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Giants (6-3) vs Eagles (3-6)
Last week the Eagles took a hit in more ways than
one in losing their game to the Cardinals 21-17. Quarterback Michael Vick suffered
two broken ribs during the game. He might miss playing against the Giants on Sunday
night.
The
Giants on the road lost their game to a powerfully surging San Francisco 49er
team 27-20. That's not an excuse, nor can it be as there is more of that kind
of competitive football coming their way. Philadelphia
Eagles.
Before the season started
phrases like 'dream team' were thrown around loosely and now the Eagles are 3-6.
Following a dream sequence, if the Eagles somehow managed to win every single
game from here on out they would finish at 10-6. That means they would have beaten
the Giants this upcoming week, and pulled off wins against New England, Seattle,
Miami, the Jets, Cowboys, and Washington. Not at all imaginable, but we're still
dreaming here on how they would turn their nightmare season into one of the the
biggest NFL fairytales. Somehow the lowly Eagles currently have the best division
record (2-1). Winning out would make them 5-1 in that area and with 10 overall
wins any other team in the division would then need 11 to beat them in the standings.
Since the dream grants them coming up wins over the other division teams, the
Giants and Cowboys would have their hands full achieving 11, and the Redskins
would be eliminated.
In football, as in life, dreams rarely become a reality.
Luck does help at times and good coaching is a necessary ingredient. Andy Reid
has attracted some press lately with some of his decisions. Last week he benched
two-time Pro Bowl wideout DeSean Jackson for missing a meeting and the Eagles
lost a close game to the Cardinals. Coaches always say that a player should not
hurt the team with his actions because the team comes first. Along those lines,
doesn't a coach hurt his team by not fielding the best players? Eagle fans no
longer have Donovan McNabb to throw darts at as to the reason there's no Super
Bowl trophy to dust off. Andy Reid seems to be a bigger target now as season after
season drifts by. BTW - since 1990, when the NFL went to a 12-team playoff format,
only three teams have made the playoffs after starting 3-6 and none have made
the Super Bowl. Eagles
offense.
On the field the leader
of the offense is the starting quarterback. It's great if he has the ability to
scramble when necessary, but it's almost always necessary for him to stay healthy
for the season to take the team to the next level and beyond. Michael Vick is
an exceptional scrambler and as such he takes some big hits. Last week Vick suffered
two broken ribs on the second play of the game, continued to play and finished
up with a 32.5 passer rating. He's out for this game and backup Vince Young, who
signed on for a one-year, $4 million contract, cursed his teammates with the name
"Dream Team" This great collection of newly signed, and current talent
now had to suddenly jell and prove it. So here's Young's chance but considering
his limited appearances this season, one handoff and one interception, it's likely
Young will be handing the ball off quite a bit in this game.
It doesn't help
that a few days ago that he's still playing catch-up with the Eagles playbook.
"It’s definitely [a] wordy, very, very detailed offense," Running back
LeSean McCoy leads the NFC with 906 rushing yards, has scored from scrimmage in
nine straight games, and averages 5.5 yards per carry. He hurt the Giants in their
last meeting rushing for 128 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Wide receiver
Jeremy Maclin, the leading receiver, is out with shoulder and hamstring injuries.
That means former Giant Steve Smith might get more playing time. To date he has
10 receptions for 110 yards and no touchdowns. DeSean Jackson, who was suspended
last game, is back for this one. Overall, the Eagles have the NFL's third-best
offense and the No. 1 rushing attack, averaging 171.6 yards per game. Killing
them is turnovers. They have given up the ball up 21 times including 7 in the
fourth quarter which doesn't help their defensive unit. Eagles
defense.
