Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants 2018: Prediction, Betting Odds For Thursday Night Football

The Philadelphia Eagles (2-3) and New York Giants (1-4) are not where they want to be in Week 6 of the 2018 NFL season. For one of the two NFC East rivals, things are about to get worse before they get better.

That’s because the Giants and Eagles will meet at MetLife Stadium on “Thursday Night Football.” The teams are separated by just one game in standings, meaning a head-to-head loss will put Thursday’s loser in last place in the division.

Both teams are coming off bad losses. Philadelphia didn’t score a touchdown until the fourth quarter in a 23-21 loss at home to the Minnesota Vikings. New York had a late lead on the road against the Carolina Panthers only to lose 33-31 on a last-second, 63-yard field goal.

The Eagles are three-point road favorites, according to the early betting odds at OddsShark. The over/under is 44.5.

Philadelphia is looking to become the first road team to win on a Thursday night in 2018. They defeated the Atlanta Falcons in the season opener, starting a five-game winning streak for home teams playing in the middle of the week.

Home teams aren't simply winning at home on Thursday nights—none of them have even lost against the spread. The Los Angeles Rams defeated Minnesota by a touchdown in Week 4 for a push on “Thursday Night Football,” though the betting line was 6.5 points for much of the week. The New England Patriots beat the Indianapolis Colts by 14 points in Week 5 for the biggest margin of victory on a Thursday night.

The Giants are the biggest home underdog in a Thursday night game this season. The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Baltimore Ravens 34-23 as one-point home underdogs in Week 2. The point spread in Week 1 moved to a pick’em when Nick Foles started in place of Carson Wentz, who was still recovering from the torn ACL he suffered last December.

Home underdogs went 4-0 against the spread Sunday, and three road favorites lost outright. Only one of four road favorites covered the spread in Week 4. The Giants lost straight up and against the spread when they hosted the New Orleans Saints as home underdogs two weeks ago.

New York fell just short of winning their second game in three tries. While they’ve still got issues on offense, the unit is much-improved and utilizing some of the NFL’s most dynamic playmakers in Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley. Over the last three weeks, only the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have averaged more yards per play. With Wentz under center for three games, the Eagles are just 22nd in yards per play.

Wentz is playing well, with the exception of a fumble that was returned for a touchdown Sunday. He’s got a 99.6 passer rating with five touchdowns and one interception and doesn’t seem to be limited by last year's injury. He’s gotten less protection than Eli Manning since Week 3.

The Eagles have looked out of sorts and far from the team that won last year’s Super Bowl. Both of Philadelphia's wins came by one possession at home, and their opponent had a red-zone opportunity with regulation winding down each time. Philadelphia still hasn’t scored more than 23 points in a game.

The Giants finally scored more than 30 points for the first time since the 2015 season. They came up just short in Week 5, but it could be a different story when they return home against their struggling division rivals in Week 6.

Prediction: New York over Philadelphia, 27-24