New York Giants could stand tall in crunch NFC East clash

Sky Sports Action, 6pm Sunday

The race for the NFC East has taken on a new dimension after Washington quarterback Alex Smith broke his leg last week and there is still a possibility that New York Giants and Philadelphia can force their way into the divisional picture.

The Giants' seasonal post-mortem looked to be in full swing a fortnight ago but successive wins over Tampa Bay and San Francisco have finally provided cause for optimism.

That might be tempered by the fact that those two have won just five games between them, but it is not impossible that five wins from their remaining six games could give the Giants the NFC crown.

That conclusion seems a long way off but a total of 65 points from the last two wins means they will head into this key divisional battle in fine fettle.

The same cannot be said of their hosts. The Super Bowl holders boosted their offensive options by signing receiver Golden Tate from Detroit but are still averaging only 20.5 points per match.

And they have to pick themselves up from a 48-7 humbling at New Orleans last week against a team who are favourites to take their crown after winning ten of their opening 11 matches.

The Eagles have covered the handicap in just one of their five home matches this season and injury concerns in their secondary could play into the hands of the Giants receivers, led by Odell Beckham.

Any sort of win would do for Philadelphia as they look to recover from their nightmare trip to Louisiana and it could pay to be mindful of the fact the Giants are yet to lose an away game by more than seven points this season.

Their recovery could continue and they can make this key battle a close affair.

Recommendation
New York Giants +5.5
2pts Evs Betfair

The lowdown
Venue Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Surface Enhanced grass
Weather Cloudy, 8C
Vegas handicap New York Giants +5.5
Vegas points line 47

Team news
New York Giants
Defensive end Kerry Wynn has been ruled out with concussion.

Philadelphia
Cornerback Sidney Jones is doubtful with a hamstring injury and three other corners, Avonte Maddox, Rasul Douglas and Jalen Mills have all missed practice sessions this week.

Key stat
The last five meetings have all gone over the points line

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