The New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles are back in prime time this Sunday night at Lincoln Financial field for a huge early-season showdown in the NFC East between two 2-1 teams. The game is slated to get underway at 8:20 p.m. (EST) and it will be broadcast nationally on NBC.

This weekly betting preview is part of an ongoing series where I take an in-depth look at each and every Eagles game this year and offer a free NFL pick using Doc’s Sports Unit Betting System. My goal is to try and demonstrate that specialization on a particular team can be a viable approach to creating a successful sports betting strategy for wagering on the NFL.

Betting Lines by 5Dimes        

Pointspread: Philadelphia -1
Total Line: 46.5

Game Overview: New York

Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning may have looked a bit shaky in the season opener against Dallas and the first half of Week 2’s game against Tampa Bay, but he has since settled back into Super Bowl form with one big play after another when his team needs one the most. Overall, he has completed 67 percent of his throws for 1,011 yards and five touchdowns, which has New York ranked second in the NFL in passing and fourth in total points. The main concerns for this unit are lingering injuries to running back Ahmad Bradshaw and wide receivers Hakeem Nicks and Domenik Hixon. All three remain questionable for Sunday night’s game.

New York’s defense has had its share of lapses the first three weeks as well, but it continues to get the job done when the game is on the line. The most vulnerable area on this side of the ball is against the pass. The Giants are giving up an average of 261.7 passing yards a game, which is ranked 23rd in the league.

Game Overview: Philadelphia

Philadelphia has proven that you can only make so many mistakes in this league before it eventually comes back to haunt you. Despite turning the ball over nine times, the Eagles were still able to come away with one-point victories over Cleveland and Baltimore to start the season. That all ended last week in an ugly display against Arizona that resulted in a 27-6 loss as three-point favorites on the road.

It is easy to quickly point the finger at Michael Vick, who has thrown six interceptions to go along with three lost fumbles, but the main issue is an offensive line that severely misses Jason Peters at left tackle and center Jason Kelse, who was lost for the season in Week 2 with a torn ACL. The result has been a jail break almost every time Vick drops back to throw. LeSean McCoy has done his best to help in the running game with 261 yards on 58 carries, but Philadelphia’s once-feared quick-strike offense remains nowhere to be found so far. The Eagles’ defense, for the most part, has done a better job this season than last year’s debacle, but confusion in the secondary has led to a couple big plays. These coverage issues need to be straightened out in a hurry with Eli coming to town.

Game Betting Trends
It has been all Philly over the past four seasons with a 7-1 record in this series both straight up and against the spread in the last eight games. If you look back over time, this series has had a tendency to run in three- to four-year streaks with one team completely dominating the other. New York’s 29-16 victory as a nine-point road underdog in late September last season could have marked a change in fortune that might just tip the scales in their favor over the next few years.

Game Prediction

I made a costly 4-Unit miscalculation in last week’s game against the Cardinals by putting too much weight on potential while heavily discounting current form. That will not be the case for Sunday night’s game as the Giants are in prime position to take full advantage of Vick’s shaken confidence and the defense’s holes in the secondary. While this game will remain close, New York’s early lead will hold up all the way to the final score. Utilizing Doc’s Sports Service Unit Betting System, I am going with a 2-Unit play on the Giants this week.

Take # 229 New York (+1) over Philadelphia for 2 Units

YTD Record: -5 Units (-$580)

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