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Eagles vs. Giants NFL Pick with Analysis
11/20/11
By
John J. Raspanti
Three weeks ago, the Philadelphia Eagle’s seemed to have turned their season around. They had defeated Washington and drubbed Dallas. Then everything changed. The following weekend the Bears came to town and surprised them. Last Sunday Arizona shocked the Eagles by the score of 21-17.
The Eagles (3-6) visit the NFC East-leading Giants (6-3) Sunday night with the full knowledge that another loss could virtually end their season. During the Arizona game, quarterback Michael Vick suffered two broken ribs. Vick did not practice Wednesday leaving his status up in the air. Coach Andy Reid still hopes Vick will be able to play.
"He's still sore," Reid said. "These next few days will tell, so we'll see."
If Vick and his 11 touchdown passes can’t go, Vince Young will likely get the start. Young, who split reps with Mike Kafka, has thrown only one pass this season. The Eagle ground game is explosive led by LeSean McCoy and his league leading 906 yards. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson will be back after he was deactivated last weekend for missing a meeting. Jackson has caught 29 passes for an average of 17 yards a catch. Jeremy Martin leads all receivers with 46 catches and four scores. Tight end Brent Celek has chipped in with 31 balls caught. The Eagles have blown five games in the fourth quarter. Middle linebacker James Chaney leads the defense with 60 tackles. Free safety Kurt Coleman has 40 tackles while defensive end Jason Babin leads the team with nine sacks.
The Giants handled the Eagles easily in September winning by the score of 29-16. The win snapped Philadelphia’s six-game winning streak in the series. Giants quarterback Eli Manning has completed 63 percent of his passes and thrown 17 touchdowns. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw has rushed for 440 yards this season. Bradshaw is nursing a broken bone in his right foot and could miss Sundays game. Brandon Jacobs numbers have improved lately, but he’s still averaging only 3.2 yards a carry.
Manning’s receivers have been consistent all season. Victor Cruz and Hakeen Nicks have both caught 40 passes while Mario Manningham has 33. Manning’s chemistry with tight end Jake Ballard has produced 26 completions. The Giant defense is ranked 13th in yards per game giving up 120 on the ground and 219 through the air. Free safety Antrel Rolle looks to continue his stellar play and slow down LeSean McCoy. Outside linebacker has collected 59 tackles while strong safety Kenny Philips has 55. The defense leads the league with 30 combined sacks.
Bettorsworld Bottom Line - With or without Vick, it's hard to recommend the Eagles. On the plus side, they have only lost one game all year by more than 4 points. That game just so happened to be against the Giants. But, while they aren't losing by large margins, they are still losing. While the Giants were doing battle with one of the NFL's best on the road last week, almost coming away with a win, The Eagles were losing to one of the NFL's worst.
The NFL is a whacky league where anything can happen on any given day and the Eagles certainly have the talent to beat any team. But the Giants look to be a team going places, a playoff contender while the Eagles have simply never gotten on track this year. There's trouble on and off the field and you get the sense that Andy Reid has perhaps lost this team. It's the Giants for us. Giants -4.5
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