All eyes will be on Philadelphia, Pa for two NYC vs. Philly battles.  The Fightin’ Phillies take on the Yankees in Game Four of the World Series and the Eagles will face the NY Giants in a key NFC East divisional battle

NY GIANTS (5-2) AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (4-2), 1 PM EST on FOX

Broadcast Team: Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa (Field reporter)

Though some national media outlets will tell you that Green Bay, WI will be the place to be on Sunday, Nov. 1 for Brett Favre’s return to Lambeau.  Most sports fans will agree with legendary actor W.C Fields who used to always say, “I’d rather be in Philadelphia.” 

The reason for sports fans flocking to South Philadelphia will be for a sports extravaganza featuring the Philadelphia vs. New York City.  With pleasant expected conditions of only a 30 percent chance of precipitation and temperatures in the 60s, Philadelphia fans maybe looking at one of the best sports days in the city’s history. 

The Philadelphia Eagles will take on the New York Giants in an NFC East grudge match at 1:00 PM EST at Lincoln Financial Field then sports fans can return to their tailgates to recharge for World Series Game Four featuring the New York Yankees vs. the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park (NY leads 2-1 going into Sunday). 

Eagles-Giants games are almost always close physical games and I don’t expect Sunday to be any different.  This week’s meeting will be the first time these two teams have played each other since the Eagles surprised the home team Giants in the divisional round of the 2009 playoffs by a score of 23-11. 

The game also will take on significance as the Eagles are only one-half a game behind the Giants in the current standings and a win will vault them back to the top of the NFC East.  In recent weeks both teams have had to fight through some hard times, but you know Sunday that they will be bringing their “A” effort. 

The G-Men have lost two straight games (Saints and Cardinal) after fattening up on a string of early season cupcakes.  And the Eagles also are looking for consistency as they have looked like a potential playoff team in wins over the Panthers, Chiefs, and Buccaneers. 

But in a win over the Washington Redskins last week and a horrific loss to the putrid Oakland Raiders in Week Six, the Birds’ lackluster play made everyone watch even more Phillies baseball. 

In breaking down the game, the Philadelphia Eagles offensively will follow the lead of their head coach Andy Reid (over 100 career regular season wins).  The Giants are known to play the run well (top five in the NFL), so to the surprise of no one expect the Eagles’ pass-first offense (rank seventh in the NFL in throws per game) to continue.

The Birds probably will be without RB Brian Westbrook (concussion), so look for rookie RB LeSean McCoy to get several touches on screens and for them to go after a Giants defense that has struggled in pass coverage. 

Especially safety C.C Brown, who has had difficulty in coverage since safety Kenny Phillips went on injured reserve (knee) and cornerback Aaron Ross has been missing with a lingering hamstring injury.  It will be very important that Eagles QB Donovan McNabb (63-110, 768 yards, 6 TDs, and 1 INT) starts faster than he did in recent erratic performances against the Raiders and Redskins. 

The Giants are susceptible to three- and four-receiver formations as they are known to sit back in coverage, so expect to see a lot of receptions for DeSean Jackson, rookie Jeremy Maclin, and Jason Avant. 

Without Westbrook, the Eagles surely will look to get the ball in the hands of their main playmaker, Jackson, who has five touchdowns this season (3 receiving, 1 punt return, and 1 rushing) all 50+ yards.  Plus tight end Brent Celek, who leads NFC TEs with 386 receiving yards. 

Of course any big plays from McNabb, Celek, Jackson and the rest of the Birds’ offense will start with solid offensive line play.  I believe the O-line is one of the biggest keys of this game as the Giants defensive line is fast and relentless and loves getting after the passer. 

With a rotation that features Pro Bowl players Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck (3.5 sacks in ’09) along with many other fresh players including DE Mathias Kiwanuka, the Giants thrive o