Eagles/Giants preview

With the exception of the Cowboys game, the biggest game at the Linc each year is when the Giants come to town, except this year, the Giants game just might be a little bit bigger.

This year, the Giants come to town at 7-1, while the Eagles sit lurking at 5-3. The only problem for each team is that their records might be a little bloated, especially the Giants.

I know that the haters of this blog are going to say that I’m biased and just ripping on the Giants because I’m an Eagles fan, but which of their seven wins is the most impressive? Is it the Steelers game, in which Willie Parker was hurt? Is it the Cowboys game sans Tony Romo? What about the overtime struggle with the Bengals? The only marginally impressive win was the 16-7 victory over the Redskins, but in that game, neither team looked like they knew the preseason was over.

Clearly, a team can only beat the teams that appear on their schedule, and the Giants certainly have done that in the first eight games of the season, but now comes the tough part of their schedule, and that starts in Philadelphia on Sunday night! For the Giants, there are no easy games the rest of the way, as the Vikings, at 4-4 are the weakest team remaining on their schedule.

But, obviously, the most important game in the Giants’ stretch run is the first one, and it is going to be a good ol’ fashioned slobberknocker!

Both of these teams can score, both can force turnovers, and both certainly can put the opposing quarterback in a world of hurt.

For Eagles, the key will be stopping, or at least slowing down, the Giants’ rushing attack, as Brandon Jacobs’ 680 rushing yards are more than Brian Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter combined. But, sadly for Jim Johnson’s defense, Jacobs isn’t a lonely man in that backfield, as Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw have contributed an additional 604 yards, and each member of the trio averages more than five yards per carry.

If the Eagles’ defense can step up and slow down the Giants’ backfield trifecta, it will force Eli Manning to win the game, and I’ll take my chances with Asante Samuel, Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown…as long as Brown isn’t covering Plaxico Burress.

On offense, it seems obvious, but the Eagles have to protect Donovan McNabb from the Giants’ blitzing defense, which has registered 30 sacks in its first eight games. To do that, the Eagles have to stay balanced, and that includes throwing a few screen passes into the game plan to help counter that blitz. Once the blitz is neutralized by the screen game, it will give Donovan McNabb time to attack the Giants’ secondary, which is the most vulnerable part of the team.

Prediction: On Friday afternoon’s Coffee with Kahuna on WBCB 1490, I said the Eagles would win 23-20, and I’m sticking with it. For the record, the Kahuna predicts a 24-17 victory for the Birds.