Westbrook, Dawkins, Thomas and Sheppard all out

The Eagles will be missing five starters, including tight end L.J. Smith, which we knew about. Westbrook is a surprise. So is Dawk. William Thomas is not a surprise at all, and nor is Lito.

The absences of Westbrook and Sheppard will hurt Philly the most, as now the Giants can afford not to worry so much about the run, and they can pass with more impunity. It will be interesting to see which cornerback lines up across from Plaxico Burress.

So Winston Justice gets his first NFL start, Quintin Mikell gets his second, and the Eagles are almost certainly no longer the betting favorites.