By Michael Stewart/@TheTruthNYG
The Giants are now 3-7 and are coming off arguably their worse offensive performance this season that resulted in a 30-10 loss to the Buccaneers and the firing of Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett. The Eagles are 5-6 and are coming off their second biggest offensive output this season with a convincing win over the New Orleans Saints 40-29. In fact, over the last two games the Eagles are averaging 35 points per contest to the Giants 16.5 points in that same span. All is not lost Giant fans as any team can win on any given Sunday; so here are my top 5 ways for the Giants to get back on the winning track:
- Battle in the Trenches: This is really a simple formula and one that has determined many victories for teams throughout NFL history. Win the battle in the trenches and you will most likely win the game. The Eagles offensively are averaging 153.4 yards per game on the ground to the Giants 92.9. On defense, The Eagles have surrendered 116.5 to the Giants 119.7, so the key will be for the Giants to limit the Eagles ground game.
- Keeping Jalen Hurts in the Pocket: Usually teams want to flush the quarterback out of the pocket to disrupt his timing and force him into making unadvised throws. Well, the Giants must keep Hurts in the pocket and allow him to beat them with his arm and not with his legs. Jalen Hurts will never be compared to Aaron Rodgers as a pocket Quarterback; on the other hand, Hurts can be as dangerous as Lamar Jackson outside the pocket and in open space. Perhaps it would be wise to put a spy on Hurts in the same fashion the Giants once did with LT on Randall Cunningham.
- Time of Possession: Another simple formula for success in the NFL is to have your offense on the field for as long as possible. The Giants seem to have not gotten this memo as they have had only one game this season where they won the battle of time of possession. They are currently ranked 29th in T.O.P at 46.81%. The Eagles are not doing much better, but are still better than the Giants at 47.90%, but are trending upward over the last few games.
- Battle of the Turnovers: This stat line is fairly even between these two teams as the Eagles sit at +3 and the Giants at +1. However; the history between these two teams seems to always (or close to it) boil down to turnovers. For many Eagle and Giants fans one of the most memorable turnover in recent history was the “Miracle at the Meadowlands” when the Giants held a 17-12 lead only to fumble the ball while running out the clock and CB Herman Edwards scooped it up for the winning touchdown.
- Missed Opportunities: Missed opportunities will include red zone efficiency and 3rd down conversion for this article. Offensively, the Giants rank dead last in the red zone at 44.44% with the Eagles ranked 6th at 66.67%. Defensively; the Giants hold a 52.38% to the Eagles 64.29%. On 3rd down conversions the Giants are trending near the bottom of the league at 37.30% with the Eagles ranked 4th with a 46.10%. Clearly the overall advantage goes to the Eagles in these improvement categories.
If Charles Dickens was a sports writer; this game would had peaked his interest as he would have titled it “A Tale of Two Cities” The Giants are trending in the downward spiral and the Eagles are soaring over the last few weeks. The Giants organization will honor Michael Strahan and will retire his number (92). The Giants haven’t fared well this season when honoring former Giant greats this season as they hold a 0-2 record currently. In the pre-season I had the Giants winning this game, however; it’s hard to imagine the Giants turning it around within a week and putting forth a solid effort with a win against this Eagles team that has everything going their way recently and currently sit a half a game back in the wild card for the final two spots. As always, this game will have tons of emotion and will be very physical with both teams having opportunities, however; in the end the trend will continue and the Giants will find a way to lose this game. Final Score: Eagles 24/Giants-20.