New York Giants Week 18: Updated Look at Philadelphia Eagles’ Offense

If the scene that unfolded inside MetLife Stadium Sunday set the stage for the New York Giants’ momentous accomplishment of their 2022 season, the team has reached its ultimate dress rehearsal.

In Week 17, the Giants held their final homestand of the regular season in front of their rejuvenated fanbase, welcoming the beleaguered Indianapolis Colts to East Rutherford with a trip to the NFL postseason on the line. From start to finish, Big Blue looked like a team lightyears ahead of an injured and frankly benign Colts’ roster, thrashing them behind four total touchdowns by Daniel Jones to the tune of a 38-10 routing and a joyous celebration as time expired.

That celebration, you ask? Well, nothing more than the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2016. On such a historic afternoon, the Giants would give their greatest display of complimentary football in a season that has demanded the contributions of all 53 to succeed. It started with the heroics from the pocket and then spread to the flashy playmaking of the defensive unit down the unforgettable stretch.

Along with the aforementioned touchdowns, Jones added credence to his future with the Giants organization by completing 19 of his 24 passes for 177 yards (7.4 average) and a 125.3 passer rating, his second-best mark this fall. The quarterback also tallied 91 yards rushing, including two 18 and 10-yard darts that became scores on the ground, and his second contest with two rushing touchdowns.

While the remainder of New York’s rushing endeavors came from a combined 117 yards by Saquon Barkley and Matt Brieda, the team’s scoring prowess was better assisted by the receiving efforts. Richie James highlighted the group with his four receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown, but his work would be paired with Isaiah Hodgins’ who also collected four catches and a score of his own.

Then, on the defensive front, the Giants added insult to Indianapolis’ injuries by making life hell for quarterback Nick Foles and company. The veteran gunslinger was picked off in the first half by Landon Collins, who returned it 52 yards to the house in his second stint with the team. In the second, players like Dexter Lawrence feasted on the Colts’ weakened interior for more sacks to hold them to 25% in third-down efficiency.

The result of it all was a thrilling performance that got the Giants’ faithful standing up from their seats in applause for the first time in a while. In a season where prognosticators barely expected the team to scrape three or four wins in year one of a rebuild, the Brian Daboll-led Giants are back in the dance with a great opportunity to once again shock the world with their unmatched resiliency.

However, before the postseason kicks off in two weeks, the Giants still have one more regular season content to attend to. One that will serve as a rematch and their last chance to build more confidence heading into their Wild Card matchup. That opponent—a revisit to the league’s best Philadelphia Eagles (13-3).

The last time the long-hated rivals met up in Week 14, things didn’t end very pretty for the hosting Giants. Playing against one of the best offenses in the league in both phases, the Eagles, led by phenom quarterback Jalen Hurts, who had 21 completions for 217 yards and three total touchdowns, put their enemy to rest quickly with seven different scores and 470 yards of total offense. Defensively, the pocket was a mess for New York as the quarterbacks got sacked seven times. The result was a 48-22 routing in MetLife Stadium that exposed the organization for its inexperience.

With the NFC East division foes rejoining at Lincoln Financial Field this Sunday for the season finale, the Giants will look to avenge their humiliating performance by competing with another championship-caliber franchise and ending their losing streak in Philadelphia that has dated back to the 2013 season. Their latest matchup will mark the 180th game (including four postseason games) going back to 1933, with the Eagles holding a slim 90-87-2 advantage in the all-time series. The home Eagles have dominated the meetings, taking 15 of the last 20 contests with New York, whose last victory came in November 2021 during a 13-7 affair.

Since three weeks ago, very little has changed with Philadelphia’s offensive makeup, but the productional impacts of the few absences have been noticeable. First, the MVP candidate in Hurts has been dealing with a sprained SC joint in his shoulder, which forced him to miss the Eagles’ last two games. The birds lost their chance to lock up the NFC’s No. 1 seed with Gardner Minshew, who went 0-2 as the replacement starter with a combined 44 completions for 663 yards and three touchdowns against Dallas and New Orleans.

Hurts is expected to be available for Week 18’s duel with the Giants, and the outcome against the Saints would influence his participation. Having Hurts back even for a somewhat meaningless game would be big for the Eagles’ confidence heading into the postseason, as they are also without All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson who is out with an abdominal tear.

