Giants vs. Eagles: Breaking Down Philadelphia's Game Plan

LeSean McCoy’s 19-yard run during the Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 5 win over the St. Louis Rams represented more than just the All-Pro back’s longest gain in three games. It provided a glimmer of hope.

If the Eagles intend to build on their 4-1 record this Sunday night against the balanced defense of the division rival New York Giants, they must first restore efficiency to a highly erratic offense. That means getting the NFL’s reigning rushing champion on track.

McCoy’s 24 carries for 81 yards against the Rams were a step in the right direction after back-to-back weeks of futility, but that came at the hands of one of the league’s worst run defenses. What reason is there to believe he’ll be able to replicate or improve upon that effort against the Giants, who are holding opponents to under 100 yards per game on the ground this season?

GM	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
Wk 3 vs. WAS	19	22	1.2	0
Wk 4 @ SF	10	17	1.7	0
Wk 5 vs. STL	24	81	3.4	0

Let’s revisit that 19-yard run, because it came off of the Philadelphia offensive line’s new-look right side. Lane Johnson was making his first start of the season after a four-game suspension, not only reinserting a rising star at tackle, but also allowing veteran Todd Herremans to slide back inside to guard.

That’s where McCoy needs to go.

Injuries to All-Pro left guard Evan Mathis and dynamic center Jason Kelce have contributed to McCoy’s woes. Even a six-time Pro Bowler such as left tackle Jason Peters hasn’t been able to completely overcome continuity issues with an inexperienced reserve to his immediate right.

The right side of the line is finally intact, however, and while McCoy’s 19-yard carry was only one play, it was the first time he’s been able to turn the corner in almost a month. The Eagles have to believe he can do it again. And again. And again.

Michael Perez/Associated Press

McCoy’s presence will be especially vital this Sunday. If Philadelphia once again is unable to run the football, the pressure will inevitably fall on quarterback Nick Foles to carry the offense. That’s where things could take a turn for the worse.

New York’s defense is holding opponents to a 76.0 passer rating, per TeamRankings.com, and leads the league with eight interceptions. It might be asking a lot of Foles to put the ball up 40-plus times given the degree to which he’s struggled at times this season.

If McCoy can’t alleviate some of that pressure, it could be another long day for an Eagles offense that’s managed to score just two touchdowns in the last two games.

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The Book on Eli

Meanwhile, the Giants have jumped out to a 3-2 record when many prognosticators were forecasting a second-consecutive losing season. What’s been the difference, you ask?

The improved play of Eli Manning, of course.

Manning has officially put a disastrous 2013 in the rearview mirror. Behind an abysmal offensive line, the two-time Super Bowl champion managed to throw 27 interceptions and lose two fumbles in 16 games, which amazingly enough is not an NFL record.

New season, new Manning. The last three weeks in particular have showcased a side of Eli we’ve seldom seen in 11 seasons, as he’s completed over 70 percent of passes with nine total touchdowns—eight passing, one rushing—to a single turnover. At the age of 33, Manning is suddenly and rather remarkably on pace to have a career year.

GM	CMP%	YDS	AVG	TD/INT
Wk 3 vs. HOU	75.0	234	8.4	2/0
Wk 4 @ WAS	71.8	300	7.7	4/1
Wk 5 vs. ATL	63.3	200	6.7	2/0

The biggest difference isn’t up front, though. Under the direction of new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, Manning has developed one of the fastest releases in pro football.

According to signature statistics from Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Manning averaged 2.76 seconds from snap to throw in 2013, middle of the pack for an NFL passer. Five games into 2014, his quick draw is down to 2.31 seconds—tied for second with Tom Brady and behind only brother Peyton.

Philadelphia’s defense has done a nice job of pressuring quarterbacks this season, scoring a touchdown off of a turnover in three separate games this season. That being said, how can the pass rush force a mistake against a quarterback with a lightning-fast release?

To begin with, the Eagles must contain the Giants ground attack. A quick passing attack relies on shorter routes for receivers, which works great until the offense finds itself in 3rd-and-long situations. A running game that averages four yards per carry or better makes the quarterback’s job easy in that type of offense.

Unfortunately, stopping the run hasn’t exactly been a strength of Philly’s defense lately. The unit ranked 10th versus the run a season ago, fourth in yards per attempt. This season, it’s 25th and 14th, respectively.

The Eagles do catch a break with running back Rashad Jennings ruled out for New York, but Andre Williams and Peyton Hillis are perfectly capable of running through holes, should any exist.

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

The other potential solution would be to play press coverage against the Giants receivers and contest those underneath passes. Eagles cornerbacks Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher are typically backed off of the line of scrimmage, however, as both are very beatable down the field.

It will be interesting to see what defensive coordinator Bill Davis has up his sleeve in response to McAdoo’s offense, but somehow he must make life more difficult for Manning. If he doesn’t, Philadelphia’s 29th-ranked pass defense—which has been exposed by the likes of Kirk Cousins and Austin Davis in recent weeks—could be in real trouble against a possible Hall of Fame quarterback.