Giants vs. Eagles: Full Philadelphia Game Preview
The Philadelphia Eagles got their season back on track last week with a win over the New Orleans Saints and now have a prime-time Monday night clash in Week 6 against their division rivals, the New York Giants.
Philadelphia defeated the Saints last Sunday, 39-17, to earn their second win of the season and their first win at home. The Eagles put forth their most complete performance in Week 5, as the defense forced four turnovers and Chip Kelly's offense really clicked for the first time this season.
The Giants come into Week 6 following a 30-27 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. Eli Manning led New York down the field late in the fourth quarter with his team trailing by four points. As the clock ticked down, Manning found Larry Donnell in the back of the end zone for a touchdown to give his team the three-point victory.
New York sits atop the NFC East with a 3-2 record. Meanwhile, the Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins are all below .500 with two wins and three losses. The divisional race is still wide-open, but the Eagles need a victory this weekend to keep the Giants from pulling away early.
Additionally, the Eagles are still without a divisional win, as they lost to both the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins already this season. Losing a third divisional game would put them in a deep hole for the tiebreaker, as every team is still in contention to win the NFC East.
Here is all the info you need for Philadelphia's second Monday night game of the season.
Location: Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia
Date: Monday
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Week 5 Results and Recap
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The Eagles played their best game of the season so far to defeat the Saints.
They finally conquered their recent trend of starting the game slowly as they moved the ball effectively in all four quarters. In fact, Philadelphia's 39 points are an understatement, as Sam Bradford left two touchdowns on the board by throwing interceptions in the end zone twice in the first quarter.
Despite the costly turnovers, Philadelphia went into the half with a 10-7 lead over the Saints. Philadelphia posted 300 yards of offense in the first half, which is more yards than it had in any other entire game so far this season. The Eagles finished the game with a total of 519 yards.
In addition to the offense finally looking cohesive, Billy Davis' defense continued to make impact plays. Philadelphia forced three turnovers with one interception and three fumbles. Three of the turnovers came in the second half to help the Eagles pull away late in the game.
Philadelphia scored 16 points in the third quarter behind a short touchdown run from Ryan Mathews and Brent Celek's second touchdown reception in as many weeks.
The Eagles relied on a balanced offensive approach the entire game, as Kelly called 48 pass plays but kept the ball on the ground 34 times. Philadelphia also won the time-of-possession battle, as they held the ball for 34 minutes, which kept the defense looking fresh throughout the entire game.
Philadelphia also scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to put the game completely out of reach. The Eagles kicked two field goals, and DeMarco Murray added a rushing touchdown following an interception from Walter Thurmond.
Week 5 showcased the potential Philadelphia possesses on both sides of the ball. The key for the Eagles moving forward is to maintain that level of play in a very inconsistent NFC East.
News and Notes
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Chip Kelly took full control over the personnel decisions this offseason, and the coach continues to make adjustments to his 53-man roster with changes along the offensive line.
Philadelphia signed Tanner Hawkinson and released Julian Vandervelde this week. The Eagles have now cut Vandervelde for the eighth time, and the 28-year-old has been released 10 times already in his career, according to CSN Philly's Reuben Frank.
Hawkinson joins the Eagles from San Francisco's practice squad. The Cincinnati Bengals drafted the offensive tackle in the fifth round of the 2013 draft from Kansas.
The 6'5" offensive lineman should provide cover for the mounting injuries on the Eagles roster. Philadelphia's offensive line played well against the Saints last week, but both Jason Peters and Lane Johnson are carrying injuries.
Philadelphia also announced via Twitter that the players will be sporting the team's black jerseys against the Giants on Monday. The Eagles wore the all-black uniforms last year when they defeated the Giants, 27-0.
Kelly will hope the uniforms will create a similar playoff-type atmosphere for their prime-time clash as the Eagles look to maintain momentum in the race for the NFC East title.
Latest Injury News
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Another week has come and gone in the NFL, and the injuries continue to pile up for the Eagles.
Wide receiver Nelson Agholor left the game in the first half against the Saints with a leg injury. The rookie from the University of Southern California did not return on Sunday and did not participate in practice on Wednesday, according to Frank.
Other players who missed practice on Wednesday were Mychal Kendricks, Brandon Bair and Kiko Alonso. All three missed last week's game against the Saints. However, defensive coordinator Bill Davis claimed that Kendricks is day-to-day with his hamstring injury, via Frank.
However, Wednesday's practice did feature Jason Peters and Lane Johnson. Both players suffered injuries two weeks ago during Philadelphia's Week 4 clash with the Washington Redskins. Philadelphia's injury report last week listed Peters as questionable and Johnson as probable, but both players played the entire game against the Saints.
The involvement of both linemen in practice looks like a good sign for the health of the offensive line. With the game on Monday night, Philadelphia will have several more practices this week, and the status of several key players will be fluid heading into Week 6.
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Key Matchup
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The 2015 season has been a roller-coaster ride so far for Jordan Matthews, as the second-year wide receiver is taking on more responsibility as the team's primary target.
In his rookie season, Matthews worked in the shadows as Jeremy Maclin produced phenomenally in a contract year. However, Maclin is no longer on the team and Matthews now has to carry the burden early in his career.
