Monday night’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants will be the first time these two NFC East teams clash this season. While both teams have sub-.500 records, there is plenty to play for on both sides of the ball. The Eagles will be playing to force a tie at the top of the division at an embarrassing 6-7 record. Eli Manning will be playing with something to prove after he was benched for rookie Daniel Jones after the second game of the season.
Earlier in the week, Manning said, “I’m trying to go out there, play hard, compete, and try to get a win for the team. The team is obviously going on a long stretch. Guys are working hard and doing everything right and deserve to feel good about the work that we’re putting in.”
Manning is in the last year of his contract and has had a stellar career. The two-time Super Bowl MVP has thrown for 56,537 yards and 362 touchdowns since his rookie year in 2004. It will be interesting to see what he does on the field Monday night in what could start an epic comeback near the end of his career.
The Giants sit at 2-10 and are dead last in the NFC East after losing eight straight games. The Giants turned to Jones after they lost the first two games. It looked like the right decision by Pat Shurmur when the team won the next two games. During Jones’s ten-game stretch, he’s thrown for 2,374 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions while losing 15 fumbles. Maybe Shurmur didn’t make the right choice after all.
Manning will have wide receiver Golden Tate at his disposal this week after he was a full practice participant and was cleared from concussion protocol despite missing last week’s game. Tate missed the first four games of the season due to suspension, so it will be the first time Manning and Tate can link up this season.
The Giants will look for a strong running game from Saquon Barkley to open the air attack opportunities for Manning. Barkley has rushed for just 544 yards and two touchdowns in a disappointing year despite clearly being the best athlete on the team.
Tight end Evan Engram will miss another week with a foot ailment. “It sucks. I was really excited about this week,” Engram said. “I felt really good at the beginning of the week, felt really good in my rehab prior to the week. As the week went by, I just wasn’t ready. I made some progress, but I’m not ready.”
The Philadelphia Eagles are impatiently waiting to return to the field after being upset last week by the Miami Dolphins in a loss, 37-31.
Philadelphia’s franchise quarterback, Carson Wentz, has had an extremely dissatisfying season and fans have claimed they are ready to move on. However, Wentz is signed through the 2024 season with $66 million guaranteed. Wentz has thrown for 2,840 yards, 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Wentz, ranked 16th amongst other NFL quarterbacks, has struggled with accuracy and efficiency this season.
Running back Jordan Howard is questionable but has not been cleared to play so his status is uncertain. That will likely leave the load once again to rookie Miles Sanders, who has rushed for 520 yards and is extremely reliable with the ball in the backfield.
Tight end Zach Ertz leads the team with 736 receiving yards. Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery only has 490 yards as their top receiver while Nelson Agholor seems to drop the ball in critical game-time decisions.
Odds
Spread: Eagles -9.5 (-110) | Giants +9.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Eagles (-430) | Giants (+350)
Total: OVER 46 (-110) | UNDER 46 (-110)
Prediction: We will see a huge upset and the rejuvenated Giants, led by Manning, will win this game 27-20.
