NY GIANTS vs PHILADELPHIA
When: 8:25 PM ET, Thursday, December 22, 2016
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

TV: 8:25 p.m. ET, NBC, NFL Network.
LINE: Giants -2.5.
O/U: 41.5
PREDICTION: Giants 24, Eagles 16

Oddsmakers currently have the NY GIANTS listed as 2.5 point favorites versus the PHILADELPHIA, while the game’s total is sitting at 41.5.

PHILADELPHIA — The New York Giants can clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2011 with a win over the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday.

The Giants (10-4) hold the top wildcard spot, two games ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6) and the Green Bay Packers (8-6).

They finish the season on Jan. 1 against the Washington Redskins.

The Eagles (5-9) will play the role of spoiler against their East Division rivals, having been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday with a loss at Baltimore. The Giants knocked off the Eagles 28-23 in Week 9. The game was one of six losses for the Eagles in games decided by seven points or fewer.

Philadelphia’s rookie quarterback Carson Wentz threw for 364 yards in the first meeting with the Giants, a career high, but he will be facing a defense that has allowed an NFL-low passer rating of 70.0 since Week 5.

Since Week 7, the Big Blue defense have the best scoring defense in the league, allowing just 14.9 points a game, and are the best in third-down defense, allowing a conversion just 29.6 percent of the time.

The architect of New York’ defense is Steve Spagnuolo, the defensive coordinator who oversaw the 2007 championship defense.

“He’s done a really good job,” said Giants defensive tackle Damon Harrison of Spagnuolo. “Historically, the defense speaks for itself because it’s a Super-Bowl winning defense. It was a just a matter of getting everyone in the right position and getting everyone to buy in and used to playing with each other.

“That’s tough when you bring in a new group like we’ve done this offseason. It’s a credit to 1/8Spagnuolo 3/8 in getting guys to buy in and play together.”

One of those guys Harrison referred to is defensive end Romeo Okwara, an undrafted free-agent out of Notre Dame, who has done a nice job of filling in for Jason Pierre-Paul who is out with season-ending surgery. In his first start of the season against Dallas in a nationally-televised game on December 11th, Okwara recorded eight combined tackles and the first sack of his career.

“Their defense is playing really well,” said Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich. “They are getting after the passer and rushing the passer very well. They have two really good corners, obviously a good safety, good secondary.

“They have good personnel on their defense. It just seems like they are hitting their stride defensively. We know 1/8Spagnuolo 3/8 is a very good coordinator. They are playing with a lot of momentum right now and playing at a high level. Really good in the red zone. Really good on third down. Pretty good against the run. So it will be a good challenge for us.”

The Eagles running game will get a boost from running back Darren Sproles, who was cleared after undergoing concussion protocol. However, his replacement in the Baltimore game, Kenjon Barner, is out with a hamstring injury. Sproles is second to Ryan Mathews (615 yards) in rushing with 366 yards.

Philadelphia averages 112.9 yards on the ground and 227.5 in the air.

The Giants will be without running back Shane Vereen who reinjured his triceps in the 17-6 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Vereen has endured a tough-luck season. He missed nine games earlier with the triceps injury, returned to face Dallas, but lasted just three plays before sustaining a concussion. Vereen was cleared for the Lions game, but re-injured his triceps.

The workload will go to Paul Perkins, who is coming off the best game of his rookie season. The UCLA product carried the ball 11 times for 56 yards against the Lions.

“Whenever any player is able to get in a rhythm — not just running backs — quarterbacks, receivers, anybody. Whenever you’re able to get in that rhythm the game starts to slow down and you get more comfortable.”

The Eagles have outscored the Giants 54-7 in the last two games they’ve hosted New York at Lincoln Financial Field. Giants quarterback Eli Manning’s five career losses against the Eagles are his most against any opponent, as are his 26 career interceptions thrown against Philadelphia.

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Cincinnati Bengals vs. New York Giants
When: 8:30 PM ET, Monday, November 14, 2016
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN.
LINE: Bengals -1. O/U: 47
PREDICTION: Giants 27, Bengals 23

Oddsmakers currently have the Giants listed as 1-point favorites versus the Bengals, while the game’s total is sitting at 48½.

This Monday Night Football matchup pits two of the top six passing offenses against each other in a prime-time showcase. The Cincinnati Bengals (3-4-1), led by quarterback Andy Dalton, take their fourth-ranked passing attack into MetLife Stadium to take on the New York Giants (5-3) and two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Eli Manning. The Giants hope to counter the Bengals high-flying aerial attack with their own sixth-ranked air show.

