key stat: When defending against No. 1 receivers, the Eagles have the league’s fifth-worst DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) from Football Outsiders.
Key stat: The Eagles have won five of the last seven matchups between these teams, including a 27-0 victory at Lincoln Financial Field last year.
And here’s what Yahoo Sports has to say.
The Giants are allowing 304.2 yards per game through the air but held their past two opponents to less than 300 while facing two of the league’s least prolific passers in Tyrod Taylor and Colin Kaepernick.
Bradford is 15th in the league with 256.2 yards per game, but his 83.7 quarterback rating is 30th. He has eight touchdowns to six interceptions, which have him tied for fifth most.
Philadelphia recorded a 34-26 win in New York on Dec. 28 and has won 11 of the past 14 meetings, including one in the playoffs. The Eagles have claimed four of the past six home matchups.
The game is on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. Watch it with me. I’ll try to keep it interesting and make a joke or two.
