PREVIEW – Week 7: Divisional Game 1 for Eagles @ New York Giants
Seven weeks into the season, the Eagles are 3-2, good enough for second in the NFC East and ninth in the NFC.
It might not be the perfect situation, but there are still 11 weeks of football to watch.
With the Saints falling to 2-5 tonight, the Eagles can make another NFC team 2-5 on Sunday.
The New York Giants
While Sunday will be the Eagles’ first divisional matchup, the Giants have already stacked up losses against the Commanders (21-18) and Cowboys (20-15). Not that the Giants were expected to be fighting for a top seed in the NFC, but dropping their first two divisional games wouldn’t help.
PHOTO: Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images
Averaging only 16 points per game, the Giants offense has struggled with and without Rookie WR Malik Nabers. They scored a season-high 29 without Nabers against Seattle and struggled to put up more than 7 against the Bengals.
The good news is that the Giant’s defense gives up an average of 20.16 points per game.
Falling to 2-4 on the season was the least of the Giants’ woes, with an inconsistent level of play rivaling the Eagles. Much like in Philly, the Giants’ injury report was stacking up, too.
Injuries In The Trenches
Both of these teams have thrived off their lines. The Eagles, relying on the high level of play of the offensive line, will be without Jordan Mailata. I wonder if Milton Williams and Jalen Carter will be available for Sunday’s game.
And on the blue sideline, the Giants have an even worse problem. It was announced on Wednesday that Andrew Thomas would miss the rest of the season with a Lisfranc injury, and on the other side of the ball, with 26 combined Sacks, the Giants defensive line has carried the weight of their success. However, with Kayvon Thibodeaux on IR for the next few weeks. The list goes on, as both Dexter Lawrence AND Brian Burns have yet to practice at this point in the week.
How Will The Offense Fare?
With injuries on both lines for BOTH teams, running backs could make or break the game for either team. The Eagles know what they have and can get out of Saquon Barkley. If Fred Johnson can continue to play successfully as the Eagles LT for the next few weeks, the offense might continue to run smoothly in an offense that has only had its two-star receivers for 2 games of the season.
Averaging 21.2 points a game this season doesn’t paint as clear a picture of an offense that still hunts for the big play and refuses to take points when they matter. A wounded Giants team provides a perfect chance to get the offense back in full swing and hopefully see a high-scoring team like we did in Brazil.
There are multiple reunions at MetLife this weekend. Mekhi Becton’s return to his former home stadium, Saquon’s return to play his former team and now divisional rival.
PHOTO: Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images
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