Nov 16, 1:00 pm (FOX) - Giants at Eagles
Giants vs Eagles
The Giants started the Eagles on a four game winning streak. This Sunday they can end it. The games between the Giants and Eagles are always major battles. You
might remember their first meeting a few weeks ago where left guard Rich Seubert was being taken off the field waving a towel to the fans in Giants stadium. Seubert spent 20 days in the hospital
following surgery to repair his badly damaged right leg because of a serious post-surgery infection, but should be fine in six months.
Michael Strahan had 2 sacks in that first game, and Mike Barrow caused the Eagles to fumble twice. Will Allen came up with a big interception that allowed the Giants to score and Jeremy Shockey
had 5 catches for 23 yards and 1 touchdown. Tiki Barber had 19 carries for 79 yards, caught 5 passes for 34 yards and Dorsey Levens had 16 carries for 64 yards.
Even with all that, the Giants managed to lose the game to the Eagles 14-10, when Brian Westbrook scored on an 84-yard punt return with 1:16 left to play in the game.
Last week.
The Giants had a bad game last week against the Atlanta Falcons and found themselves losing 27-7 in their own stadium to the fans chants of "Fire Fassel". That's
something you get when you lose four straight at home. That's something you get when you let the Falcons come into Giants Stadium with the 29th-ranked offense, and let them gain 216 yards
on the ground against you.
That's what you get when you face the worst defense in football and you score just one time. That's what you get when you have trouble protecting against a three-man rush from a team ranked
dead last in pass defense and come away with no touchdown passes and two interceptions, on your way to committing four turnovers.
Bad, bad, bad.
It was also bad for the Giants that all the rest of the NFC East division teams won their games to make this loss even worse for the timing of it. So they are tied with the Redskins for last
place in the NFC East, and trail Dallas by three games. More bad news followed as the week unfolded. The Giants, who had remained relatively healthy except for the corner position (Will Peterson),
found themselves hit hard with injuries. Further weakening the starting corner position,
Ralph Brown who started the past four games in place of Will Peterson, dislocated his right shoulder and he is expected to be out 3-4 weeks. Inexperienced sixth-round draft pick rookie Frank
Walker will replace him this week in his first career start. Cornerback Ike Charlton, signed just this Tuesday, might be called on for this game although he has yet to learn the defense.
Don't worry, maybe Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb is unaware of the Giants depth problems at cornerback.
Bad news gets even worse.
Jeremy Shockey, who leads the Giants with 48 catches and has 535 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns, was thought to be out for 6-8 weeks with a partially torn posterior
cruciate ligament in his left knee. There's no surgery for it, and you may have noticed that you haven't seen receiver Ron Dixon this year. He's still recovering from a PCL problem. Running
back Tiki Barber suffered one in 1997 and it bothered him for a full year. Somehow during the week, Jim Fassel declared that not only will Shockey avoid the injured reserve list, he will be
sidelined for maybe only 3 weeks. Backup Marcellus Rivers, who suffered a shoulder injury on Sunday will fill in for Shockey's receiving role, along with rookie Visanthe Shiancoe.
The list grows.
Defensive end Kenny Holmes, has been nursing a bad knee, and it flared up on Sunday. Holmes missed practice to get a second opinion on it, and it looks like he
won't play against the Eagles and may see limited playing time for the rest of the year. Holmes
had started every game, has 30 tackles and 5 1/2 sacks. Rookie second-round draft pick Osi Umenyiora will be on the field in his place
Wide receiver Ike Hilliard, sprained both ankles and twisted his left knee playing against the Falcons and he did not practice this week. Despite this, he is expected to play. Tim Carter,
who suffered a concussion last week, would fill in for Hilliard if he can't last the game, and special teams player David Tyree would move up into a receiver slot.
Micheal Barrow, Dhani Jones and Jeff Roehl all have the flu, but will be fine by gametime according to Jim Fassel.
So what do we expect?
The Giants are hurting health-wise and in the standings, but this is a division game between two long time rivals, so it will
be played tough.
We'd like to see Donovan McNabb pick on the watered down cornerback position where rookie Frank Walker is playing and be surprised when he comes up with an interception, like the key one he
made three weeks ago when the Giants won against Minnesota.
We'd like to see tight end Marcellus Rivers, being ignored because he's no Shockey, catching a few clutch passes when Toomer and Hilliard are well covered.
We'd like to see rookie Osi Umenyiora driving McNabb into Michael Strahan's sack hungry path or coming up with a few on his own.
We'd like to see Ike Hilliard run Brian Dawkins ragged the first time these two face each other this year. Dawkins, questionable for this game, dislocated Hilliard's right shoulder after he
used his body like a battering ram to take a cheap shot late hit that cost him a $50,000 fine. Dawkins had a foot injury and didn't play against the Giants last game.
We'd like to see the Giants stop the turnovers, almost a league leading 22 in all, come alive in the Eagles brand new stadium, and hand them a loss.
Any of the above would be just fine, especially the last one.
The NFC East teams.
REDSKINS (4-5) at PANTHERS (7-2) Line: Panthers by 6. Over-Under: 36 1/2.
COWBOYS (7-2) at PATRIOTS (7-2) Line: Patriots by 4. Over-Under: 35.
GIANTS (4-5) at EAGLES (6-3) Line: Eagles by 3 1/2. Over-Under: 38.
Notes.
Michael Strahan's 10½ sacks of Donovan McNabb are his most against any quarterback.
Michael Strahan's 17½ sacks against the Eagles are his most against any opponent.
Last game the Giants held Donovan McNabb to just 9 completions on 23 attempts for 64 yards.
Last game the Eagles 134 total yards were the lowest by a Giants opponent since Washington finished with minus-6 yards in 1960.
Next Game
Giants at Tampa Bay Nov 24, 9PM.
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