GIANTS PREVIEW
The Giants opened the week as 2.5-point home underdogs with the Arizona Cardinals coming to town. These are two teams headed in opposite directions. The Giants have won four consecutive games, taken the division lead, and are playing the best football they have in multiple seasons. Meanwhile, the Arizona Cardinals have lost four of their last five and their offensive-dependent team is sputtering.
The close spread coupled with a 45.5 Over/Under indicates that this game could go either way. It’s a strength-against-strength matchup between the Cardinals’ explosive offense and the Giants’ impressive defense. Inconsistencies on the Cardinals’ offensive line have been one of the largest reasons for their struggles and with the Leonard Williams and the rest of the defensive line coming off a performance like the one they just had in Seattle, they could provide a tough challenge for Kyler Murray. This game will serve as another great litmus test to see how the Giants can fare versus another playoff-caliber opponent.
JETS PREVIEW
The Jets fly across the country to take on the Seattle Seahawks this weekend. New York opened this week as 13.5-point road underdogs and there is little reason to believe they can keep this one close. Seattle’s passing attack has been dominant in most of their games this season. Team receiving leader DK Metcalf has had his way with almost every corner who has tried to matchup against him. Listed at 6’4” and 229 lbs, he is a freak of nature who is improving his route-running and his chemistry with Russel Wilson week by week. The Jets’ rookie corners are going to have their hands full.
The only variable that may allow the Jets to stay in this game is Seattle’s response to their upset loss to the Giants. The Seahawks were upset in week 13 and only managed to score 12 points. It was a very physical football game, and the Giants controlled the clock with the run game. If the Jets are able to implement a similar game plan, they may have a chance of keeping the game low-scoring.
EAGLES PREVIEW
The Eagles are slated as 6.5-poing home underdogs to the New Orleans Saints as of the writing of this article. This weekend’s matchup could look like the student versus the master when it comes to Doug Pederson and Sean Payton respectfully. Around the time of Jalen Hurts’ drafting, there were several reports that Sean Payton’s use of Taysom Hill was the inspiration for the selection. Payton will likely be motivated to show the full power of his creative offense and assert his dominance as one of the top play-callers in the league.
With two mobile quarterbacks, who both have tendencies to take off and run if their first read is covered, the clock is expected to be running a lot, which would shorten the game and limit scoring opportunities. The low 43.5 Over/Under reflects this trend. The Saints defense is also performing about as well as any group in the league over their last five games, averaging just 8.8 points allowed over that span. That is an extremely tough task for a rookie quarterback making his first career start.
