Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants: Preview and Prediction for Sunday Night Football

The Eagles are heading to New York in search of a season-saving win. They are 3-6, and a loss would end any hope of having a realistic shot at reaching the playoffs. The first-place Giants have already beaten the Eagles once this season, 29-16, and can remain in first place with a win.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles’ chances took a severe blow once it was announced that Michael Vick and Jeremy Maclin will both miss this game. Michael Vick is nursing broken ribs, and Maclin is out with shoulder and hamstring injuries.

Vince Young, the one who proclaimed the Eagles were a “Dream Team”, will get the start in Vick’s place. Young has only thrown one pass this season, and it was an interception.

The Eagles have the best rushing offense in the NFL, and will need to focus on the ground game against the Giants. LeSean McCoy will be a major focal point of the offense, and Vince Young can also run the ball. He will need to try and fill some of the void missing with Vick out.

The defense has been solid for the most part, but the offense has failed to close out many games. In their six losses, the margin of defeat has been 4, 13, 1, 7, 6, and 4. The offense has not been able to put games away, which was evident in their Week 4 24-23 loss to the 49ers, a game in which the Eagles led 23-3.

Vince Young will have to be smart with the ball and limit the turnovers. Michael Vick usually throws at least one interception a game, but he makes up for it with his dynamic play. Young does not have Vick’s ability, so he can not afford to turn the ball over.

New York Giants

The Giants are coming off a 27-20 loss against the 49ers, which snapped a three-game win streak that included wins over Buffalo and New England. They are the clear favorites in this game, and a win would help immensely considering their next two opponents are the Saints and the Packers.

A great story coming from the Giants’ side is that rookie Mark Herzlich will make his first start. He is an undrafted rookie out of Boston College who missed the entire 2009 season due to Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. He has been on special teams all year and will finally get to start at linebacker.

The Giants have scored at least 20 points in every game this season besides in Week 1 when they scored 14, and they should be able to do that against the Eagles.

A win will keep the Giants in first place ahead of Dallas, who should be able to beat the Redskins. That would give the Giants a one-game lead in the NFL East, which is now a two-team race. The Giants and the Cowboys still have two games against each other this season, which could end up deciding the winner of the division. But first, the Giants will have to take care of business against the Eagles on Sunday Night Football.

Prediction: Giants 27-Eagles 17

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Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants

• Eagles-Giants Date, Time, and TV: Sunday, November 20th at 8:20 ET on NBC
• Eagles-Giants Announcers: Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth
• Eagles-Giants Point Spread: Giants -3.5
• Eagles-Giants Over-Under Odds: 47