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Giants - Eagles
Game 5 preview
Sun Oct 6, 1:00 PM - Eagles at Giants

Giants (0-4) vs Eagles (1-3)
Last week the Eagles suffered a 52-20 pounding by the Denver Broncos. Scores like that are becoming almost routine in Denver as well as the losses for the Eagles, who have now dropped 3 in a row. Both teams finished with great offensive numbers, but the Broncos put points on the board.
The Giants lost their game in Kansas City 31-7. They hung in with one big trick, a long touchdown pass to Victor Cruz in the first half, but how often can you repeat the same trick? Well, in the past the Giants used to be able to, but not these days and they are one of the four teams left that are 0-4.

Philadelphia Eagles.
Chip Kelly is a new head coach and he brings with him some new ideas to the NFL. The trick is to make them work with players left over from a 4-12 team he inherited from Andy Reid. He had few choices in the quarterback area and Chip has placed all his 'chips' on Michael Vick.
In 2011 Vick turned the ball over 18 times, including 5 times in the red zone. Vick was near the bottom in the rankings against blitzes, and third down passing. Adhering to a style of play no coach can seem to break him of, Vick was banged up badly and missed a few games. Add in the 2012 season playing in only 10 games, and Vick has thrown a total of 24 interceptions and fumbled 21 times.
Kelly's
snazzy up tempo offense really clicked in the first game especially in the first half where they outscored the Redskins 26-7. The Redskins finished that game with three straight touchdowns only to lose 33-27 to give Kelly his first NFL win. His quick paced offense has produced results, but there is a question as to if his own defense can handle their dosage on the flipside. It looks good when it's working, but In the end both teams still get their same share of possessions and opportunities.

Eagles offense.
Does Michael Vick have all the tools he needs? He keys on wideout DeSean Jackson who is drawing all the attention these days. Riley Cooper and Jason Avant are next in the progression, but Vick doesn't seem very confident when looking their way. Maybe Vick can't resist his natural urge to take off or is not afforded the proper time. Chip Kelly believes in his quarterback and feels it's more of an offensive line problem citing the pressure he's under. Vick was sacked 3 times and forced to scramble to keep things alive last week, taking off 8 times for 41 yards.
Overall the running game has been the Eagles best suit. It's ranked first in the league as they have averaged nearly 200 yards a game, and Vick has contributed heavily in that area. Running back LeSean McCoy is averaging 6 yards a carry. Vick is averaging 8.8 and both have 2 rushing touchdowns. Last week
McCoy rushed for 73 yards on 16 carries, but was off the field for long stretches coping with the thin air at the stadium in Denver. Even with that, McCoy leads everyone the NFL with 468 rushing yards.

Eagles defense.
They're still a work in progress trying to shift from a 4-3 to a 3-4 scheme. Aside from that learning experience, the defense has to deal with spending a lot more time on the field and with less rest since their hi-rev offense gets things done fast. You need the right mix of youth and talent to handle that. So far they have 10 sacks through four games, and have given up more passing yards than all but one team in the league.
Opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 107.2 against this defense, with 9 touchdown passes and only 2 interceptions. They are only slightly better defending against the run and rank next to last in the league by giving up 34.5 points a game. Last year they gave up more touchdown passes (32) than any other team in the league despite seeing fewer passing attempts than all but one team.
The secondary was marked for improvement, but as of now is still a big question mark. Defensive coordinator Bill Davis insists things will get better and he is hoping that starts this week against the Giants.

Giants offense.
Eli Manning's completion percentage has gone down every game since the season started. Last week the Giants tried to scheme around an offensive line that's not up to the usual tasks. They managed one big play that got them 7 points in the first half, but that was it for the game. So far Victor Cruz is the biggest weapon for the Giants. Even with teams keying on him, Cruz has 26 receptions for 425 yards and 4 touchdowns. Manning has thrown only 6 touchdowns this season.
Running back Da'Rel Scott has not impressed and was waived after making his first career start against the Chiefs last week. The roster spot was used for offensive lineman Dallas Reynolds who started 14 games at center last season for the Eagles when he came off the practice squad to replace an injured Jason Kelce. That leaves David Wilson, a re-indoctrinated Brandon Jacobs and, a not really ready for primetime seventh-round rookie, Mike Cox to run the ball. Once again there will be an offensive line shuffle as center David Baas is out and Chris Snee has been placed on injured reserve. David Diehl is back now and he would replace Snee. If the Giants offensive line can get it going for Manning, he can take advantage of a weak Eagles secondary.

Giants defense.
The two worst defenses in the NFL will meet up at MetLife Stadium. They both share one similar problem. They spend a lot of time on the playing field and that leads to giving up points. The Eagles (34.5 points a game) because they choose to have their offense off the field fast, and the Giants (36.5 points a game) because their offense can't manage to stay on the field.
This week they're up against a a new style of offense with a quick footed quarterback and running back who also is a passing threat. They'll be working with two cornerbacks, Aaron Ross (back) and Jayron Hosley (hamstring) out and with Corey Webster (groin) and defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins listed as doubtful. Jenkins, who played with the Eagles last year, is a good run stopper so it would be great if he could play.
The Giants have had time to watch game film and study up. Linebacker Spencer Paysinger played on Chip Kelly's team in college and they just picked up offensive lineman Dallas Reynolds who played last year for the Eagles. Maybe they'll turn up some gems of knowledgeable tidbits. Who knows?
We're not even going to bother to mention this week that a good pass rush would help.

Overall
Last time they played the Giants beat the Eagles 42-7 in the final game of the 2012 season. The Eagle players knew back then that change was in the wind and you can expect to see a whole lot better effort in this matchup. Chip Kelly is getting a bit impatient with his win loss record and didn't like the way his team played last week while taking their 52-20 Bronco beatdown.
For the Giants, it's not encouraging to see Tom Coughlin start the week by showing off a chart of division standings for his players to study instead of Xs and Os. Going 0-4 can make them feel like hopeless losers, but not so in the NFC East which has a combined 4-12 record. 'You see guys, just inch ahead of those other loser teams in the division and bam you're in the playoffs' (for maybe one game). Anyway both these teams will start off with an "I think I can' attitude having looked over the low level of opposition they will face. The Eagles have the slim bragging rights here since they have their one win and like the Cowboys are 1-0 in the division.

NFC East
The Giants play in the early 1:00pm Sunday game at MetLife Stadium against the Eagles. The Giants are favored to win. Later in the day the Cowboys (2-2) host the unbeaten powerhouse Broncos (4-0). The Broncos are favored to win. The Redskins don't play this week. The best outcome for these games for Giants fans is the Cowboys at 2-3 with a loss, and a Giants win to have them tied at one game out. The Giants and Eagles would be 1-4 and these three teams would have 1 division win and the Redskins none. Check out.
The Team Giants Store, and see some of the really unique items we put together.
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Giants DVDs and Posters.

tgtwitter TeamGiants on Twitter.Notes.
Giants have scored the least amount of points and given up the most in the NFC East.

Giants have lost four games in a row.

Eagles have lost three games in a row.

Eagles, including postseason, have won 8 of the last 10 games against the Giants.

Eagles allowed two special teams touchdowns last week.

Eagles Michael Vick threw a career-best 428 yards, 2 TDs and ran for one in game 2 against San Diego.

Eagles Michael Vick's 61-yard run in game 3 against Kansas City was the longest of his career.

Eagles are the first team in NFL history to accumulate at least 1,000 yards passing and 750 yards rushing through the first four games of a season.


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Oct 10 - Giants at Chicago.
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