NFL Week 18: Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants betting picks, preview
There is nothing at stake here for the hometown New York Giants. For Philadelphia, a win could mean an NFC East title, if the Dallas Cowboys, who are playing at the same time in Washington, lose (which is unlikely given they are -13.5 as this is being written). The Eagles could use some rest and it will be interesting to see how much effort they put into beating New York.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants Betting Trends and Odds
Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024 — 4:25 p.m. ET
Spread: Philadelphia -5.5, Over/under 42, Philadelphia -245 | New York +200
This is definitely an interesting game. Philly is in the playoffs either way and it is hard to tell just how much what is happening in Washington will influence what we see on the field in New York. I do not normally do this but a first-half wager might make the most sense in this case (if you like the Eagles).
I can definitely see the Eagles getting very conservative in the second half if the outcome becomes meaningless. New York has nothing to play for so they can take some chances if they want. Philly has won five straight against the Giants but did not cover on Christmas Day.
Picks for Philadelphia vs. New Orleans
New York +5.5; Tyrod Taylor Over 1.5 Passing TDs (+200)
With the Eagles in the playoffs already, my instinct is that this battered team is not going to put forth a maximum effort to try and improve its seeding, especially when even a win is not a guarantee of doing so. Their injury list is long (whose isn't?) with the key name being receiver DeVonta Smith. He is not as vital as fellow WR A.J. Brown, but without him, it is even harder for them to feature their hammer. I foresee a very vanilla game plan with starters on both sides of the ball playing just enough so it seems like a legitimate effort. I know a win would be more comforting for their fans, but they are not going to play to that pressure, certainly not on the road. As for New York, they are feisty and veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor is good enough for them to be more than functional on offense. There is no reason for them not to go the final whistle and that is why I think they are a dangerous underdog in this matchup.
If I am going to lean into the Giants I am going to double down on Taylor having a good game. He split time in that recent loss to Philly and tossed a TD. He then had another TD pass in the loss to the Rams last week. This is way too good a payoff to ignore even though he has only hit it once all season.
Even though there is a lot of speculation as to how the Eagles will play this one, they are leading in money and ticket count. That is good for us Giants supporters. We might be able to get this one to an even better number by kickoff. You can wait it out. I would not worry about missing an opportunity on a team that is not even going to be playing in the playoffs.
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