NFL Picks Week 3: Why Eagles Don't Need Michael Vick to Beat Giants

With only 72 hours separating the Philadelphia Eagles from their showdown with the New York Giants and Michael Vick still not cleared to play, it's time to start entertaining the possibility of a Vick-less offense.

While it won't come easily, the Eagles have enough in the tank to win this crucial NFC East meeting.

Philadelphia worked hard to improve its depth at key positions over the offseason, and that strategic plan will bear fruit come Sunday.

Preparation Matters

Last year the Eagles made two mid-game quarterback changes because of injury. They lost both games.

When they returned the next week with a new starter in tow, the starter played well and the Eagles won.

Michael Vick couldn't save the Eagles as Kevin Kolb's backup in the season opener, but he destroyed the Jacksonville Jaguars the next week.

Kolb couldn't save the Eagles against the Washington Redskins after Vick's rib injury, but he led a solid a win the next week at San Francisco.

Last year proved that a week between starts makes a big difference in a quarterback's preparation.

Backup quarterback Mike Kafka will get the benefit of a week's practice to gameplan against the Giants. That week should increase his confidence and also boost the coaching staff's confidence in him.

Kevin Kolb's Performance Last Year

We know this Eagles offense can win with a pocket passer because we've seen them do it.

Last year Philadelphia went 2-1 in games started and finished by Kevin Kolb where he played with the first unit. In those games, the Eagles averaged 384 yards of offense, a number just a few ticks lower than their season average of 389.

For those convinced that the Eagles can't protect a pocket passer and move the ball without the threat of Vick's running ability, just look at those results.

I'm not saying Mike Kafka is as good right now as Kevin Kolb was last year. I am saying the Eagles know how to adapt their strategy to that of a pocket passer. From what I've seen, Kolb and Kafka are about equal at avoiding the pass rush (with perhaps a slight edge to Kafka).

This Eagles offense has enough talent outside Michael Vick to keep the chains moving.

Mismatch in the Secondary

In Week 1 the Giants secondary allowed 154 yards to the trio of Santana Moss, Jabar Gaffney and Anthony Armstrong.

Must have been an off night. They'll fix that. On to Week 2.

On Monday night, at home, the Giants secondary yielded 266 yards to the superstar triumvirate of Danario Alexander, Mike Sims-Walker and Brandon Gibson.

New York has a problem.

It's clear that injuries to Prince Amukamara and Terrell Thomas sapped this unit of its coverage ability. No amount of strategizing outside of outright double teams can save this Giants secondary from itself.

On Sunday they'll face DeSean Jackson, Jeremey Maclin, Jason Avant and former teammate Steve Smith, and it's hard to see how New York can cope. There should be openings a-plenty for that talented bunch against the Giants' depleted back end.

If Mike Kafka stays upright and patient, the Eagles won't struggle to move the ball down the field.

LeSean McCoy

The New York Giants know all about LeSean McCoy.

Last year the former Pitt running back iced the Giants with a monster 50-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-one. He then announced his presence with a bit more flair this offseason by calling out New York defensive end Osi Umenyiora on Twitter.

I suspect they remember the name.

On the field, McCoy's continued his march toward elite status, scoring two touchdowns in each of the first two games and averaging 6.6 yards per carry. Outside of Michael Vick, he's been the Eagles most reliable source of offensive production, and he's helped establish a run game that needed a pick-me-up.

It's in the passing game, however, that I expect McCoy to make his mark if Vick cannot play. With a hungry Giants defensive line looking to attack the less-mobile Mike Kafka, screens and check-downs to McCoy will become a bigger part of the offense.

Eagles fans know McCoy can turn those little slips into big gains, helping account for whatever downfield threat Philadelphia loses without Vick's powerful left arm.

The Eagles will call McCoy's number often in this game, and a thin Giants defense will struggle to stop him.

The Eagles Defense

I know this unit has its weaknesses.

They can't stop the run, they can't cover tight ends and they struggle in the red zone. I'll grant the dissenters that.

That said, this defense plays beautifully to its strengths. They put more pressure on the quarterback than any Eagles defense since the heyday of Jim Johnson, and they completely remove top wide receivers from the conversation.

So far the Eagles defense ranks sixth in the league in passing yards allowed and eighth in yards allowed per play. The fact that they rank 19th in points allowed is a bit deceiving, and I anticipate that ranking will eventually rise to meet their other performance indicators.

Moving Jamar Chaney back to middle linebacker ought to help that cause, and with him in the middle this defense has the foundation of a great unit.

Don't let some of those surface results fool you: the defense is much improved from last year and will prove that against the Giants this Sunday.