Defensive coordinator Juan Castillo
was promoted to this job after serving as the offensive line coach on the team
for years. He maybe doesn't have it all figured out just yet. The secondary fields
top cornerbacks Asante Samuel with 2 interceptions and Nnamdi Asomugha with 3,
but the way they cover the field under Castillo's rule is questionable. Cornerback
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is out for the next 2-4 weeks due to a high ankle
sprain. Jason Babin with 9 sacks, Trent Colewith, a two-time Pro Bowler, with
5 sacks and Cullen Jenkins with his 5 sacks, bring the pressure, but they have
given up 4.8 yards per carry to date to the opponents running game. It will be
interesting to see which unit is on the right track. It's the Giants offensive
line against the Eagles run stoppers. One day this very talented Eagles defensive
unit may tie it all together, but the 2011 season is growing short. Giants
offense.
Eli Manning is having a great
season and he can throw against the Eagles. In his last four games against them
he has 13 touchdowns and has averaged 270 passing yards. He has some great targets
in Victor Cruz (40 receptions for 672 yards and 4 touchdowns) and Jake Ballard
to name just two. OK - throw in Hakeem Nicks (40 receptions for 616 yards and
4 touchdowns), and Mario Manningham (33 receptions and 3 touchdowns). Brandon
Jacobs will be carrying the ball, (literally) as Ahmad Bradshaw will once again
miss playing for a third straight game with a broken bone in his right foot.
Jacobs
has 253 rushing yards, 11 receptions and 4 total touchdowns, including his 80-yard
touchdown catch against the Eagles last time. His running average is only 3.2
yards per carry and the Eagles give up more, but they have been improving. Right
now the Giants rushing attack is the NFC's second worst at 89.2 yards per game
and needs to improve if the Giants expect to contend against even better upcoming
competition. Giants
defense.
Linebacker Michael Boley, the
team's defensive signal caller and second-leading tackler, is doubtful for this
game because of a hamstring injury. The Giants gameplay suffered last week when
Boley had to leave the game and he's a tough guy to lose for this matchup. Running
back LeSean McCoy will be coming at rookie fill-ins. Mark Herzlich is likely the
best candidate to start if Boley can't play. Herzlich is the cancer survivor you've
read about who's been on special teams plays every game this season.
Mathias
Kiwanuka's experience will help and he's learned a lot since he once turned Vince
Young loose for a sure sack thinking he had released the ball. That was a big
part of the Titans come back from a 21-0 fourth-quarter deficit, as the Giants
went on to lose 24-21.
The strength of this defense is the pass rush which
has accounted for a league-high 30 sacks through the first nine games. Justin
Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre Paul just keep bringing it and Vince Young
making his first start of the season, will be under fire. The secondary with
Corey Webster with 4 interceptions and Aaron Ross with 3 will be waiting. Rookie
cornerback Prince Amukamara hopes to play in this game for the first time, spelling
safety Antrel Rolle as the nickel corner. Overall.
Make no mistake, this game is really big. The
Eagles have a poor record, but they play strong. In their six losses all have
been by a touchdown or less, except for the one Giants game (29-16). The Giants
are on the spot, known for second half fades, and even winning this game won't
totally squash the talk with teams like the Packers, New Orleans and the resurging
Cowboys coming up. The Eagles have already lost one game to the Giants and losing
two just about kills off any chances they would have even if the Giants do fade
somewhat. NFC East.
It's
division matchup this Sunday as the the Cowboys (5-4) travel to Washington to
take on the Redskins (3-6) at 1pm. Later, at 8:20pm is the Giants - Eagles game.
The Cowboys and Giants are favored to win their games.
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Notes.
Giants Tom Coughlin will be having his 250th
regular season game as an NFL head coach. Eagles
Vince Young has beaten the Giants in two career starts against them playing with
the Titans. Eagles running back LeSean
McCoy last week set a team record, scoring a touchdown in all 9 games in 2011. Eagles
LeSean McCoy tied for first in the NFL with 10 rushing touchdowns. Eagles
have lost five games where they had led in the fourth quarter. Eagles,
counting playoff games, have won four straight road games against the Giants.
Next Games
Nov 28 - Giants at New Orleans.
Giants Tickets
- Buy
or Sell
Dec 4 - Packers at
Giants.
Giants Tickets - Buy
or Sell
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