By Paul Schwartz
For Sporting News
Hurting again. The Giants welcomed back their two starting receivers, Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith, from injuries but lost two receivers against he Vikings. Smith suffered a strained hamstring and No. 3 receiver Mario Manningham left the game vs. the Vikings with a hip flexor. Once again, the offense is depleted at receiver.
Clinch no cinch. The Eagles know if they can escape New Meadowlands Stadium with a victory it all but assures them of winning the NFC East title. Beating the Giants on Sunday would give the Eagles a two-game sweep of the season series, essentially giving the Eagles a two-game lead with two games to play.
Hold the ball. The Giants turned the ball over five times in their 27-17 loss to the Eagles in Philadelphia, wasting chances on offense because of very sloppy play. A fumble lost by Ahmad Bradshaw led to his removal from the starting lineup. The Giants lately have been better at holding onto the ball but lapsing against the Eagles aggressive defense will be deadly.
Eagles Keys For Success
LB Jamar Chaney. The loss of Stewart Bradley to a dislocated elbow for at least two weeks puts a hole in the middle of the Eagles defense. Bradley is a force in stopping the run and he will be missed. Chaney is a rookie from Mississippi State who will have to take a crash-course this week to get ready for the 1-2 running punch of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw.
RT Winston Justice. He sat out the victory in Dallas with a knee injury but could make it back this week. If so, there to greet him will be Giants DE Justin Tuck, who was able to sack Michael Vick three times in the first meeting earlier this season. Tuck is a relentless pursuer of the ball, has 81/2 sacks and Justice must be active on every play to slow him down.
RB LeSean McCoy. The key play in the Eagles' victory over the Giants back on Nov. 21 was McCoy bursting free on a third-and-1 play from midfield that turned into a 50-yard touchdown run. McCoy finished with 111 rushing yards on only 14 carries against a run defense that last weekend completely held Adrian Peterson of the Vikings in check, with 14 carries for only 26 yards.
Giants Keys For Success
QB Eli Manning. The Giants are on a three-game winning streak but Manning certainly isn't on any sort of roll. He threw two more interceptions last week against the Vikings to raise his season total to 19 and he misfired on several makeable throws. Manning in the first meeting with the Eagles, a 27-17 loss, threw three interceptions, two going to CB Asante Samuel.
CB Terrell Thomas. Dealing with speed receiver DeSean Jackson is no easy task and the responsibility won't be solely on Thomas, but he will line up often against Jackson. The Giants did a fine job in the first meeting, limiting Jackson to five catches for only 50 yards but he is a big-play waiting to happen on every play.
C Shaun O'Hara. He is expected to return after missing the last six games with a mid-foot sprain and if he does it causes a shift on the offensive line, with Rich Seubert moving from center to left guard, supplanting Kevin Boothe in the starting lineup. O'Hara has battled the Eagles many times before and understands their blitz package but he will need to be sharp right away after missing so much time.
The Bottom Line
The NFC East has been a two-team race for the bulk of the season and this is the game of the season for both teams, with the winner gaining control of the NFC East. The Giants are playing exceptionally well on defense and did a credible job the first time around against Vick. They will need to do at least as well to pick up for an offense that is running the ball exceptionally well but not exactly getting very strong play from Eli Manning. The potential loss of Steve Smith and Mario Manningham is quite costly, as after Hakeem Nicks there isn't much left at receiver. This is a game where the Giants defense will not only have to contain the high-scoring Eagles but also set up points for its own offense. The Giants on special team also broke down in coverage against the Vikings, a dangerous deal when kicking the ball to LeSean Jackson. The 5-2 this season in their new stadium, not bad but also not the domination they hoped for.
Pick: Eagles 24, Giants 13
For Sporting News
Hurting again. The Giants welcomed back their two starting receivers, Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith, from injuries but lost two receivers against he Vikings. Smith suffered a strained hamstring and No. 3 receiver Mario Manningham left the game vs. the Vikings with a hip flexor. Once again, the offense is depleted at receiver.
Clinch no cinch. The Eagles know if they can escape New Meadowlands Stadium with a victory it all but assures them of winning the NFC East title. Beating the Giants on Sunday would give the Eagles a two-game sweep of the season series, essentially giving the Eagles a two-game lead with two games to play.
Hold the ball. The Giants turned the ball over five times in their 27-17 loss to the Eagles in Philadelphia, wasting chances on offense because of very sloppy play. A fumble lost by Ahmad Bradshaw led to his removal from the starting lineup. The Giants lately have been better at holding onto the ball but lapsing against the Eagles aggressive defense will be deadly.
Eagles Keys For Success
LB Jamar Chaney. The loss of Stewart Bradley to a dislocated elbow for at least two weeks puts a hole in the middle of the Eagles defense. Bradley is a force in stopping the run and he will be missed. Chaney is a rookie from Mississippi State who will have to take a crash-course this week to get ready for the 1-2 running punch of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw.
RT Winston Justice. He sat out the victory in Dallas with a knee injury but could make it back this week. If so, there to greet him will be Giants DE Justin Tuck, who was able to sack Michael Vick three times in the first meeting earlier this season. Tuck is a relentless pursuer of the ball, has 81/2 sacks and Justice must be active on every play to slow him down.
RB LeSean McCoy. The key play in the Eagles' victory over the Giants back on Nov. 21 was McCoy bursting free on a third-and-1 play from midfield that turned into a 50-yard touchdown run. McCoy finished with 111 rushing yards on only 14 carries against a run defense that last weekend completely held Adrian Peterson of the Vikings in check, with 14 carries for only 26 yards.
Giants Keys For Success
QB Eli Manning. The Giants are on a three-game winning streak but Manning certainly isn't on any sort of roll. He threw two more interceptions last week against the Vikings to raise his season total to 19 and he misfired on several makeable throws. Manning in the first meeting with the Eagles, a 27-17 loss, threw three interceptions, two going to CB Asante Samuel.
CB Terrell Thomas. Dealing with speed receiver DeSean Jackson is no easy task and the responsibility won't be solely on Thomas, but he will line up often against Jackson. The Giants did a fine job in the first meeting, limiting Jackson to five catches for only 50 yards but he is a big-play waiting to happen on every play.
C Shaun O'Hara. He is expected to return after missing the last six games with a mid-foot sprain and if he does it causes a shift on the offensive line, with Rich Seubert moving from center to left guard, supplanting Kevin Boothe in the starting lineup. O'Hara has battled the Eagles many times before and understands their blitz package but he will need to be sharp right away after missing so much time.
The Bottom Line
The NFC East has been a two-team race for the bulk of the season and this is the game of the season for both teams, with the winner gaining control of the NFC East. The Giants are playing exceptionally well on defense and did a credible job the first time around against Vick. They will need to do at least as well to pick up for an offense that is running the ball exceptionally well but not exactly getting very strong play from Eli Manning. The potential loss of Steve Smith and Mario Manningham is quite costly, as after Hakeem Nicks there isn't much left at receiver. This is a game where the Giants defense will not only have to contain the high-scoring Eagles but also set up points for its own offense. The Giants on special team also broke down in coverage against the Vikings, a dangerous deal when kicking the ball to LeSean Jackson. The 5-2 this season in their new stadium, not bad but also not the domination they hoped for.
Pick: Eagles 24, Giants 13
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