The Vanderbilt University product currently leads the Eagles in virtually every category involving receptions. Through five weeks, Matthews compiled 30 catches for 325 yards and a touchdown in an offense that has been inconsistent at best so far this season. The 6'3" target also averages more than twice as many receiving yards than any other player on the team with 65 yards a game.
However, more is still expected from the promising wide receiver. As the go-to target, Matthews is expected to make big plays and help out his quarterback, but drops have been an issue.
One of those dropped passes came in Week 1 as the Eagles were fighting for a comeback victory. Sam Bradford hit Matthews square in the hands, but the receiver muffed the catch and deflected the pass up into the air. A Falcons defender intercepted the pass, and Philadelphia lost the game after failing to get in range to attempt a game-winning field goal.
This is not an isolated incident for the receiver, as he is credited with three dropped passes on the season, according to the Washington Post. On top of that, Matthews failed to bring in several contested passes that elite receivers would have completed, which would have helped Bradford.
Similar to his performances this season, Matthews looked completely different during Philadelphia's two clashes with the Giants last year. In his first game against New York, Matthews had a modest four catches for 50 yards.
However, in the second go-round, the then-rookie receiver showcased some of his dynamic playmaking ability. In the last game of Philadelphia's season last year, Matthews went off for 105 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions.
Looking forward to Monday night, Matthews is primed for a strong performance. New York comes into Week 6 with the worst-ranked pass defense in the NFL. The Giants give up an average of 304 yards through the air every game.
Matthews leads the team with 45 targets and is quickly establishing himself as Bradford's favorite receiver. As Philadelphia's offense continues to jell, look for Matthews to take advantage of New York's struggling secondary on Monday night.
Matchup X-Factor
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Philadelphia's offseason saw a lot of roster changes, but the team's overhaul focused on repairing the defense's struggling secondary.
As part of the remodel, the Eagles brought in Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond to go along with returning players like Malcolm Jenkins and Nolan Carroll. Maxwell may have been the big-money signing in the secondary, but Thurmond has provided the biggest impact so far this season.
Thurmond came into training camp as a cornerback, but Davis envisioned the new arrival as his starting safety. The 28-year-old learned his new position from veteran Malcolm Jenkins, who played corner in college before switching to safety, and showed great potential in the preseason.
Following the transition, Thurmond fully looks the part of a quality safety in the NFL. Through five games the defensive back is tied for second on the team in both tackles (27) and tackles for a loss (four).
Thurmond's background as a cornerback can clearly be seen in his play as a ball-hawking center fielder. He not only leads the team in interceptions with three but is also only one pick behind the leaders for the entire league.
This weekend, Philadelphia's defense will be going against a familiar foe in Eli Manning. However for Thurmond, the quarterback is a familiar face, as they shared a locker room last season. Thurmond played just one season for the Giants but suffered through an injury-riddled year.
Manning impressed many critics through his first three games by his ability to limit mistakes. Although the Giants lost two of their first three games, the quarterback did not throw an interception as they got off to a 1-2 start.
However, Manning threw a pick in each his last two games to go along with three touchdown passes in both contests. As the quarterback continues to air the ball out more and take more chances, the number of opportunities for turnovers will also grow.
Thurmond will play a big part this weekend in limiting New York's passing attack and will also be on the hunt for another interception as he takes on his former team.
Prediction: Eagles 31, Giants 27
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The NFC East is a strange and intriguing division this season.
Both Philadelphia and New York looked down in the dumps after they started off the season 0-2, but now Monday night's clash carries major implications for the divisional race. The Giants come into Week 6 at the top of the NFC East with three wins, while Philadelphia is close at only a game behind.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys started the year off with two wins but have now lost three straight following injuries to Tony Romo and Dez Bryant. The Redskins also remain in the hunt with a 2-3 record.
Although it is only Week 6, this matchup will mean a lot in the NFC East. New York could start to pull away from the pack with a third straight win, or Philadelphia could climb up and force the Giants to share the top spot.
The Eagles came into the year as favorites to win the division, and some even saw the Super Bowl on the horizon following a phenomenal preseason campaign. Then, with a disastrous start, the wheels looked to be falling off the Chip Kelly bandwagon. However, following a substantial victory over the Saints, Eagles fans are starting to regain a cautious optimism in their team once again.
With so many roster changes this offseason, early-season struggles should be expected for Philadelphia. Luckily for the Eagles, the rest of the division came out of the gates slow as well. Heading into Week 6, Philadelphia looks ready to find its true form.
Kelly's offense finally found the value in a balanced approach last week, as Philadelphia both ran the ball and threw it downfield effectively for the first time this season. The Eagles must try to duplicate this blueprint against a stingy run defense this weekend.
The Giants only give up 80.6 yards per game on the ground this season, the second-fewest in the NFL. But Philadelphia will stick with its three-headed monster of a backfield in hopes of wearing them down and keeping the defense honest.
Bradford looked confident and decisive the past two weeks and now goes up against the worst pass defense in the league. Look for Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff to put forth massive performances this weekend on the way to Philadelphia's first division victory of the season.
Prediction: Eagles 31, Giants 27
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