Giants at Eagles: Game preview, odds, prediction

With a possible playoff berth on the line, the New York Giants will head to Philadelphia to take on the rival Eagles on Thursday Night Football.

For New York Giants fans, 2011 has to seem like forever ago. That was the last time their beloved team made the playoffs, but on Thursday night, they can end that drought. With a win on Thursday, the Giants will clinch a spot in the NFC Playoffs, as their remarkable 2016 season enters the final two weeks.

The Giants have been one of the hottest teams in football as of late, and actually have a chance to win the division if they can close out the season with two straight wins. They have beaten division-leading Dallas twice this season, and while Dallas would have to lose two straight for the Giants to win the NFC East, anything is possible. The likely scenario is the Giants win at Lincoln Financial on Thursday and wrap up a wildcard spot right before the holidays.

Through their first nine games of the NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles were actually battling for a playoff spot themselves. Then the floor dropped out, and the Birds have lost five straight games heading into their matchup with the Giants. Rookie quarterback Carson Wentz has hit a wall, and it will be interesting to see how he responds heading into next season.

The NFC East is one of the tougher divisions in football, as these four teams love to beat each other up throughout the season. In their last meeting, the Giants took care of business at home against the Eagles, as quarterback Eli Manning threw for four touchdowns in a  28-23 victory. Wentz actually threw for 364 yards in the game, but was plagued by two interceptions.

Odds

Line: New York (-2.5)

Over/Under: 41.5

The Eagles would love nothing more than to play the role of spoiler on Thursday night, forcing the Giants to wait until Week 17 to clinch a playoff spot. Anything can happen, as it is a short week for both teams, and divisional games usually go down to the wire. The Giants have not had a ton of success at the Linc, and if Carson Wentz can get it going early, they should be able to keep this one competitive.

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The odds are the Giants are going to come away with the victory, as their defense is playing some of the best ball we have seen out of the team in a long time. The pass rush should do enough to rattle the young signal-caller, and Manning and company will do enough to leave Philadelphia with a playoff berth in hand. Philly ran the ball well this past weekend against Baltimore, and if they can get some space on Thursday night, they should be able to hang in until late in the fourth quarter.

New York may be without star defensive back Janoris Jenkins, who injured his back and could miss the rest of the regular season. That is a huge loss, but Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie should be able to step up and lead the secondary on Thursday. Philadelphia just does not have enough weapons to attack a very good New York defense, and they should find it hard to move the ball consistently on Thursday night.

Prediction: New York 24 Philadelphia 17