NFL Preview - N.Y. Giants (7-1) at Philadelphia (5-3)
Sports Network | November 06, 2008
(Sports Network) - If the Philadelphia Eagles are to meet their goal of winning an NFC East title this season, it's vital for the team to win games at home against divisional brethren. When the opponent is the New York Giants, that's often a task easier said than done.
Philadelphia will attempt to run its winning streak to four consecutive games, while the Giants aim to maintain their remarkable run of success on the road, when the neighboring squads collide in a pivotal Sunday night showdown from Lincoln Financial Field during Week 10.
The Eagles had been in danger of dropping out of the NFC East race after losing three of their first five games of the campaign, but three straight double-digit victories have put Andy Reid's charges squarely in the playoff mix. At 5-3, Philadelphia trails second-place Washington by only a half-game in the division standings, and is two back of New York's perch atop the heap.
Not only can the Eagles not afford to fall further back in the NFC East pack, but a loss to the Giants would send the club to 0-3 in divisional play. Philadelphia came out on the short end of a thrilling 41-37 verdict at Dallas back in Week 2, and was also handed a 23-17 setback at home to the Redskins in early October.
The Eagles have certainly been sharp as of late, however, as evidenced by the team's easy 26-7 road victory over struggling Seattle last Sunday. Quarterback Donovan McNabb overcame a slow start to throw for 349 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while a smothering defense forced 11 straight punts after giving up a long touchdown pass on the Seahawks' opening possession.
While Philadelphia has been rolling recently, the Giants' road to an intended second consecutive Super Bowl championship has encountered hardly any speed bumps so far. Big Blue boasts an NFC-best 7-1 mark at the midway point and also comes in on a three-game win streak following its lone blemish of the season, a 35-14 clunker at Cleveland in Week 6.
That defeat was also New York's only one in its 14 most recent road tests, which includes three triumphs in enemy venues during last season's unexpected march to the Super Bowl.
The Giants have won both of their divisional matchups this year as well, improving to 2-0 versus NFC East foes with last Sunday's 35-14 ousting of a depleted Dallas team at the Meadowlands. New York overpowered the reeling Cowboys on both sides of the ball, with the offense churning out 200 rushing yards and the defense limiting its rival to a scant 183 total yards and forcing four turnovers.
SERIES HISTORY
The Giants hold a 78-66-2 edge in a regular season series that dates back to the 1933 season, including a home-and-home sweep of the Eagles last season. New York scored a 16-3 home win in a primetime tilt during Week 4, and took a 16-13 road decision when the clubs met at Lincoln Financial Field in Week 14. The teams split the 2006 home-and-home, with New York recording a stunning, come-from-behind 30-24 overtime victory in Week 2 of that season. The Giants are 3-0 in regular season games played in Philadelphia since their last such loss, in 2004.
In addition to their regular season edge, the Giants own a 2-1 lead in the postseason series with the Eagles. Philadelphia was a 23-20 home winner in a 2006 NFC First-Round Playoff, while Big Blue took a 20-10 home decision in a 2000 NFC Divisional Playoff and a 27-21 triumph in a 1981 NFC First-Round Playoff at Veterans Stadium.
Reid is 9-11 against New York all-time, including 8-10 in the regular season. The Giants' Tom Coughlin is 7-4 versus Philadelphia, with two of the wins dating back to his tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and is 6-4 against Reid in his career.
WHEN THE GIANTS HAVE THE BALL
New York's philosophy on offense is to pound away at its opponent with a downhill running game that is averaging 162.6 yards per game this season, the second-best number in the NFL for that category. The Giants have been able to successfully alternate punishing 264-pounder Brandon Jacobs (680 yards, 7 TD, 5 receptions) with capable understudy Derrick Ward (437 rushing yards, 1 TD, 20 receptions), as the duo is averaging an outstanding 5.5 yards per rush attempt. Jacobs was one of the stars of last Sunday's big win over the Cowboys, compiling 117 yards and a touchdown on only 17 carries.
The Giants also want to establish the run in order to better neutralize a potent Philadelphia pass rush that's accounted for 27 sacks thus far and took down Seattle's Seneca Wallace four times a week ago. Two of those sacks came from lineman Darren Howard (12 tackles, 1 INT), who now has a team-best six this year despite playing almost exclusively as a tackle on obvious passing downs. Ends Trent Cole (35 tackles, 3 sacks) and Juqua Parker (22 tackles, 5 sacks, 1 INT) are accomplished pressure-producers as well who help out a quality secondary that features playmaking corner Asante Samuel (19 tackles, 3 INT, 14 PD), the NFL's leader in interceptions since 2006. There's a chance the Eagles will be without valued nickel back Lito Sheppard (13 tackles, 1 INT) on Sunday, as the deposed starter is dealing with a groin injury that forced him to exit the Seattle game early.
Philadelphia's stout defense, which enters this week's play ranked fifth in yards allowed (280.5 ypg) and seventh in points allowed (18.0 ppg), can also hold its own against the run. The Eagles are yielding only 89 yards per game on the ground (8th overall) along with a mere three rushing touchdowns. The unit's strength lies in its youth and speed, as the three leading tacklers -- linebackers Stewart Bradley (50 tackles, 1 sack) and Omar Gaither (44 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 6 PD) and strong safety Quintin Mikell (50 tackles, 2 INT, 1 sack) -- all have very good range and are 28 years old or younger.
