Countdown to Kickoff: Giants vs. Eagles Round 3
The Giants hope the third time is the charm. The Eagles are intent on keeping the status quo.
The two NFC East rivals will meet for the third time in just over 40 days Saturday night, this time in the divisional round playoffs with seasons on the line.
Philadelphia (14-3, No. 1 seed) swept the Giants (10-7-1, No. 6) in the regular season, a 48-22 rout at MetLife Stadium on Dec. 11, and a 22-16 win in Week 18 at Lincoln Financial Field when the Eagles were running a scaled-back offense just doing enough to win and New York was intent on its next step, a potential upset of flawed Minnesota in the wild-card round, something that came to fruition.
The Eagles have dominated the Giants in recent seasons, winning 11 of the past 13 games in the series but this New York team appears on the rise with an excellent rookie head coach in Brian Daboll plus two solid coordinators in Mike Kafka, a former Eagles backup quarterback, and Wink Martindale, a third-down specialist when it comes to affecting the QB.
Philadelphia, though, has its own impressive staff and a significant advantage when it comes to personnel.
The Eagles believe All-Pro signal caller Jalen Hurts is ready to get back to normal after a sprained throwing shoulder limited him over the last month, while star right tackle Lane Johnson is prepared to fight through a torn core muscle.
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COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF
5...PLAYERS TO WATCH
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts - The shrinkwrap is set to come off for Hurts, who has been nursed since suffering his shoulder injury in Chicago on Dec. 18. The Eagles’ offense will return to the zone-read mechanics that make it so difficult to stop, and Hurts will be given the green light to pull the football and threaten the back side. That doesn’t mean that the QB will not be playing through some pain, however.
Eagles DB Chauncey Gardner-Johnson - Maybe the biggest bright spot in the Week 18 win over the Giants was the return of Gardner-Johnson to the lineup and the proof that he’s completely healthy from the lacerated kidney that cost him five games.
With no Avonte Maddox (toe) in the lineup, Gardner-Johnson is also key because of his ability to toggle between safety in the base defense while moving to slot cornerback in the nickel defense.
Giants QB Daniel Jones - Jones played perhaps his best game as a pro against a poor Vikings defense and comes in with confidence. Despite playing similar schemes, however, the Eagles’ defense is far more accomplished than the one Jones exploited against Minnesota. The last time Jones saw Philadelphia he was running for his life, not significant gains.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley - The Giants' supremely talented back will need a big game running the football and catching it out of the backfield if New York has plans on making this a game.
Giants DT Dexter Lawrence - Lawrence is coming off a game-wrecking performance against a weak Vikings’ interior offensive line and now must deal with the impressive trio of Jason Kelce, Landon Dickerson, and Isaac Seumalo inside for the Eagles. No nose tackle in football can collapse the pocket like the 6-foot-4, 345-pound Lawrence and when Kelce does struggle, it’s usually against bigger bodies.
4...KEY MATCHUPS
The tropes - It’s it really hard to beat a team three times in one season? The numbers say otherwise, but a division rival's familiarity tends to create tighter games. The Eagles’ talent level should be able to throw any conventional mode of thinking out the window but only if they pack their A-game.
Giants’ Saquon Barkley vs. Eagles’ T.J. Edwards/Kyzir White - The Giants aren’t an explosive team other than Barkley, who can hit the home run at any time. Disciplined play by the linebackers coupled with sure tackling will be a necessity.
Giants’ Dexter Lawrence vs. Eagles’ Jason Kelce - Nose tackles typically aren’t game-wreckers but Lawrence was in Minnesota, generating seven pressures from the interior. Kelce, a first-team All-Pro, is obviously a much tougher test but when the future Hall of Famer does struggle, it’s against bigger bodies.
Eagles' Jalen Hurts and Lane Johnson vs. pain tolerance - There’s a misconception in the NFL that when players are not on the injury report they’re a full-go and that’s correct from a playing-time standpoint but it doesn’t mean they are not fighting through some things. Both Hurts and Johnson will be playing through pain.
3...THINGS TO KNOW
-In 6 games against No. 1 seeds since the playoff restructuring in 1990, the Giants are a perfect 6-0. That 6-game win streak vs. No. 1 seeds is the longest by any franchise since the NFL began seeding playoff teams in 1975.
-This is only the third time that the Eagles and Giants have met in the postseason. New York beat Philadelphia, 27-21, in December of 1981 and the Eagles won 23-20 on Jan. 7, 2007.
-The Eagles are the first team in NFL history to secure two No. 1 seeds over a five-year span with different head coach/quarterback combinations. (Doug Pederson with Carson Wentz/Nick Foles and Nick Sirianni with Jalen Hurts).
2...X-FACTORS
For the Giants: WR Isiah Hodgins - Since being claimed off waivers from Buffalo, Hodgins has developed into a more-than-competent option for Jones and has scored TDs in five of his last six games.
For the Eagles: RB Boston Scott - Scott against the Giants has almost become an urban legend. Of his 17 career TDs, 10 of them have come against New York and the Eagles have begun almost trolling the Giants by game-planning to get him in the end zone. When Scott scores it typically means New York’s will has been broken.
1...PREDICTIONS
John McMullen (14-3, 5-12 vs. the spread) - While New York deserves credit for beating a 13-win Minnesota team, the reward for that is a third consecutive road game against a team that laps them in talent.
The path to victory for the Giants can be traced back toward the Eagles' only loss this season with Jalen Hurts as the starter: turnovers coupled with poor situational work by Philadelphia when it comes to third downs, along with a massive time of possession advantage that keeps the Philadelphia offense on the sidelines.
That path is narrow, however. Even with Hurts and Lane Johnson at less than 100%, the Eagles will cruise into the NFC Championship Game and await either San Francisco or Dallas.
EAGLES 31, GIANTS 14
Ed Kracz (14-3. 9-8 vs. the spread) - The Giants played well last week coming out of their bye - OK, it wasn't technically a bye, but they didn't play any starters - now it's the Eagles turn to come flying out of the bye, and I think they will.
The Giants won't go away quietly, however.
EAGLES 24, GIANTS 20
--John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7” and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
