Big Blue View
The New York Giants Thursday night game against the Philadelphia Eagles marks the beginning of a brutal stretch in a brutal schedule for the Giants.
Over the next 17 days, the Giants will have games against the 4-1 Eagles, 3-2 Denver Broncos, and then another game against the 4-1 Eagles. The Giants, meanwhile, are coming off of a painful collapse against the (formerly winless) New Orleans Saints which saw New York’s play go from dominant to disastrous in the span of a quarter.
That game also saw wide receiver Darius Slayton get knocked out with a hamstring injury, adding to the concerns created by Malik Nabers’ torn ACL. Slayton is not expected to play Thursday night.
That means that if the Giants want a prayer of upsetting the Eagles, their defense will have to lead the way.
The good news is that the Eagles’ offense has been a serious question mark this year. The offensive coaching staff is under fire in Philadelphia, their passing game has only been marginally more effective than the Giants’ and their offensive line has been worse.
So what can the Giants expect from an Eagles’ offense that’s looking for a “get right” game?
This has to be the focus for the Giants in this game. The Giants gave up 320 yards on the ground to the Eagles last year, 269 of which came in the first game against their starters. The Eagles’ passing offense has been a disappointment this year and their offensive line has been a low-key concern for the team.
The good news is that for all that went wrong for the Giants in their collapse against the New Orleans Saints, they defended the run well. The Giants only gave up 88 yards on 30 carries on the ground, a paltry 2.9 yards per carry for a team that had been 10th in carries and 6th in EPA.
The Eagles are, of course, a different beast than the Saints. They’ve taken over the sixth spot in rushing EPA, but at five points higher than the Saints’ previous mark, and are sixth in rushing touchdowns. The Eagles’ level of efficiency in the run game is amazing considering that they’re averaging less than 100 yards per game (99.8, 25th in the NFL), just 3.5 yards per carry (28th), while being tied with the Giants and Broncos for the sixth-most rushing attempts at 142.
The Eagles only ran the ball 11 times against the Denver Broncos, with Saquon Barkley leading the way with 30 yards on six carries (a long of 17). The Eagles held a 17-3 lead going into the 4th quarter. Logic — and team identity — would dictate that they’d lean on the run to close out the game in that situation. Instead, they only ran the ball once in the entire fourth quarter, and twice in the entire second half.
Barkley only getting six carries the entire game is of particular note considering he got a “DNP” in...