The Eagles know they'll be challenged by physically-imposing wide receiver Plaxico Burress (31 receptions, 3 TD) on Sunday, since the gifted Giants' pass-catcher has delivered four 100-yard outings in the last six encounters between the teams and his 6-foot-5 frame has often presented matchup problems for Philly's shorter cornerbacks. He headlines a wideout trio that also consists of second-year slot man Steve Smith (34 receptions, 1 TD) and steady 13th-year veteran Amani Toomer (24 receptions, 2 TD), two reliable targets for improving quarterback Eli Manning (1735 passing yards, 12 TD, 5 INT). The highly-scrutinized former No. 1 overall pick is in the midst of his best pro season and is fresh of a three-touchdown effort against Dallas. One of those scoring strikes landed in the hands of sophomore tight end Kevin Boss (13 receptions, 3 TD), who's begun to heat up after an unproductive start to the year. Manning has been sacked only 10 times in his eight starts, but four of those came at the hands of the Cowboys last Sunday.
WHEN THE EAGLES HAVE THE BALL
While the Giants like to grind it out when they have the ball, Philadelphia favors a short to mid-range passing approach skillfully directed by McNabb (2178 passing yards, 10 TD, 4 INT), who is on pace for the first 4,000-yard season of his decorated 10-year career. The five-time Pro Bowl honoree has a wealth of weapons to choose from in the Eagles' third-rated passing offense (271.0 ypg), now that wide receivers Kevin Curtis (9 receptions) and Reggie Brown (11 receptions, 1 TD) have recovered from injuries that caused each to miss extensive time over the first two months. Explosive rookie DeSean Jackson (34 receptions, 525 yards, 1 TD) has successfully filled the void with an impressive start to his debut campaign, while second-year tight end Brent Celek (14 receptions) stepped in for ailing starter L.J. Smith (12 receptions, 2 TD) last week and racked up an eye-opening 131 yards on six catches. Smith is slated to return after a one-week absence due to a concussion, giving McNabb another proven option to work with.
You can expect Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, a disciple of Eagles well-respected architect Jim Johnson, to come after McNabb with a flurry of blitzes that have become a trademark of New York's pressure-packed scheme. The G-Men are second in the league with 30 sacks at the moment and took down McNabb an unbelievable 12 times during a win at the Meadowlands last season. Ends Justin Tuck (36 tackles, 8.5 sacks) and Mathias Kiwanuka (24 tackles, 6 sacks) form one of the game's most effective pass-rush tandems, while tackle Fred Robbins (20 tackles, 5.5 sacks) can consistently collapse the pocket as well. The line's ability to generate heat has helped New York surrender the second-fewest passing yards in the NFL (175.0 ypg) and garner 11 interceptions through the first eight games. Cornerback Corey Webster (24 tackles, 3 INT, 12 PD) had a pair of picks in last Sunday's triumph and has been the standout of a secondary that will be without nickel back Kevin Dockery (26 tackles, 1 INT, 6 PD) for a second straight week because of a lower back fracture. Starting strong safety James Butler (37 tackles, 2 INT) left the Dallas game in the third quarter with a knee sprain and may be listed as questionable for this contest.
Philadelphia will try to combat the Giants' fierce rush with a heavy dose of star running back Brian Westbrook (422 rushing yards, 26 receptions, 8 total TD), both as a runner and a receiver out of the backfield. The dangerous All- Pro performer is no longer bothered by rib and ankle injuries that caused to him to miss two games earlier this year, although he was held in check by the Seahawks after breaking free for a career-best 167 rushing yards and two scores in the Eagles' Week 8 win over Atlanta. The team is averaging a mediocre 97.4 yards per game on the ground, which ranks just 23rd in the league.
Westbrook will be facing a rugged Giants' stop unit that is permitting an average of only 85.4 rushing yards per game (7th overall) and stuffed Dallas' Marion Barber a week ago, with the well-regarded running back mustering a non- threatening 54 yards on 19 attempts. Outside linebacker Danny Clark (34 tackles) led the charge with a season-best nine tackles, including two for loss, to help the defense keep its string of not allowing an individual 100- yard rusher intact. New York is especially strong up the middle, where Robbins and fellow tackle Barry Cofield (24 tackles, 2 sacks) excel at clogging the lanes and middle linebacker Antonio Pierce (38 tackles, 1 sack) is an active tackler and a vocal team leader.
FANTASY FOCUS
Two of the premier fantasy defenses will be on display in this matchup, and each is worth using in what promises to be a hard-hitting affair in which points could be at a premium. As far as individuals go, both Westbrook and Burress have historically come through with remarkably productive days in this series, and look like the impact players on their team's respective sides. It's hard to recommend sitting a top-caliber quarterback like McNabb, but his owners should prepare for a mild dropoff against a very tough opponent. Sit Manning unless you don't have better alternatives, while both Jacobs and Ward are better-suited to be flex plays due to New York's backfield time-share and Philadelphia's strength in defending the run. As far as Eagle receivers go, Curtis' stock appears to be on the rise and Jackson's on the decline.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
In what figures to be a hotly-contested and entertaining affair that could very well come down to the wire, the Giants' track record is simply too good to ignore. Philadelphia has looked like world beaters against cream puffs such as San Francisco and Seattle, but the team's struggles in close games (the Eagles are 0-3 in games decided by less than a touchdown this year) and execution within the red zone cannot be overlooked. New York's prowess in running the football and uncanny knack for coming through on the road gives the defending champs the slightest of edges.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Giants 20, Eagles 16