Nevertheless, the Eagles’ offense has posted some of the scariest statistics on that side of the ball throughout their losing stretch. Currently, they rank third in total points (455) and second in total yards (6,272) while accumulating a combined 44 and 755 over the last two weeks and holding the league’s seventh-fewest turnovers.

In the passing attack, Philadelphia’s attempts have dropped to 23rd in the NFL during Minshew’s stint, but they’re among the top 10 in yards (3,898), interceptions (8), and average yards per play (7.2) while standing 12th in total passing touchdowns (25). On the ground, their talented group of ball carriers has kept them in the top 3 for carries (510), yards (2,374), and touchdowns (best with 31) and averaged a resounding 4.7 yards per carry for middle-of-the-league status.

It is uncertain at this moment whether the Giants will run out any of their major offensive players with their playoff fate locked in at the NFC’s sixth spot. By contrast, the Eagles still have something to play for and appear to be bringing their premier cast of weapons for a final practice against New York’s rolling defensive front.

The Giants need to be prepared for another dual-threat offensive assault to come in their direction if they want to avoid being embarrassed again in front of a city that has dominated them for the past decade. After annihilating the Colts’ for their first game with at least 30 points in 43 tries, perhaps the Giants will carry their firepower to leave both fanbases with a lasting offensive shootout heading into the tournament.

Let’s take another inside look at the playmakers and statistics that make up the Philadelphia Eagles offense until we find out.

Quarterback

After two games with backup Gardner Minshew filling in the quarterback duties, the Eagles are reportedly prepared to bring back star signal caller Jalen Hurts for the team’s final contest before their hopeful Super Bowl run.

Hurts has become a rising phenom in Philadelphia following the departures of Carson Wentz and Nick Foles, the latter winning the Eagles their sole NFL title. The third-year player’s rookie campaign was depressed by the depth chart, but since then, he has accumulated 628 completions (62.5%) for 7,677 yards and 44 touchdowns, including two consecutive seasons with 3,000 passing yards. He’s also run amuck for 1,885 yards (5.3 average) and 26 touchdowns, a prowess hailing back to his days at Alabama.

In the 2022 season, the 2020 second-round pick has grossed 286 completions (67.3%) for 3,472 yards, 22 touchdowns, and five interceptions, all career-highs for the 24-year-old. Along with those numbers ranking him in the top 15 of his position, Hurts has also torched teams 358 times for 747 yards (4.8 average) and 13 touchdowns for one of the best-rushing stat lines of any player in the league.

As the Giants learned in Week 14, Hurts’ dual-threat abilities are second to none and are nearly impossible to slow down when he’s fully healthy. With the arsenal of playmakers at his disposal, he’ll almost always find someone to dish the pigskin to. If he can’t, he’ll freely take off with it, frustrating even the best pressure-heavy defenses in his wake.

Coming out of college, Hurts was widely praised for his dual-threat capabilities, strength, toughness, and character. His accurate passing and running exceed that of other dual-threat players like Tim Tebow, yet what makes Hurts similar is his durability inside the pocket, beyond the line of scrimmage, and his poise to make big plays late in a variety of different schemes.

Playing out of the shotgun, Hurts bounces around the pocket with unceasing energy. While waiting for the play to develop, he keeps his internal clock rolling until he steps into his throw with drive and velocity. If pressure starts to crack down on the inside, he will turn on his freakish athleticism and elusive speed to elude the pressure, extend the play toward the boundary, or take it upfield in a direct RPO style.

When he’s not carrying the football on the perimeter, Hurts is one of the best at extending plays and making big connections with moving receivers. His accuracy is at its best with intermediate throws, but the Eagles have helped him develop a deep touch, which he’s used to link with AJ Brown on numerous occasions this year. Hurts can also make short rollout passes on quick crossing route schemes, a weapon the Eagles could implement against the Giants pressure-heavy defense.

In the interior rushing attack, the Eagles love to feature Hurts in the direct snap and RPO game, something he excelled at with the Crimson Tide. He runs the football with good power and leg drive to earn extra yards on the ground, unafraid to carry piles of defenders with him and fall forward on his shoulder pads.

