Giants vs. Eagles Point Spread: NFL Week 18 Odds, Prediction
Both the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles are playoff bound, but only one team has anything to play for in their Week 18 clash. The first-seed Eagles have dropped two straight without Jalen Hurts at quarterback, which has left the coveted first place spot open for three other teams heading into the NFL’s final regular season weekend. Hurts may return from his shoulder injury this weekend, but if not it will again be Gardner Minshew under centre for the 13-3 Eagles.
The 9-6-1 Giants are locked into sixth place in the NFC, which is a massive feat for first-year coach Brian Daboll. It’s the Giants first playoff berth since the 2016–17 season and makes Daboll one of the top candidates for Coach of the Year. But a big decision now awaits Daboll: does he rest his starters with nothing to play for and keep them fresh for playoffs next week?
Kickoff at Lincoln Financial Field starts at 4:25 p.m. EST, and the Eagles stand as 14-point favourites with the total at 43 on the NFL odds.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
If you’re reading between the lines, the spread of 14 points indicates New York will be sitting their starters Sunday. But even if they weren’t, the Giants have had very little success versus the Eagles lately. Philadelphia’s won eight straight games hosting the Giants and put 48 points at New York back in Week 14. The Eagles averaged 8.2 yards per carry in that Week 14 dub.
The over has gone 6-2 in Eagles home games this season and is 5-1 in Philadelphia’s last six versus a divisional opponent (NFC East). The over’s also connected in five of the Giants last seven outings, but January football tends to bring out fewer points in Giants games — it’s the under that’s hit in 13 of New York’s last 19 games played in January.
New York Giants
If New York does sit their starters, quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley are the most obvious candidates on offence. Jones has had a career year with 3,205 passing yards, 708 rushing yards, and 22 total touchdowns to seven total turnovers. Barkley’s blown away his career-high in rushing yards, sitting fourth in the NFL with 1,312 yards on the ground.
Veteran defensive starters Leonard Williams and Adoree’ Jackson are banged up to begin with, while leading sack-getter Dexter Lawrence and leading tacklers Julian Love and Jaylon Smith are other names New York would likely sit. Regardless, Daboll and his coaching staff have gotten more out of their roster all season long — so don’t expect the Giants to coast this one out.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles undoubtedly felt the absence of then MVP candidate Jalen Hurts last weekend, scoring a season-low 10 points in their second double-digit loss of the year. Gardner Minshew ended up with 274 passing yards in the loss, but 78 came to A.J. Brown on a catch-and-run touchdown. With Philadelphia behind, they also only rushed 15 times for 67 yards. Philadelphia’s third in the NFL with just under 32 rushes a game, so expect that number to rise.
The Eagles still registered six sacks in the loss, becoming the first team in NFL history with six or more sacks in four straight games. Philadelphia’s tied for fourth all-time sacks and are four shy of tying the NFL record. They also became the first team in NFL history to have four players with 10 or more sacks.
NYG
PHI