December 21, 2016
Thursday Night Football is the worst. There I said it. These guys have enough trouble getting themselves healthy with a full week of rest, but now we ask them to do it in three days. And then we wonder why these games are typically a terrible product.
That being said, at least they have the rule in place that each team plays once on Thursday. And in the case of the Eagles, it couldn't have worked out any better. Already eliminated from playoff contention, the Birds will be playing before the holiday weekend starts, allowing us to relax and enjoy the long weekend without having Christmas ruined by being forced to watch the Eagles lose to the Giants.
Carson Wentz and Co. are still looking for their first NFC East win. And if they aren't able to get that done this weekend, they'll have one last shot next week against a Cowboys team that could be starting Mark Sanchez at QB. Wins don't get much more hollow than that.
Basically, this is the one you'd like to see the Eagles win. Do you really want to see the Giants clinch a playoff spot on your home turf? I didn't think so.
BY THE NUMBERS
| PHI | NYG | |
| W-L | 5-9 | 10-4 |
| HOME W-L | 4-2 | 7-1 |
| AWAY W-L | 1-7 | 3-3 |
| VS. SPREAD | 6-8 | 8-5-1 |
| PTS SCORED | 316 (16th) | 272 (24th) |
| PTS ALLOWED | 299 (13th) | 250 (3rd) |
| TURNOVER DIFF. | +2 (13th) | -3 (23rd) |
| OFFENSE | ---- | ---- |
| PASS YDS/G | 227 (24th) | 239 (17th) |
| RUSH YDS/G | 112 (9th) | 81 (30th) |
| DEFENSE | ---- | ---- |
| PASS YDS/G | 239 (12th) | 257 (23rd) |
| RUSH YDS/G | 104 (17th) | 90 (6th) |
TV: NBC & NFL Network | ONLINE: Twitter | RADIO: 94.1 WIP
SPREAD: Giants -3 | TOTAL: 41.5 (via topbet.eu)
With the return of Lane Johnson, the Eagles will have their full starting offensive line for the first time since everyone thought they might be a good team. With Johnson, the Eagles were 3-1. Without him, 2-8.
Still, the Eagles are in a tailspin, while the Giants are surging toward the playoffs. It's hard to justify picking the Eagles against a playoff team at this point.
I said it last week: This is going to be the dumb game that the Eagles win at the end of the year, slightly dumber than last year’s triumph in New England.
For the Color Rush on Thursday night, the Eagles are going with essentially 95 percent of the all-black uniforms they wore against the Giants the last two seasons, two blowout wins in primetime. Can they make it three in a row? This game is still important to the Giants, who are still barely alive in the NFC East race (they need to win out and Dallas to lose out). With a win, New York clinches a playoff berth, where everyone will be terrified of them because of their recent history in that spot.
Carson Wentz handed New York a couple of brutal first-quarter interceptions in the teams' first meeting, but he finally has Lane Johnson back from suspension. That is a big deal, as Johnson’s 10-game suspension is a major reason that the Eagles are only 5-9. I was impressed by the way that the Birds ran the ball against a stout Ravens defense, and they’ll face a similar test this week.
Short week, home game, divisional opponent. Yep, I think Wentz throws two touchdowns, Eli throws a couple of picks, and the Eagles beat the Giants on Thursday night.
The Eagles play well against the Giants at home, especially in primetime. They're 3-1 in their last four matchups at The Linc. And in night games? The Eagles have won six straight against the Giants dating back to 2008, with four of them coming at home. And in the last two primetime matchups, both at home, the Eagles have outscored the Giants 54-7.
That's great and all, but there's only one team with something to play for other than pride – and it isn't the Eagles.
But I agree with Rich that the short week favors the Eagles. Furthermore, the Giants haven't scored more than 28 points in a game all season – I know, I couldn't believe it either – which means the Eagles should be able to keep this one close, just like they did when these two teams met at MetLife back in early November.
Sure, the Eagles lost that one, 28-23, but that was after falling behind 14-0 thanks to two early picks by Carson Wentz, who should have his entire starting offensive line back for this one. Take those picks away, and it's a completely different game. I think we'll see that game on Thursday.
