Eagles-Giants: odds, best bets, prediction for divisional playoffs
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Eagles and Giants will meet in the playoffs for the fifth time in the playoffs in the divisional round Saturday night at Lincoln Financial Field.
All eyes will be on Jalen Hurts to see how his shoulder is holding up in his second career playoff game, but he said he's "just going to play his game" against New York.
Lane Johnson's status will be something to monitor as well. He elected to skip surgery until the offseason after he suffered a torn adductor.
The Giants topped the Minnesota Vikings, 31-24, in the wild card round last weekend in a game where Daniel Jones shined.
Here are my favorite bets and prediction for Eagles-Giants:
Giants (+7.5, -110) at Eagles (-7.5, -110)
Over/under: 48
Jan. 21 at 8:15 p.m. at Lincoln Financial Field
Miles Sanders TD
The past four weeks for Sanders have been quiet. He hasn't found the end zone in the team's previous four games, but I expect that to change Saturday night.
I like him to score against the Giants at -106.
New York ranks dead last in rushing DVOA, according to FootballOutsiders.com. They also allow running backs to gain 5.2 yards per carry.
The Eagles might lean on the running game against the Giants if Hurts isn't 100%, which could set up a nice day for Sanders.
In the team's Week 14 matchup, Sanders had his best statistical game of the year. He had 144 rushing yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns.
Boston Scott TD
It would be negligent of me to write this without recommending Giants killer Boston Scott touchdown at +320.
But, you can find more Scott bets here.
Dallas Goedert over in receiving yards
Dallas Goedert only played in one game against the Giants this season. He played in the regular-season finale and missed the Week 14 matchup.
But, Goedert is primed to have a big game against the Giants on Saturday night, which is why I like his over in receiving yards at 50.5 (-137).
The Giants have allowed the ninth most receiving yards to tight ends this season.
In last week's wild card game, Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson had a big day with 10 catches for 129 yards.
Plus, the Giants blitz more than anyone in the league. I expect the Eagles to counter that with quick passes to Goedert in the screen game for him to get yards after the catch.
Daniel Jones over rushing yards
Jones killed the Vikings with his legs in the wild card round, and he could continue to find success running against the Eagles, which is why I like his over in rushing yards at 44.5 (-117).
Jones crushed that total against Minnesota, rushing for 77 yards on 17 carries. Seven of those 17 were designed runs, which means he'll get plenty of opportunities.
Jones also tends to scramble a lot. His 9.5% scramble rate ranked ninth in the league. Plus, the Eagles allow the fourth most rushing yards to quarterbacks in the NFL.
If the Eagles' pass rush wins on the line of scrimmage and the secondary does its job to cover wideouts, we could see a lot of Jones runs Saturday night.
Same Game Parlay +600
- Sanders TD
- Goedert over in receiving yards
- Jones over in rushing yards
Prediction
Eagles 27, Giants 21
The Giants had a lot of success in the wild card round against the Vikings, but they'll face a much better Eagles defense Saturday night.
Philadelphia's pass rush should be able to cause problems for Jones and the rest of the Giants' offense, especially with getting defensive end Josh Sweat back.
Saturday night will be quite the chess match between Giants head coach Brian Daboll, offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
The Giants don't have many explosive weapons outside of Saquon Barkley, but they've had success with a makeshift receiving core thanks to Daboll's ability to scheme players open.
Gannon's defense historically has been susceptible to opposing teams picking apart his zone, especially against good quarterbacks. Jones has been playing better as of late, so it'll be interesting to see how Daboll and his staff plan to attack Gannon's defense.
When the Eagles have the ball, Hurts will be in the spotlight. Will he be the same player that was the MVP favorite not too long ago? Or will he resemble the player we saw in the regular season finale?
Hurts wasn't on the injury report all week, and it's been a month since his injury, but I wouldn't bank on seeing him take as much contact as he did all year.
The Giants are much healthier now than they were earlier in December when the teams played, but the Eagles should still be able to win their matchups on offense and earn a trip to the NFC Championship for the first time since the 2017 season.
All odds are courtesy of Caesar's Sportsbook.
