After losing to the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in Week 6, the Philadelphia Eagles will be out for revenge as they host the G-Men at Lincoln Financial Field this Sunday.
In order to preview this Week 8 NFC East matchup, I reached out to our enemies over at Big Blue View. The excellent Ed Valentine kindly took the time took the time to answer my questions about this upcoming battle. Let’s take a look at the answers.
[For my answers to Ed’s questions about the Eagles, check out BBV.]
I honestly don’t know what to expect. I don’t think the energy from Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo will change and as unbelievable as this is from a Giants perspective I don’t worry about the offense that much. I do worry about the defense. The Denver game was the second late-game and final drive meltdown during which a key DC Shane Bowen call was questioned. I just wonder if the players are actually fully bought in with Bowen, even though they will say they are.
2 – 33 points allowed in the fourth quarter is clearly a rough look for the Giants’ defense. What are the issues with that unit?
Well, that 33-point meltdown included:
— A questionable late defensive call by Bowen
— Horrible pass defense, mostly by Tae Banks and Dry Phillips
— Awful penalties by Phillips and Kayvon Thibodeaux
— Probably a half dozen missed tackles, if not more
— A few blown assignments
Does that about sum it up? The biggest issue is the secondary isn’t very good, especially if safety Jevon Holland and cornerback Paulson Adobe (both with knee issues coming out of the Denver game) can’t play.
3 – Jaxson Dart has been playing well … but he’s a bit reckless as a runner. To what extent is there concern that that could catch up with him?
Oh, there is concern. No doubt. I think the Denver game was the first time in his four starts that he didn’t have to undergo a concussion check. And he did twist an ankle when he slipped. The kid is going to get hurt one of these days. Then again, everybody gets hurt at some point. The Giants are feeding off the throw caution to the wind attitude and his willingness to sell out to make a play.
4 – I’ve noticed you’ve mentioned the Giants could be both buyers and sellers before the trade deadline. Who should they ship out and who should they acquire?
Well, what they could really use is a wide receiver. Wan’Dale Robinson is their No. 1 guy. He’s having a fantastic year, best of his four-year career, but he is still a 5-8 slot guy with the shortest arms in the league and you can’t expect him to go out and win 50-50 balls in 1-on-1 matchups. You have to scheme to get him the ball. They have to give their rookie quarterback the best chance to succeed, and if they can find a receiver who is more than a rental they should try to do that.
As for selling, if anyone out there wants guys like Evan Neal, Deonte Banks, Russell Wilson or Jalin Hyatt the Giants should happily accept whatever draft capital they can get in return. There are a lot of people who think they should trade Kayvon Thibodeaux. I am not in fovor of that, unless the return is substantial.
5 – Who wins this game and why? With the Eagles currently listed as 7-point home favorites, do you like New York to cover the spread?
The Eagles win the game. Look, the Giants whipped the Eagles the last time and I’m certain that got Philly’s attention. I am not greedy and there is no chance I pick the Giants win this game. Sure, I think there is a world in which they do win. But, to expect it? No. As for the spread, the Giants have put 10 touchdowns on the Eagles and Broncos — two really good defenses — the last two weeks. So, that’s possible. I honestly need to see if Holland, Adebo, Brian Burns (who left the Denver game in a walking boot) and Darius Slayton, who has missed two games with a hamstring injury, is available before I bet money on the spread one way or the other.
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