Denver Bronces @ Philadelphia Eagles
Football: United States, NFL
Sunday, 27th December 2009 - Kickoff 4:15pm ET

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Preview

The Philadelphia Eagles find themselves in a position where they have already secured a Wild Card spot for the playoffs but they still have work to do to secure the NFC East where their 10-4 record gives them a 1 game lead over the Dallas Cowboys who currently hold the head to head over them.

The Eagles are also just 1 game behind Minnesota in the challenge for the Number 2 seed in the NFC and the prospect of receiving a bye week and moving straight through to the Divisional Championship matches.

A big boost for the Eagles will be the return of Brian Westbrook who has been cleared after recovering from concussion issues.

Denver started the season 6-0 but have really been struggling in recent weeks and are now 8-6 but in a dangerous position in the race for the playoffs. The hot San Diego Chargers have already secured the AFC West which means Denver can only take either the 5th or 6th seed in the AFC. However, there are a host of teams with a 7-7 record that can overtake Denver if they lose this game.

The Broncos will be hoping to take some confidence into this match after they went 2-1 this season against the NFC East with big wins over Dallas and New York Giants. However, their one and only loss was a road game.

Brian Dawkins returns to Philadelphia after being released this Summer and this story has over shadowed the game at the moment. He is one of the most popular players in Eagles history and is sure to receive a great reception. Correll Buckhalter is also expected to return from injury to face his former team.

Season so Far and Head to Head

Philadelphia are 5-2 at home this season and Denver are 4-3 on the road.

The 2 teams have not met since 2005, and on that occasion it was Denver who won big in Denver.

The Eagles have won 5 games in a row and 4 of those were also won against the spread. Denver have lost 6 of their last 8 games. They have lost the same number of games from 8 against the spread and have lost 2 in a row against the spread.

So far this season, Philadelphia are 4-3 against the spread at home and Denver are the same on the road.

Prediction

The Eagles have looked strong in recent weeks and even the confirmation of a Wild Card spot will not stop the motivation to win this game as there are some real big benefits of winning the NFC East and also there is still the possibility that they can line up as the number 2 seed in the Conference.

Denver are also high on motivation as the Eagles but cannot have the same level of confidence after their run of defeats including the heartbreaking defeat at home to Oakland last week. There is huge pressure on this side to win out as one defeat is likely to push them out of the playoffs this season after such an exceptional start to the season.

I cannot see beyond an Eagle win here. Philadelphia have the big play options available to them and could make this game into a shoot out which leads me to think that Kyle Orton will not be able to keep up with them.

This could be a devastating loss for the Broncos, but could also be the one that helps Philadelphia tie up the NFC East. I think the Eagles win, and win well enough to cover the handicap set.

The Statistics :

The Pick :

Philadelphia Eagles 31-17 Denver Broncos

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Philadelphia Eagles WIN

HANDICAP BETTING :

Philadelphia Eagles -7 points