New York Giants - Philadelphia Eagles Week 7 Preview

A house of horrors.

That’s what a road trip to Lincoln Financial Field, aka the “Linc,” has been for the Giants the last six seasons.

Want to know what hurts? Save for a 27-0 shutout on national television (the game in which Victor Cruz suffered that horrific knee injury) and 27-7 blowout in 2015, the games have otherwise been close, as in six points or less.

So here we are again. The Giants are on their way to Philadelphia this time on a short work week but with a little momentum behind them after coming off a narrow win over the Washington Football Team.

They have a young, bold head coach who got his earliest start to life in the Philadelphia area, and, believe it or not, the Giants have something to play for thanks to the quality of football in the NFC East.

That's right, a win over the Eagles will move them to second place, just behind the Cowboys (2-4), who will hold a half-game advantage thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Wild times, right? Anyway, here’s a quick look at the Eagles and a game that you can tell Judge, the kid from the Philadelphia area, is just itching to win.

The Injury Situation

It’s hard to remember the Eagles being this banged up for a Giants game in a long, long while.

How bad is it? The Eagles will be without running back Miles Sanders (knee), tight end Zach Ertz (ankle), defensive tackle Malik Jackson (knee), receiver Alshon Jeffery (foot), safety K'von Wallace (shoulder) and tackle Jack Driscoll (ankle).

Meanwhile, cornerback Avonte Madox (ankle), linebacker Duke Riley (rib), tackle Lane Johnson (ankle), safety Marcus Epps (rib), and receiver DeSean Jackson (hamstring) will try to get through the game with their respective injuries.

But don’t try to sell the Giants on the fact that the Eagles roster right now is, to put it kindly, nothing like the one they probably intended to play with at the start of the season.

“This year, we have a lot of injuries as well. That’s this year, it’s been next man up in the secondary, it’s been next man up with Saquon Barkley. We’re dealing with injuries; every team is around the league,” said an unsympathetic Logan Ryan.

Still, the question was raised regarding how the players approach preparing for a team that is so banged up and has so many new faces, especially on a quick turnaround.

The short answer is that the Giants can lean heavily on the Eagles schemes and tendencies as part of their preparations. Judge told reporters that they began looking at the Eagles back in the off-season, while the players wasted little time after their win Sunday getting started on the finer points, namely the potential matchups.

“We have to see who they have coming in and see if what their skill set is. Players do what they do well, and coaches want to utilize players to the best of their ability,” Ryan said.

“We just have to run our play and execute our play versus their play. May the best play win and may the best fundamentals win.”

Beware of the “Slash” Players

Coaches love skill position players who are versatile, and the Eagles have a couple of guys who have that versatility that the Giants need to keep an eye on for special plays.

One is receiver Hakeem Butler, a receiver/tight end who gives the Eagles some additional versatility. At Iowa State, Butler lined up mostly at receiver, recording 2,149 yards on 110 receptions and 18 touchdowns.

When he came out of college, his 6’6”, 219-pound size intrigued enough for the Eagles to consider him for some tight end duties.

Butler has yet to record a catch for the Eagles this year, but with both Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert not expected to play, he could end up seeing a few targets.

Thus far, the tight end position hasn’t hurt the Giants too much this season—they’ve allowed opposing tight ends 186 yards on 16 receptions with one touchdown, that coming last week to Washington’s Logan Thomas.

Then there is the matter of Jalen Hurts, the Eagles backup quarterback whom Ryan views as a Taysom Hill (Saints) type of player.

“He’s just another little thing that we have to prepare for. We don’t know how they can use him. His packages seem to advance from week to week,” Ryan said.

“We just have to be fundamentally sound when he comes into the game. He’s a dangerous skill player.”

Hurts has seen his snaps grow from the start of the season, going from three in Weeks 2 and 3 to as many as seven last week.

According to PFF, Hurts has lined up two times in the backfield, two times in the slot, and four times split out wide.

According to Ryan, when it comes to the Eagles’ potential dual threats, the bottom line is to line ‘em up and let the chips fall where they may.

“We just have to run our play and execute our play versus their play. May the best play win and may the best fundamentals win,” he said.

Evan Engram, Come On Down!

To say it’s been a quiet season for tight end Evan Engram would be an understatement.

Many people thought Engram, who through six games, has caught 20 out of 33 pass target (60.6%) for just 177 yards might finally reach his full potential in Jason Garrett’s offensive scheme, but that just hasn’t happened yet.

Part of that has been on Engram himself as his route running at times hasn’t been as sharp as the coaches probably want to see.

But another factor that needs to be considered is Engram’s surgically repaired foot. He was deemed healthy enough to play, but considering how late he had his foot surgery last year (in December) and the ensuing rehab schedule, it certainly is fair to wonder if Engram is all the way back from that injury.

He’s averaging 8.9 yards after the catch, and according to NextGen Stats, he’s averaging 5.1 targeted air yards, which would suggest the Giants aren’t taking full advantage of his deep speed. Is it the scheme, or is it the foot? Both Engram and the Giants won’t say, but it’s certainly food for thought.

What’s also food for thought is the production opposing tight ends have had against the Eagles this year.

Opposing tight ends have caught 28 of 34 pass attempts thrown their way for 300 yards and five touchdowns in six games, including a three-scoring affair to Tyler Higbee of the Rams back in Week 2.

Exploiting the Eagles Edges

It remains to be seen how the Eagles revamped offensive line (a unit revamped due to injuries) holds up. Still, it’s worth noting that Philadelphia has been particularly vulnerable on the edges this season.

According to NFL Savant, teams are averaging 5.91 yards on rushes to the right end and 4.22 yards on runs to the left end. This is mainly due to a lack of speed and discipline by the EAgles linebackers at the second level in stopping these runs.

Last week the Giants, who are averaging 3.38 yards on rushes off the left and right ends, had some success with Engram running an end-around. Might Engram see another end-around this week?

Giants Final Injury Report

Receiver C.J. Board (concussion) and defensive back Adrian Colbert (shoulder) are out for the Giants. Cornerback Darnay Holmes (neck) is questionable.

Receiver Darius Slayton (foot) is not on the final injury report, so he's good to go.

The Giants have until 4 PM ET decide receiver Sterling Shepard, whose 21-day window to return from injured reserve opened Thursday.

LockedOn Giants Podcast: Giants-Eagles Crossover Show

Check out the latest LockedOn Giants podcast for a deeper dive into the Eagles' shortcomings and challenges, as presented by LockedOn Eagles cohost Gino Cammilleri.

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