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Giants - Eagles
Game 6 preview
Thursday Oct 9, 8:15 PM - Eagles at Giants

Giants (1-4) Eagles (4-1)
On Sunday the undefeated Eagles seemed to be on the way to their fifth straight victory of the season with a 13-3 lead over the Denver Broncos. The fourth quarter was not their friend, as the Broncos scored 18 unanswered points to finish with a 21-17 win.
The Giants had a winnable game on their hands, holding a 14-3 lead over the New Orleans Saints in the second quarter. Their hands failed them when they turned the ball over on five consecutive drives and the Saints ended up with a 26-14 win.

Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles are the reigning Super Bowl champions, coming off their matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. The Eagles were off to an impressive start, winning their first four games in the season before losing one last week. What hasn't been as impressive to many is how they've come about their wins. Right now they are on top of the NFC East with the best record and that's what matters most if they keep it going.

Philadelphia Eagles Offense
Though the team has done well in the win loss column, the offense hasn't performed in the same fashion many expected to see continued from last year. The Eagles were very strong with a rushing attack led by Saquon Barkley, in conjunction with Jalen Hurts, which had them ranked 2nd in the league, averaging 179 yards a game. There's been a big drop off, as the rushing attack is now 25th, just barely averaging 100 yards a game. Even the Eagles passing offense you figure, would almost have to show improvement from last seasons 29th slot, and it has fallen to 31st. The Eagles are averaging just 162 passing yards a game.
Hurts has been trying to get the ball to A.J. Brown. He's been throwing some deep passes, but the two have not been connecting. Hurts has thrown to Brown 36 times, more than any other receiver, and Brown has pulled in 19, for an average 10.2 yards a catch, the lowest in his career, and has 1 touchdown. Last year Brown missed four games and caught 7 touchdown passes, averaging 16.1 yards a catch.
Barkley finished last season as the NFL Offensive Player of the Year. Picking up a career best 5.8 yards a carry, Barkley rushed for over 2000 yards. After five games, it's down to a 3.2 average for 267 yards, the lowest of his career except for 2002 when he played in only two games..
It doesn't help that their top rated offensive line has been banged up and dealing with some injuries to a few players. Right tackle Lane Johnson injured his shoulder, and had to leave in the game before last, but he managed to start against Denver. Left guard Landon Dickerson tore his meniscus in training camp, and is working through that. Dickerson hurt his ankle on Sunday and was ruled out for this game.

Philadelphia Eagles Defense
Last season this defense was the second best team in keeping points off the board, and they're currently 16th. Rushing defense has slipped from 10th to 22nd. Pass defense from 1st to 15th. They had 41 sacks last year, and edge rusher Josh Sweat was their top sack leader with 8 sacks. Nolan Smith Jr. was the second on the list with 6.5, and Milton Williams had 5. They lost Sweat and Williams in the offseason, and Smith is currently on injured reserve.
In these last five games, the Eagles have come up with 7 sacks. Defensive tackle Moro Ojomo, and linebacker Zack Baun each have two. Ojomo and Jalen Carter have been very good with their pass pressures. Accompanied by Jordan Davis, they can be tough up front, but are slipping on their run defense. That could be good for the Giants running the ball, as they are struggling with their passing game, and the Eagles secondary will be looking to take advantage of that.

Giants Offense
How do you go from scoring a touchdown on your first opening drive, and add another on the second, and go on to lose a game? The Giants offense showed everyone on Sunday how that works. Two punts, and then turn the ball over five consecutive times. One of those turnovers was returned for a touchdown by the Saints, but it didn't matter much at that point. This offense seems to have no answers for losing Malik Nabers with the wide receiver group they have.
Tight end Daniel Bellinger was on top of the numbers, catching all 4 passes for 52 yards. Running back Cam Skattebo was next, then came tight end Theo Johnson, and he had two touchdown catches. That reliable group caught 16 of Jaxson Dart's 18 passes for 130 yards. The wide receivers, Darius Slayton, Wan'Dale Robinson, Beaux Collins, and Jalin Hyatt, pulled in just 9 passes out of 19 for 68 yards, no touchdowns, and had 1 fumble.
They seemed to forget about Bellinger after their first two successful drives. He should be out there more, catching passes along with Johnson. Bellinger is 7 for 7 on the year, and he caught 14 of 17 last year.
Daruis Slayton is out for this game, and they have elevated Lil'Jordan Humphrey from the practice squad. Tyrone Tracy looks to be back in. It will be good if he can hold up and take some of the carries off Skattebo, who's been a real work horse for the running game.

Giants Defense
On Sunday playing against the New Orleans Saints, it seemed that the defensive scheme was not to blitz, and they didn't generate much pressure. The Giants came up with no sacks, though they limited the rushing attack fairly well. If that was the goal it worked, as Saints running backs Kendre Miller and Alvin Kamara came up with 68 rushing yards. Some poor coverage had them giving up an 87-yard touchdown. That one touchdown and four field goals adds up to the 19 points the defense gave up, which is enough for an average NFL team to win a game.
Of course if your offense gives up a turnover touchdown, and scores just 14 points, you lose. The defense can only do what they can do, and there may be some opportunities in this next game.
The Eagles are struggling with their offense, and on Sunday they came up with just 45 yards rushing. Saquon Barkley was barely used in the game, for just six carries. It's common for a team to turn to their ground game when they're holding a late in the game lead to drain the clock. The Eagles had that, but didn't follow the usual plan, and it makes you wonder if there is more to Barkley's knee issue than they let on.
Maybe the Giants won't have to be as concerned with the rushing attack and work more on their pass rush this week. The Eagles offensive line is dealing with health issues, and Jalen Hurts was sacked six times. Of course,
due respect for Hurts ability to take off, they'll have to keep a spotter on him. The upfront mix of Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Dexter Lawrence and Abdul Carter is a good one. The Giants secondary will have to get their act together and not mess up dealing with wide receivers DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, and tight end Dallas Goedert.

Overall
Both these NFC East teams are coming off a loss, but that's about all they have in common. The Eagles are looking to just straighten a few things out. The Giants are striving to put a good game together on both sides of the ball. The Eagles are heavily favored to win this one, but you never know.

NFC East Games
Thursday at 8:15pm Eagles (4-1) at Giants (1-4)
Sunday at 1:00pm Cowboys (2-2-1) at Panthers (2-3)
Monday at 8:15pm Bears (2-2) at Commanders (3-2)
The Eagles, Cowboys and Commanders are the NFC East teams favored to win in these games.
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Next Games
Oct 19 Giants at Broncos
Oct 26 Giants at Philadelphia

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