Big Blue View
The 1-4 New York Giants face a quick turnaround in Week 6 as they host the 4-1 Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium for a Thursday Night Football showdown in the NFC East. The Giants enter as 7.5-point home underdogs, with the Over/Under set at 40.5 points.
Philadelphia is coming off a tough Week 5 loss, blowing a 17-3 lead at home against Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos, who scored 18 unanswered to hand the Eagles their first defeat of the season. Prior to that, the Eagles notched victories over the Buccaneers, Rams, Chiefs, and Cowboys.
The Eagles have dominated the Giants since the 2016 season, with a 14-4 overall record. That includes a crushing 38-7 win over the Giants in the 2022 Divisional Round playoffs. At least we can hang our hats on all four of those Giants wins coming in East Rutherford, N.J. — small victories!
Despite the record, the Eagles have found themselves marred with offensive frustration, as Saints’ current head coach, Kellen Moore, appears surely missed. New offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has drawn the ire of star wide receiver, A.J. Brown, who was held to less than 50 yards in all but one game (Rams). Wide receiver DeVonta Smith has also voiced his displeasure with the Eagles’ passing attack.
The defense, however, is still coordinated by one of the best in the game, Vic Fangio. Jaxson Dart will have the unfortunate task of facing Fangio and an impressive, explosive, young defense.
Philadelphia ranks 16th in points scored around the NFL; their defense averages 21.8 points surrendered per game. The Giants, for reference, is 22nd with an average of 25.4 points allowed. The Eagles rank 21st in the league in yards allowed, with an average of 338.2 yards surrendered per game.
However, Philadelphia has the third-best red zone scoring percentage in the NFL; the Eagles allow a touchdown on 42.8% of opponent red zone trips. Philadelphia allows 211.4 passing yards per game, which ranks 15th in the league. They allow 126.8 rushing yards per game, ranking 21st in the NFL.
Philadelphia has blitzed at a 20.5% rate, which ranks in the middle of the pack. They have earned pressure on just 15.9% of their pass rushes, which ranks 22nd in the league. Philadelphia has only allowed six passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns. The Eagles also blocked multiple kicks this season, two against the Rams; one came in the final seconds of the game and resulted in the Eagles’ defeat of the Los Angeles Rams.
Vic Fangio’s influence on the NFL is undeniable. He’s laid deep roots that continue to shape modern defensive football. Brandon Staley, Ed Donatell, Sean Desai, and Joe Barry all originate from the Fangio tree. So what does Vic Fangio do defensively?
Fangio’s typical defensive scheme is a lot of quarters/palms — a lot of match principles. He typically relied on a lot of two-read and two-high safety shells to force the checkdown...