If there is a potential concern about Hurts’ game, it’s his seldom tendency as a decision-maker to break the pocket too early when throws are still to be made behind solid protection. This may result from his lack of desire to climb in the pocket and make a throw, but it often leads to Hurts missing early pass opportunities and being off-schedule with the timing of his receivers.

His rate of turnovers usually comes from taking risks on the harder throws rather than choosing the safe check down, which could cost him against a New York defense with strong-handed cornerbacks.

Running Backs

The Giants defense had difficulty limiting the rushing impact of the Eagles’ backfield in their first battle at MetLife Stadium. Three weeks later, the trio of ball carriers haven’t slowed down and will look to challenge the interior like they’ve done dominantly all season long.

In Week 14, the Giants’ allowed 253 total rushing yards to four Philadelphia rushers in their biggest drubbing of the year, including 77 to Jalen Hurts in the RPO offense. Veteran Miles Sanders led the unit with 144 yards and two touchdowns while the rest of his teammates each punched a score as well. At the end of the game, the Eagles had four rushing touchdowns, one of the highest allowed in a contest in 2022.

Since that performance, the Eagles’ running backs have increased their production to almost 2,400 yards and 31 touchdowns to boast some of the best rankings in the NFL. Averaging a team-high 5.0 yards per rush, the aforementioned Sanders leads the charge with 1,236 yards and 11 endzone visits, his first campaign eclipsing the 1,000-yard marker. After Hurts’ 747 yards on the ground, Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott also contribute 205 and 136 yards, respectively, and the two have combined for six of the team’s touchdowns as late down backs.

However, the player who will get the most burn in the second matchup, and the attention of the Giants’ defense, is Sanders, the fourth-year back from Penn State. Selected in the second round of the 2019 draft by Philadelphia, the 25-year-old is chasing his first 1,500-yard rushing season and has been a consistent producer with at least 60 yards tallied in three of his last five games. The best mark of that time—the 144 yards against the Giants in round one this season.

Having the majority of the Eagles’ snaps to his resume, Sanders will push the football in a mix of both inside and outside zone looks, using his 5’11”, 211-pound frame, downfield instincts, and lateral elusiveness to garner a medium average yards per carry. He has all the talent to shake incoming tacklers and finish the play with pad-level authority, but he can also sit back on third downs and serve as the pass block option with decent hands and strong footwork.

While he had 276 career carries at the college level, Sanders has had no problem touching at least 160 rushes in three of his four seasons in Philadelphia. Off the snap, he runs with a well-defined lower body and hips, turning on his forward lean and square pads once he hits the hole or comes in contact with the defender.

Sanders is one of the most patient running backs in the league, deploying his good vision and quick, instinctive feel to process what is in front of him before finding the ultimate crevice for his carry. If nothing is available at the direct gap, he has the footwork and lateral agility to make a couple of moves and sneak out of the side door for an outside run.

The one problem with the Eagles’ starting back is his average acceleration in the open field. Still, he tries to counteract that with constant balance and elusiveness to create extra yardage for himself. Sanders is the highest-scoring running back on the roster, so expect him to be involved inside the 20-yard line.

Scott and Gainwell are used more on late down, short conversion scenarios, but the two have burn capabilities and can offer speed and athleticism from the passing game. A second-year player out of Memphis, Gainwell has crossed 200 yards rushing and four touchdowns in his two seasons with Philadelphia. Scott, who is never quiet in his appearances against the Giants, has 273 carries for 1,155 yards (4.2 average) and 15 touchdowns to his resume, with his last game at East Rutherford garnering one score.

Wide Receivers

The last preview noted how the organization emphasized its wide receiver position over the previous two off-seasons. Acquiring a couple of talented names via trade and the draft in that span, the team has elevated their unit from mediocre to arguably the best ball-hawking bunch in the entire league.

Facing the Giants three weeks ago, quarterback Jalen Hurts put on a passing clinic en route to the Eagles’ thrashing victory, connecting with nine players, including three with at least four targets. Two of his top producers and those acquisitions—A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith—highlighted the receiving charge with 70 and 64 yards, respectively, and notched two touchdowns. Add in Quez Watkins, and the trio is still a fearsome attack for any defense to manage.