After Monday night, both offenses could be even higher in the offensive rankings. The Bengals defense is 25th in total defense and tied for 19th in scoring defense. Cincinnati gives up 262.4 yards a game through the air and has allowed 16 touchdowns. The Bengals are 0-3-1 when an opponent passes for 250 yards or more. Their opponents are averaging six yards per play.

The Giants have the 23rd-ranked defense in the NFL. This unit gives up 371.2 yards a game. The Giants have the 25th-ranked pass defense in the NFL. New York is tied for a league-low 11 sacks generated. The Giants have not been able to consistently get pressure on the quarterback without blitzing.

Quarterback Eli Manning is coming off a four-touchdown performance against Philadelphia, the third time he has tossed at least three scoring passes in a game this season, but he also was picked off twice for the third time. Like Cincinnati, the Giants have a stud wideout in Beckham, who caught a pair of scoring passes against the Eagles to give him five in the past four games. The biggest problem for the Giants has been a stagnant running game led by Rashad Jennings that ranks last in the league with a meager average of 68.3 yards per game. Rookie Paul Perkins could see more time this week to help work the clock and protect a defense that yields 277.4 yards passing.

Team record: 5-3 SU,3-3-2 ATS
Current Streak: won 3 straight games.
NY Giants is 3-5-2 ATS in its last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Giants’s last 6 games at home
NY Giants is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Cincinnati

Though both teams have had success passing the football, the Giants have had struggles getting their rushing attack going this season. They rank last in the NFL, averaging only 68.2 yards a game. Some of those issues belong to the offensive line’s inability to open holes. Others blame the loss of running back Shane Vereen to a triceps injury in the preseason. Giants head coach Ben McAdoo thinks they have a good young player in rookie running back Paul Perkins. So does Manning.

If Perkins is to help improve the Giants running game, he will have a chance against a Bengals run defense that gives up an average of 116.1 yards a game. A once fundamentally strong defense led by coordinator Paul Guenther, the Bengals miss too many tackles and have produced 57 penalties. The defensive line has been impressive as pass rushers, getting 25 sacks on the year, but their insistence on getting to the passer has opened up run lanes.

Another rookie who could play a major role in the outcome of the game against the Bengals is wide receiver Sterling Shepard. Starting wideout Victor Cruz has a sprained ankle and could miss the Bengals game. This will put Shepard into the starting spot against a defense that gives up tons of yardage to passing teams.

Another rookie the Giants were counting on to play a significant role, cornerback Eli Apple, was benched against the Philadelphia Eagles. Apple, the Giants’ first-round selection out of Ohio State this year, had at least three mental mistakes against the Eagles and found himself on the sideline. “We’re going to dust Eli off and we’re going to put him back out there, and he’s going to get better and learn from it,” said McAdoo of the rookie defender.

Quarterback Andy Dalton has a streak of four straight games with a 100-plus passer rating snapped in London, but he has thrown for 2,349 yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. Star wide receiver A.J. Green is second in the NFL with 896 yards, including three games with at least 169 yards, and the offense received an added boost with the return of tight end Tyler Eifert against the Redskins. Eifert had 13 touchdowns last season and showed what a difference-maker he can be in his first start with nine catches for 102 yards and a score. Cincinnati’s defense has been vulnerable through the air, allowing an average of 262.4 yards.

Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green has made a living out of embarrassing NFL cornerbacks, Pro Bowlers and rookies alike. Green is second in the NFL in receiving yards with 896. Against a secondary that continues to give up big plays, the Bengals will be attacking cornerbacks Apple, high-priced free agent Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie with Green deep.

Coming off their bye week should work wonders for Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert. Eifert missed the early part of the season due to issues with his back. Now 100 percent healthy, Eifert is a tough matchup for any safety in the NFL. On Monday night, Eifert will be facing safeties Landon Collins and Nat Berhe. Collins has three interceptions on the year and is an improved coverage player. But his true strength lies in his physicality in the run game, not as a coverage player. Berhe is a smart player and will need to use his brains to hold up in coverage against a more athletic.

Team record: 3-4-1 SU,2-5-1 ATS
Cincinnati is 2-6-2 ATS in its last 10 games
Cincinnati is 2-4-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cincinnati’s last 6 games

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