The NFC East reverted to its early-season form last Sunday with all four teams taking a hit in the loss column. This means that 8-6 Philadelphia still holds a one-game lead over 7-7 Dallas at the top of the division with two games to play. New York has now lost its last two games, and Washington’s losing streak has reached six games. I went with Seattle over the Giants by 7.5 points as my ‘pick of the week’ and cashed in on the 3-Unit play. This raised my year-to-date record on my picks to 11-3 and my earnings to +$3,300 on a $100-per-unit wager.
                                                                                       
Each week of the season I will briefly preview all the games in the NFC East and highlight my top ‘pick of the week’ with the use of Doc’s Sports Unit Betting System. I have been tracking the results of these selections as the season progresses with the goal of ending up with at least a $1,000 profit by the end of the year. Obviously, we will finish well above that number. All lines quoted have been provided by 5Dimes.

New York Giants vs. Detroit Lions (Sunday, Dec. 22, 4:05 p.m.)

The Giants continue to ride out the string in what has been an extremely disappointing season. They are 5-9 both straight up and against the spread with a 2-5 SU (3-4 ATS) record on the road. This has easily been Eli Manning’s worst season as a pro on an offense that is ranked 30th in the NFL with an average of 17.9 points a game. New York’s defense is ranked 20th in points allowed (25.5).

Detroit’s current two-game skid, that includes an 18-16 loss to Baltimore this past Monday night as a 4.5-point home favorite, dropped its overall record to 7-7 SU (6-8 ATS). The Lions have now lost four of their last five games SU, but they are just one game back of Chicago for the lead in the NFC North. Matthew Stafford has thrown nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his last five games while completing 50.7 percent of his passes.

Chicago Bears vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday, Dec. 22, 8:25 p.m.)

The Bears can take a big step towards clinching their division with a win on Sunday night. They have now beaten both Dallas and Cleveland SU to improve to 8-6 SU on the year. Even though they covered in those two games, they are still a costly 4-9-1 ATS. The total has gone “over” in 10 of their 14 games. Jay Cutler returned to action last Sunday against the Browns and threw for 265 yards and three touchdowns, but he was also picked off twice.

Philadelphia’s five-game winning streak came to a crashing halt in last Sunday’s 48-30 beatdown at the hands of Minnesota as a seven-point road favorite. The Eagles’ defense had not allowed more than 21 points in its previous nine games, but it was torched for 455 total yards, including 370 yards through the air. Their quarterback, Nick Foles, threw for 428 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in the loss to the Vikings.

NFC East ‘Pick of the Week’

Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins (Sunday, Dec. 22, 1 p.m.)

The month of December and Dallas have not gone together all that well in recent years, and this season has been no different. A complete collapse in last week’s 37-36 loss to Green Day as a four-point home favorite followed a crushing 45-28 loss to Chicago the week before as a two-point underdog on the road. Despite this slide, the Cowboys still control their own destiny as two wins to close-out the season would be enough to lock up the NFC East title.

The Redskins’ chances to repeat as division champs in the East faded back in early fall, and at 3-11 SU (4-10 ATS) they are left to try and play spoiler against their bitter rivals. Kirk Cousins took over the reins at quarterback, but that still could not rally Washington to a win over Atlanta last Sunday. This Sunday could very well be Mike Shanahan’s last home game as coach of a team that has clearly decided to get an early jump on the offseason. This week’s matchup is just what the Cowboys needed to set up next Sunday’s NFC East title game against Philadelphia in Big D.

3-Unit Play take Dallas (-2.5) over Washington

YTD Record 12-3 (+$3,300)

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