Henry Roldán
When the Giants vs Eagles face off in one of the NFC Divisional Round games, they will rekindle a historic rivalry from the NFC East, as they’ll compete for a berth in the NFL playoffs’ second round in 2023.
New York pulled off the upset last weekend during the Wild Card round after defeating the Vikings 31-24 on the road, while Philadelphia rested after finishing the regular round with the best record in the NFC.
It’s worth remembering that as divisional rivals, these two teams met on a couple of occasions during the regular round, with the Eagles winning both games. Without further ado, at JefeBet we bring you the best preview of the decisive Divisional Round match between New York Giants vs Philadelphia Eagles.
Predictions and Betting Preview for the New York Giants vs Philadelphia Eagles NFC Divisional Round Game on January 21, 2023
- Where: Lincoln Financial Field – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- When: Saturday, January 21, 2023 – 8:15 PM E.T.
Odds provided by BetMGM.
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Betting on the New York Giants
- Season record: 10-7 (2nd wild card – 6th NFC seed).
- BetMGM Spread: +7.0
- BetMGM Moneyline: (+230).
- BetMGM Over/Under: 47.0.
After winning against the Vikings in their first postseason game since the Super Bowl XLVI win over the Patriots, the Giants will have a tough task to start a string of victories when they visit the Eagles.
New York looked pretty solid in Minnesota, but next Saturday they’ll need to do much better if they want to overcome a Philadelphia team that ran roughshod over them both times they met this year.
The key for the Giants against the Vikings was the impeccable work of Daniel Jones, the quarterback, who under the leadership of head coach Brian Daboll is having the best campaign of his career.
Jones threw for 301 yards, two touchdown passes, no interceptions, and 78 rushing yards, while Minnesota’s defense was among the worst of the season. He was undoubtedly real leader for the New York attack, which only managed to score over 30 points twice all year.
The QB’s offense was complemented by two touchdown runs by Saquon Barkley and a defense that managed to stop one of the league’s best offenses. This is a performance they should match, if not better, when they face Jalen Hurts and company.
The Giants finished as one of the worst defenses in the league stopping the ground game, and the Eagles know it. They gained 335 total yards in the two regular-season games versus New York using this method, and Philadelphia scored seven touchdowns against them, five of which came on carries.
The Giants’ defense has been no secret for the Eagles all year and if they want to move forward there is little Jones and the offense can do if they can’t get their defensive pieces in place.
Betting on the Philadelphia Eagles
- Season record: 14-3 (NFC East Champion – 1st seed NFC).
- BetMGM Spread: -7.0
- BetMGM Moneyline: (-300).
- BetMGM Over/Under: 47.0.
In the last week of the regular round, the Eagles finally crowned one of the best seasons in their history by securing the NFC East title and the title of best team in the National Conference.
They achieved this feat thanks to the return of Jalen Hurts, the stellar quarterback they missed during his two-game absence (they lost both games) and for whom the Philadelphia offense lives and breathes.
How could they not miss him? This quarterback runs for 700 yards while scoring 13 times, simultaneously throwing for over 3,700 yards and 33 touchdowns. For opposition teams, Hurts is a real hassle, and for a Giants team that has so many issues with its ground defense, this is even more true.
The fearsome thing about this Eagles’ offense is the balance of all their lines, which is why they finished as the second with the second most points scored. Regarding passes, they had the third-best average of net yards gained per pass with 7.1, no one scored more times on the ground than they did with 31, they committed few penalties by registering 90 and were fourth in efficiency inside the red zone with 67.8%.
However, things don’t end there. Philadelphia is also very solid on the defensive side of the ball, and on only three occasions have opponents gained more than 350 total yards against them, including just a single game of more than 400. Moreover, they were the team that allowed the fewest total passing yards in the season and nobody got more sacks than them, registering 70.
There’s always a weak point, though. They finished slightly above league average by stopping the ground attack, precisely the Giants’ attacking weapon that New York was unable to exploit during the regular round.
JefeBet Prediction
The Giants are specialists in pulling off surprises in the postseason and have won six of their last seven away games in the playoffs for a reason.
The issue is that they were unable to respond to the Eagles in the regular-season round. They were outplayed in all areas, even in Philadelphia’s weakest areas, who also come into the game with a week’s rest and a 7-2 record.
After what he showed against Minnesota, and over the course of the campaign, Daniel Jones is likely to have a pretty good game again. However, will that be enough to give their defense a good advantage?
It all depends on Jalen Hurts. He is the heart and soul of the Eagles, as was previously stated, and if he plays well, as he did for the majority of the season, New York’s defense is powerless to stop him. There’s a reason why Philadelphia scored less than 20 points only once under him
Prediction: Over (NY 23 – PHI 28).
