The National Football League completes their four day holiday schedule with three games today beginning at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time when the Kansas City Chiefs host the Las Vegas Raiders. The afternoon contest, which starts at 1:30 p.m., will kickoff at Lincoln Financial Field with the Philadelphia Eagles entertaining the New York Giants. The late game finds a possible preview of Super Bowl LVIII when the San Francisco 49ers host the Baltimore Ravens.
In some households, the Christmas schedule is like the Grinch who stole Christmas. You know there is going to be some tension in homes where some want family members to focus on family activities and some family members would like their ten hours of watching NFL games without distraction.
From my desk, I’m here to distract with a pair of picks on this holiday.
In addition to this unique schedule for Christmas, a rarity takes place in Philadelphia when Nick Sirianni’s Eagles meet Brian Daboll’s Giants. Since the NFL and American Football League merged into the American and National Conferences in 1970, only six previous times has a team on a three game losing streak been favored by 13 points or more.
The Eagles have lost their last three games to the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks. They haven’t covered a point spread since a mid November victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. And yet, against the Giants today, they become the seventh team in 53 years to be favored by two touchdowns or more while riding a three game losing streak
So, how have the first six teams that were big favorites off three losses done?
Good and bad.
One of heavy favorites lost outright, the Pittsburgh Steelers were 15 point road favorites in 2009 and got clipped by the Oakland Raiders, 27-24.
In 1976, in Tampa Bay's inaugural season, the Buccaneers lost every game, and in the ninth week of the season the Miami Dolphins were riding a three game losing streak and were the only team in that role to be favored by more than 13 on the road. They won the game, but lost on the spread, with a 23-20 victory in Florida.
Only one other big favorite won the game but lost on the point spread, that was Green Bay Packers in 1980. They were 13½ point underdogs at Three Rivers Stadium and almost extended the Pittsburgh Steelers losing streak in a hard fought 22-20 loss.
Okay, how about the three teams that won big to snap their three game losing streak while favored by 13 or more?
Half of these six situations came easy for the favorite off three losses by scores of 33-7, 25-0 and 37-7. So, which category do you think the Philadelphia Eagles fall into today?
This Eagles team has dominated the Giants in recent years, winning the last four games while three were one-sided, 34-10, 48-22 and in the playoffs last season, 38-7. The Giants and Eagles will meet twice in the final three weeks of this season, and while the Giants sidetracked a horrible campaign with three straight wins over the Washington Commanders, New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers before last week's loss to the New Orleans Saints, this is a big step up from that competition.
In fact, too big while meeting an Eagles team at home motivated to end their losing streak and buoyed by yesterday’s Dallas loss that can leave Philadelphia alone in first place in the highly competitive NFC East Division.
Qoxhi Picks: Philadelphia Eagles (-14) over New York Giants