Philadelphia Eagles or Sitting Ducks?

If the Eagles believe they will be facing the same lame duck Giants they faced last month, they will be in for a rude surprise.

The Giants will be in "imposing their will" mode, as I heard Carl Banks say, come Sunday.

All season long when the Giants had to step up and take it up a notch, they've come through.

When they played the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this year and the pundits were fanning the flames of matchup hysteria, the Giants rode that sentiment to a fantastic finish and beat them.

When the Carolina Panthers, arguably the second best team in the league, came into Giants Stadium strutting their prowess, the Giants made all their fans forget the earlier meaningless losses to the Cowboys and Eagles with dramatic and electrifying fireworks in overtime.

When the season was still young and the Giants needed to continue their domination, they rattled off six straight victories against teams with a winning record. The only aberration I can think of was the Cleveland Browns game.

They accomplished all of this despite each opponent gunning for them each week, trying to beat the king of the mountain—the Super Bowl champs.

I believe three young players will need to step it up a notch on Sunday if the team is going to beat the Eagles. Mathias Kiwanuka, Kevin Boss, and Domenik Hixon. I was going to say Ahmad Bradshaw, but Tom Coughlin doesn't play him like he did last year, for some unknown reason, and therefore I won't even mention him.  

Kiwi's name needs to be called more often. I am not hearing his name being called during games. I think he needs to live by his recent words: "You have to run to the ball...You have to do everything a little harder. You have to get off the ball a little faster, punch a little harder, and pursue a little faster. That's all it comes down to."

As for Boss, he needs to start playing like a veteran. He's no longer the rookie. He made mistakes on two key plays in the Dallas loss, which may have turned the game around. 

As for Hixon, he has to learn how to get open even when being doubled teamed, just like the guy he is replacing, Plaxico Burress. 

I've noticed that runs up the middle have hurt the Giants recently, but come playoff time, I believe they can get that fixed. Plus, Antonio Pierce has had enough of people second guessing his stamina and concentration, especially now that the Plax flak is behind them. 

Finally, did I mention that the Eagles are plagued by injuries on the offensive line and didn't have the luxury of a week off to mend them?

It will be fun to watch these Giants turn it up a notch on Sunday for some drama and excitement that just may turn some Eagles to lame Ducks.