Eagles/Giants: Round 2. Thing to Take Into Consideration in This Week's Matchup
Philadelphia loves a good fight, I mean, this is the home of Rocky, afterall. Well, the Eagles and their fans are going to get their money's worth this Sunday when they head to a very hostile New Meadowlands Staduim to take on the New York Giants.
Although the Eagles have owned the Giants of late, make no mistake, this will be no easy game for either team. The winner of this game will all but walk away with the crown of NFC East Champion and possibly a first round bye. The loser could end up missing the play-offs depending on how a few other teams play down the stretch. Needless to say, this is a huge game.
Here are a few things to look for this week.
Mike Vick's Play
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Ok, is any one getting tired of hearing about the Mike Vick Saga yet? No? Me neither.
We know the story, we know how well the guy's doing this season and all that, but Big Blue came up with a pretty good formula for stopping the guy last time they met up. In fact, the Giants have been the only team this season who prevented Vick from scoring a passing touchdown (we'll discuss those dropped passes a little later). Despite Vick's explosivness, the Giants secondary had his number last time around and if they can do it again, they may be adding another notch in the W column.
Speaking Of Explosive...
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First off, I don't care what anyone says, I laughed my tail off when D Jack did his little "dive" into the end zone against the Dallas Cowboys. Come on, I know this is the No Fun League, but lighten up people.
Having said that, Desean Jackson is of course the most explosive receivers in the league, however, despite claims that he will play this Sunday, he is nursing a foot injury that prevented him from practicing this week. The Eagles can win without him, though they haven't this season, as they have good receivers in Jason Avant and Jeremy Maclin. He is, without a doubt, a critical part of this offense though and his absence or limited play could have an adverse effect on the Eagles chances of winning.
That Pesky Giants Defense
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The G-Men know how to deal with explosive. They have one of the best secondaries in league, boasting its second best pass defense.
Again, they contained Mick Vick in their last match up in a way that no other team, including the Bears, have been able to do all season. Look for defensive coordinator Perry Fewall to dial up some defensive schemes to force Vick out of the pocket and the ball into the hands of his team
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The Running Game
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Considering the Eagles are, and have been, known for their passing game through Andy Reid's tenure, it may be hard for some to believe that the Birds have the 5th most rushing yards in the league. Of course this has a lot to do with Mike Vick (surprise!) but it also has to do with Mr. Shady McCoy. Lesean has 972 yards and seven touchdowns with only two fumbles all season. He also put a yard dagger in the heart of the Giants last time they met so look for him to have a big game especially if Big Blue manages to shut Vick down.
On The Other Hand...
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Brandon Jacobs is no slouch either. Some poor play forced him to play second fiddle to Ahmad Bradshaw early this season but now he's back to his 2007 form. Jacobs is a big, physical guy who doesn't mind running over a few people. With 8 TD's this season, and a lot of weight to throw around, he is a force of nature of the G-Men.
Come On, Asante
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It's simple: If Asante Samual plays, we're talking a totally different Eagles defense. Maybe he's not the best tackler in the world, but with seven interceptions (four of those being agianst guys named Manning), we're talking about a real game changer for Philly.
Eli wants no parts of Asante. Him being on the feild can really make a difference in this game.
Speaking Of Explosive, Part 2
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So Steve Smith is out. That certianly plays in the Eagles favor. But Eli is not without weapons. Hakeem Nicks missed a few games due to injury is no Desean Jackson, but he's pretty good. He can get open and make defesne, especially depleated ones like the Eagles', pay if they aren't careful. If the Eagles can contain him hold him to just a few catches they'll be in good shape.
Also, look for Kevin Boss to become more of a factor this Sunday with the depleation of the Giants' corp. He could potentially have a big game if he can get into it.
Eli, Eli, Eli...
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A poet once wrote: so much depends upon a red wheel barrow. Well, I'm going to say: so much depends on a red (and white) Giant. Eli Manning is good, the better of the brothers this season, but with a league high of 19 interceptions, he could single handedly give the game away. The Giants don't also win or loss on Eli's back, but they could this week. If Eli doesn't play well (and there's reason to think he won't since in his last four games he's had seven touchdowns and eight interceptions) the Giants stand a good chance of losing. If he does play well, however, the G-Men could send the Birds into the Play Off limbo.
Look Ma, No Hands
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For some very strange reason the Eagles have decided that they don't need to play well in the Red Zone this season. In fact, they seem to have decided they can down right suck; they've dropped way too mnay passes in critical situations. While that hasn't been too big of problem,as they''ve still won some quality games it can certainly come back and sting their rears this week.
If the troubles within the 20 continue, look for the Giants to capitalize. Settling for three in a game like this one could prove detrimental at the end of the day.
This Is a HUGE Game
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The bottom line is that both teams need to win this one. Whoever does will take the NFC East and possibly a first round bye (depending on how some other NFC teams fare), and the loser could miss the playoffs altogether. It's not overstating to say this is the biggest game of the season for both clubs.
I'm not in the business of making predictions, especially not for a game like this one. It's going to be a classic NFC East slug fest. Keep your fingers crossed no matter who you're pulling for as both teams are going to need a little something extra to pull this one off.
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