Giants vs. Eagles: 5 Things Giants Learned from NFC East Triumph

The Giants defeated their division rival, Philadelphia Eagles, for the first time in their last seven meetings. They now sit at 2-1 and appear to be headed in the right direction as they travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals in Week 4.

Even though they won against the Rams in Week 2, Giants’ fans were still left with a lot of unanswered questions heading into this pivotal division matchup.  Here is what we learned during Sunday’s 29-16 victory.

5. Steve Weatherford Is a Legitimate Upgrade over Matt Dodge

It appears that the Giants made the right move in cutting Matt Dodge for Steve Weatherford following their preseason position battle. Everyone knows how Dodge may have single handedly cost the Giants their 2010 playoff hopes, and Tom Coughlin wasn’t going to risk it happening again in 2011.

Everyone knew that the punting game would be a major story for the Giants heading into Week 3.

After kicking it right at DeSean Jackson on his first punt of the game, Weatherford settled down and didn’t allow another return on his next three attempts.

An average of 41 yards per kick isn’t that impressive on paper, but Weatherford played it safe and kept the ball out of the hands of Philadelphia’s playmakers.

4. Aaron Ross Is Here to Stay

It is apparent that being pulled during the third quarter of the week lit a fire under Aaron Ross. After getting burnt by the likes of Mike Sims-Walker and Greg Salas, he looked like a Pro Bowler against the Eagles.

Ross was 5-of-5 when he had the opportunity to make the tackle. He also had two pivotal interceptions while covering the likes of Jeremy Maclin and Steve Smith. He deflected a would-be first down and contributed to an impressive day by the secondary. They held the Eagles held to just 210 yards through the air.

If Ross can continue to perform at this level, a lot of pressure will be taken off the rest of the defense.

If he can hang with some of the league’s better receivers, then the Giants can fully utilize their pass-rush without worrying about getting burnt deep.

3. The Goal Line Defense Is Excellent

When the Giants held the Eagles to a field goal following four goal line stops at the start of the third quarter, Giants fans were as surprised as they were impressed.

They made a crucial stop on fourth down at the start of the fourth quarter and seem to have found their rhythm in short yardage situations.

Guys like Chris Canty and Linval Joseph dominated the Eagles interior lineman on these plays and opened up tackling lanes for the young line backing corps. This positive performance should build much needed confidence for this unit moving forward.

2. Victor Cruz Drastically Improves the Receiving Corps

His touchdown reception at the end of the first quarter showed excellent awareness as he stayed in bounce and spun out of a tackle for the score. His touchdown in the fourth quarter showed he could win jump balls in spite of his size and has much better hands than we thought.

Nnamdi Asomugha was expected to cover Hakeem Nicks all day, but his assignments revolved primarily around Cruz. Once Mario Manningham returns, the Giants’ receiving corps might finally take it to the next level.

If Cruz continues to perform, it’ll be almost impossible to cover him, Nicks and Manningham.

1. Eli Is Learning from His Mistakes

Even though the Giants won in Week 2, Eli Manning didn’t appear to be on top of his game. He threw an ugly interception on a would-be Mario Manningham touchdown and threw a few balls away inspite of ample time remaining in the pocket.

He came out strong this week and appeared to be at his best against one of the league’s best secondaries.

He spread the ball around in the absence of Mario Manningham totaling 254 yards through the air and four TD passes. He is establishing a strong relationship with Victor Cruz and didn’t throw an interception. He finally looked comfortable under pressure.

Follow me on Twitter: @Nick_Marro