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Giants (2-11) vs Eagles (11-2)
Last
week the Eagles clinched the NFC East first division title with a 43-35 win over
the Los Angeles Rams. Unfortunately they lost starting quarterback Carson Wentz
in the process to a knee injury. Nick Foles took over and guided the team to two
field goals to take the lead. Philadelphia's defense added to the score on the
game's last play with a 16-yard fumble return.
The Giants came off their two
game road trip and played in front of their home town crowd. While they looked
good in the first half going toe to toe with the Cowboys, the Giants weren't able
to score any more points. The defense gave up a few big fourth quarter plays that
led to a 30-10 win for the Cowboys.
Giants
- Cowboys Wrap-Up
Philadelphia
Eagles
Just eight days before the season
started, Carson Wentz became the starter last year for the Eagles. They had just
traded Sam Bradford away to the Minnesota Vikings. The rookie quarterback was
mobile and gave the Eagles some options that they would not have had with Bradford.
Wentz ended up with 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, and the team finished
up the season strong with three wins to give them a 7-9 record.
This year
the Eagles picked up two free agent wide receivers for Wentz to work with, Alshon
Jeffery and Torrey Smith. That was working well, and although Wentz had to rely
heavily on tight end Zach Ertz, he's made good use of all his receivers. Wentz
had surgery to repair his torn ACL this week. He finished the season with 33 touchdowns
and 7 interceptions, while guiding his team to an 11-2 record.
Philadelphia Eagles
Offense
Former Eagles quarterback Nick Foles
was signed to be the backup for Carson Wentz. He suddenly found himself on the
field last week when Wentz was injured. It was late in the game and Foles threw
only ten passes, with six being completed. Five completions were in the two drives
that led to field goals to put the Eagles back in the lead. The big question is
what will change with Foles starting in this game? Foles took one sack in his
short stint last week, and if the Eagles want to make their playoff dreams come
true, they can't afford to lose him.
You can expect them to lean heavily on
the running game. In the first matchup with the Giants, running backs Wendell
Smallwood and LeGarrette Blount ran for 138 yards, with the team totaling 193
yards on the ground. The team is currently
the second best in rushing yards in the NFL, and have been making good use of
Jay Ajayi who was acquired from the Miami Dolphins in late October. He had his
most carries last week (15), and averaged 5.2 yards a carry. The Giants can expect
to see a lot of Ajayi and Blount coming their way. Philadelphia
Eagles Defense
They
are partially responsible for the league high average of 31.1 points a game, having
contributed four defensive touchdowns. They have a good pass rush with Tackle
Fletcher Cox (5.5 sacks), and end Brandon Graham (8.5 sacks), and
are also first in stopping the run, allowing just 71.2 yards a game. The defense
hung tough last game against the Rams after seeing their nine game win streak
come to an end the week earlier in Seattle.
There have been some missed tackles
in the last couple of weeks, but they really buckled down after seeing their starting
quarterback leave the game. The Rams gained
just 10 yards on 12 plays which included a sack fumble. That put the ball at the
Rams 25 yard line when the Eagles were trailing by one point. The defense is near
the top in limiting opponents on third down conversions (30.2 percent), and they
have intercepted 16 passes on the season. Giants
Offense
The Eagles had no choice in making
a change in the starting quarterback position. The Giants have already done that
twice. Steve Spagnuolo last week returned Eli Manning to the starting lineup,
and that's the way it will be for this game. He still doesn't have much to work
with except for wide receiver Sterling Shepard who sees a lot of coverage. That
leaves throwing to tight ends, running backs, and no deep passes even if he has
the time, which seldom happens. Wide receiver Roger Lewis Jr. hasn't been the
answer Last week on two third down passes he dropped one, and caught the other
one short of the first down marker. Overall he caught seven out of eleven for
46 yards. Giants Defense
Without Carson Wentz in the mix, the defense
catches a bit of a break, because no matter who takes over, it will be a drop-off
on what Wentz has been doing this year. Wentz has the Eagles ranked first in touchdown
passes (33), points per game (31.1), and red-zone touchdown efficiency (67.4 percent).
Nick Foles is more of a pocket passer and won't be maneuvering to extend plays
the way Wentz can do. He'll be getting rid of the ball a lot quicker. In this
game the Giants will see the Eagles running at them as Foles gets used to guiding
his team. They'll be switching up their backs who have different running styles
so they'll have to be alert up front as to who is on the field.
Tackle Damon
Harrison is having an outstanding year, and will earn his money. The
Giants will likely be without safety Landon Collins, as he is listed as doubtful
with an ankle injury, and he may miss a game for the first time in his three years
with the team. Also, backup safety Nat Berhe is out with a hamstring injury. None
of this is good news. Will cornerback Eli Apple
play? He's been inactive for the past four games for one reason or another. Overall,
the defense is ranked last in the NFL in yards allowed, and next to last in both
run and pass defense. Overall
A
much better Giants team lost to the Eagles back in September. The game was all
tied up at 24-24, and a last second 61 yard field goal kept the game from going
into overtime, and it gave the Eagles the win. The Eagles can secure a first-round
bye by winning this game, so they will have motivation.
You'll have to jog
your memory a bit to realize that the Giants have been competitive over the last
three games. Against the Cowboys and Redskins,
they were tied, and they trailed the Raiders
by only three points going into the fourth quarter. That's when things really
fall apart. Anything can happen, but In this game with the Eagles, it would seem
to be a reach that they'll be that close when the fourth quarter starts. NFC
East Games
Sunday at 1:00pm Eagles (11-2)
at Giants (2-11).
Sunday at 1:00pm Cardinals (6-7) at Redskins (5-8).
Sunday
at 8:30pm Cowboys (7-6) at Raiders (6-7).
The Eagles, Redskins and Cowboys
are the NFC East teams favored to win in these games.
Check
out.
Giants
On The Air. Listen to the Radio Broadcasts.
Giants
DVDs and Posters. 
TeamGiants on Twitter.
Notes.
Giants
Sterling Shepard has one touchdown in each of the three games he's played against
the Eagles. Giants Damon
Harrison leads all NFL defensive linemen with 64 total tackles. Giants
will hold their annual Toys for Tots drive this Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
Next Games
Dec 24 Giants at Arizona.
Giants Tickets - Buy
or Sell
Dec 31 Redskins at Giants.
Giants Tickets
- Buy
or Sell
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