It's Phildephia's Game To Lose Against The New York Giants
By Mario McKellop
After losing a fiercely contested game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles are looking to regain some momentum with their Nov. 6 matchup against the New York Giants. Given the fact that the Giants have a weak defensive line and a sub-optimal quarterback, the Eagles are in prime position to overtake their NFC East rivals.
Giants Season Record: 4-3
Although they started the season with two back to back victories, the Giants have struggled in recent weeks. Until they stopped the bleeding in Week 6 against the Baltimore Ravens, the Giants were on a three-game losing streak. The team was able to keep their revival going with a Week 7 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, but even that win was marred by the team allowing their 11th turnover of the season. In general, the Giants’ wins have been the result of capitalizing on their opponent’s weakness as opposed to their own on the field dominance. Those skin-of-their-teeth victories have to have made the team feel a bit anxious. If the Eagles can maintain their aggressiveness for all four quarters, they can exploit that insecurity to pick up the win.
Giants of Offense
Any team that has players the caliber of Odell Beckham and Eli Manning on their roster has an offense to be reckoned with. This season, the Giants have the Eagles beat on total points and yards per game by a comfortable margin. However, the comparison tilts into Philadelphia’s favor with a stats drill down. The Eagles have consistently put more points on the board than the Giants in 2016, largely due to New York not going hard until after halftime. If running backs Ryan Matthews and Darren Sproles can keep Beckham good and frustrated, the Eagles should be able to keep the Giants’ points in the single digits.
Giants on Defense
By almost every measure, the Eagles have the Giants beat on defense. The Giants defense has allowed more yards, more points per game and more third down conversions than the pride of Philadelphia. After the heartbreaker they suffered in Dallas, QB Carson Wentz and company are going to want to vent some frustration, and New York’s soggy defensive line will give them ample opportunity to bring the pain. And while Wentz has favored short passes this season, he has the space to be ambitious and run up the score a little at MetLife Stadium.
Players to Watch: QB Eli Manning and WR Odell Beckham
When Manning and Beckham are in sync, the Giants can stand toe to toe with any team in the League. Right now, though, New York’s finest aren’t exactly on the same page. Manning has had a serious interception problem this year, and it’s clearly been eating at Beckham, to the point where he actually threw a mini tantrum about it during Week 3. If the Eagles can pick up a couple of Manning’s throws in the first half, it will only add to the weight of his past failures and will form some cracks in the Giants’ foundations. If they can also keep Beckham under 100 yards, they can shatter the team’s resolve and gain some much-needed momentum.
Outlook
The Eagles have fallen into an interesting pattern this year. They’ve either dominated the competition from kickoff or they’ve been dragged down into a low scoring defeat. If the team wants to claim a title other than the weakest team in the NFC East, they’ll need to be the best version of themselves on Sunday. Since they are facing off against a version of the Eagles with a shaky defensive line and a quarterback who doesn’t mind tossing a few passes to the opposition, this is the Eagles’ game to lose.
Post Author: Mario McKellop. Mario McKellop is a freelance writer who has covered the pop culture beat since 2010.