Joe Soriano
O.J. Lewis2011 Week 11 Preview: Eagles and Giants
November 16th 2011 17:33
There is no way to understate the meaning of this game for the Philadelphia Eagles, because they have come off of a horrid performance against a poor Cardinals team. The Giants, on the other hand, lost to fellow NFC division leaders the San Francisco 49ers. This is an important rivalry matchup for both teams, and it's time to see whether or not the Eagles can right the ship.
In the Giants most recent loss, the key culprit was some of the worst offensive line play in a single game all season. Eli was constantly on the run, yet he still had a completion percentage of about 70% on such throws. It was Eli alone who kept the Giants in this game, because most other quarterbacks in this league wouldn't be able to make the throws he did; especially in the face of pressure. Although he isn't known for his ability to run with the football, the younger Manning is more than capable of evading the grasp of frustrated defenders who are looking for a sack.
I expect the Eagles defensive line to demolish a significantly weaker unit opposing them in the trenches, and I could see everybody on their line having a good day. The only Giant who is a capable starter on the line is right tackle Kareem McKenzie. He is a very good tackle who is among the best in the league at run blocking, but he has struggled this season in pass protection.
It is simply known fact that the Eagles run defense is beyond poor. Even if Ahmad Bradshaw does not play, I could still see Brandon Jacobs pounding the ball and slashing the Eagles defense. Since the Eagles utilize a Wide-9 with their defensive line, this puts a lot of strain on their linebacker corpse to make plays. Although Brian Rolle has emerged as a solid rookie linebacker, I am really not a fan of Moise Fokou.
The most interesting matchup to watch for will be the Giants receivers vs. the Eagles secondary. Even though the Eagles secondary hasn't played well this year, there is no denying their talent. I don't have high hopes for DRC right now, but Nnamdi is far too talented to keep this up. Asante Samuel has actually been playing well this season, and that was on display last week. My biggest problem is that their safeties are suspect in coverage, and it will be up to the receivers to present themselves as vertical threats (which they will) and force these lesser safeties to bracket them. Yeah, I'm pretty psyched to watch how this matchup ends out.
There's no denying that Michael Vick hasn't been as electrifying as he was last season, but Vick actually did play well early on in the season. However, it almost seems as if he is reverting to his former less-effective self. Last week, he was running instead of reseting the play far too often, and that didn't bode too well for the Eagles passing attack.
Another thing that I want to point out is that his receivers have been less effective this season. People are finally starting to see the light, as more and more people are starting to side with me in the Jeremy Maclin vs. DeSean Jackson debate. D-Jax has been poor this season, and tight end Brent Celek has been even worse. Maclin has been carrying the receiving corps this season, along with some solid help from Jason Avant. The Giants have about an average secondary, and that's pretty much thanks to cornerback Corey Webster. Again, the pass offense versus pass defense component should be an interesting battle to watch.
The Eagles offensive line has really come round this year, but they will probably be beaten by one of the most skilled defensive lines in the NFL. I don't need to heap praise upon this unit, because everybody knows how dangerous they can be to an offense's rhythm. If they can get consistent pressure on Vick, this passing offense could get in some trouble if Vick keeps reverting to old habits.
LeSean McCoy should be able to do well against an underwhelming group of linebackers, despite the presence of two solid safeties in run support. McCoy is simply rolling this season, and he should be in for another good game against the Giants. He is their most important player on offense right now, and I would like to see the Eagles give the rock to McCoy.
This is obviously going to be a tough matchup, but I believe in the Giants more than I believe the Eagles. They really haven't shown any week-to-week consistency, and the Giants also have the homefield advantage (if that means anything). I trust that Eli Manning will make some big plays and give the G-Men a win this week.
In the Giants most recent loss, the key culprit was some of the worst offensive line play in a single game all season. Eli was constantly on the run, yet he still had a completion percentage of about 70% on such throws. It was Eli alone who kept the Giants in this game, because most other quarterbacks in this league wouldn't be able to make the throws he did; especially in the face of pressure. Although he isn't known for his ability to run with the football, the younger Manning is more than capable of evading the grasp of frustrated defenders who are looking for a sack.
I expect the Eagles defensive line to demolish a significantly weaker unit opposing them in the trenches, and I could see everybody on their line having a good day. The only Giant who is a capable starter on the line is right tackle Kareem McKenzie. He is a very good tackle who is among the best in the league at run blocking, but he has struggled this season in pass protection.
It is simply known fact that the Eagles run defense is beyond poor. Even if Ahmad Bradshaw does not play, I could still see Brandon Jacobs pounding the ball and slashing the Eagles defense. Since the Eagles utilize a Wide-9 with their defensive line, this puts a lot of strain on their linebacker corpse to make plays. Although Brian Rolle has emerged as a solid rookie linebacker, I am really not a fan of Moise Fokou.
The most interesting matchup to watch for will be the Giants receivers vs. the Eagles secondary. Even though the Eagles secondary hasn't played well this year, there is no denying their talent. I don't have high hopes for DRC right now, but Nnamdi is far too talented to keep this up. Asante Samuel has actually been playing well this season, and that was on display last week. My biggest problem is that their safeties are suspect in coverage, and it will be up to the receivers to present themselves as vertical threats (which they will) and force these lesser safeties to bracket them. Yeah, I'm pretty psyched to watch how this matchup ends out.
There's no denying that Michael Vick hasn't been as electrifying as he was last season, but Vick actually did play well early on in the season. However, it almost seems as if he is reverting to his former less-effective self. Last week, he was running instead of reseting the play far too often, and that didn't bode too well for the Eagles passing attack.
Another thing that I want to point out is that his receivers have been less effective this season. People are finally starting to see the light, as more and more people are starting to side with me in the Jeremy Maclin vs. DeSean Jackson debate. D-Jax has been poor this season, and tight end Brent Celek has been even worse. Maclin has been carrying the receiving corps this season, along with some solid help from Jason Avant. The Giants have about an average secondary, and that's pretty much thanks to cornerback Corey Webster. Again, the pass offense versus pass defense component should be an interesting battle to watch.
The Eagles offensive line has really come round this year, but they will probably be beaten by one of the most skilled defensive lines in the NFL. I don't need to heap praise upon this unit, because everybody knows how dangerous they can be to an offense's rhythm. If they can get consistent pressure on Vick, this passing offense could get in some trouble if Vick keeps reverting to old habits.
LeSean McCoy should be able to do well against an underwhelming group of linebackers, despite the presence of two solid safeties in run support. McCoy is simply rolling this season, and he should be in for another good game against the Giants. He is their most important player on offense right now, and I would like to see the Eagles give the rock to McCoy.
This is obviously going to be a tough matchup, but I believe in the Giants more than I believe the Eagles. They really haven't shown any week-to-week consistency, and the Giants also have the homefield advantage (if that means anything). I trust that Eli Manning will make some big plays and give the G-Men a win this week.
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