Through 17 weeks, the fourth-year stud in Brown stands tall above the rest of the receivers on the Eagles’ leaderboard. Acquired via trade with the Tennessee Titans during the 2022 draft, the former 2019 second-round pick of the Titans holds 84 receptions for 1,401 yards (16.7 average) and 11 touchdowns, all marks ranking him 13th or better among the active competition. He also has his third season with at least 1,000 yards receiving after earning consecutive runs in 2019 and 2020.

Lining up on the outside with some slot work, the 25-year-old has made it his goal to be the Eagles’ premium-route runner with size, speed, and athleticism that dominates both the intermediate and deep levels of the field.

At the snap, Brown takes off with competitiveness and physical determination, fighting with his hands to ward off press contact and get his route progression going at an increased pace. He excels at selling routes with his feet and hips to deceive opposing corners and uses a variety of sharp cuts to set the stem and break off for a spacious catch in the short-range or vertical depth.

The Ole Miss alum is also very instinctive in the open field in that he knows when a play could develop on the other side of the field, kicking on the secondary jets to unearth a new route and get to his quarterback’s throwing lane. If a defender stays on his tail, Brown does a good job of plucking catches away from his body and shielding the pigskin from combat swings looking to pry it loose.

When Brown is deployed for the vertical game, his baseball outfielder background and elite hand-eye coordination skills help him track down the football while remaining upright to earn meaningful yards after the catch. The receiver has some elusiveness to slip a tackle or two but will often embrace the contact and drag it within for important conversions or endzone scores.

Behind Brown in the Eagles’ receiving race is the second-year player in Smith. Selected 10th overall by the franchise in 2020 out of Alabama, Smith is compiling his career-best outing with Philadelphia and has accumulated 88 receptions for 1,129 yards (12.8 average) and seven touchdowns. He currently stands 11th in the first category and an improved ninth place in yardage production.

Compared widely to Calvin Ridley, Smith is a thin-bodied receiver with the same speed, elusiveness, and change of direction fluidity to tear up opposing mismatches at all three field levels.

Also playing from the slot or outside receiver position, Smith is a “buttery smooth route runner” who darts into his initial progression with long, loose strides and forward lean to avoid pesky press hands. He’s very urgent with his footwork and breaks, leading to opportunities for comeback routes or instantaneous vertical bursts toward the endzone.

Finally, Watkins is third on the leaderboard after the break-off by tight end Dallas Goedert. A 2020 sixth-round pick out of Southern Miss, the 24-year-old Watkins sits at 31 receptions for 340 yards (11.0 average) and three touchdowns, the second-best campaign of his Philadelphia tenure. He’s not as high-ranking as Brown or Smith but provides the Eagles an extra weapon when the two are locked up well.

Tight Ends

While Grant Calcaterra and Jack Stoll may continue to earn seldom snaps in 12-personnel packages as they have this season, the Philadelphia Eagles have received tight end Dallas Goedert back after a stint on the IR over the past several weeks.

A 25-year-old hailing from South Dakota State, Goedert is in his fifth season with the Eagles, who selected him 49th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Over that span, he’s amassed 242 receptions for 2,951 yards (12.2 average) and 19 touchdowns, earning more than 600 yards and three scores in three campaigns. His average catch has remained consistently in the double digits, meaning he can be a threat at any level of the field he runs through.

After appearing in the team’s first nine games of 2022, Goedert suffered a shoulder injury in the Week 10 loss to Washington and was forced onto the injured reserve list for at least four weeks. He returned to the active roster before Philadelphia’s game with Dallas on Christmas Eve and has remained healthy to fortify the starting tight end spot. In 11 contests this year, the 28-year-old has 49 receptions for 656 yards (13.4 average) and three touchdowns, which is on pace for his second-best outing.

Goedert is a very talented pass-catching tight end with the size, speed, and ball skills needed to work all three levels of his field. Standing at 6’5”, 256 pounds with a basketball background, he can be moved around to different spots on the line or out wide and will use his body control and ball focus to make spectacular catches wherever the ball is placed. Some of the highlight plays of his career have been acrobatic, one-handed grabs that attract the attention of reel makers across the game.

Due to all his assets, the Eagles will look for creative ways to get the ball into Goedert’s hands and score off him. Coming off the line of scrimmage, he runs with a good bend up the field toward his route team and carries strength in his frame to fight through physical press challenges. Once he breaks into his route, he gains solid separation from the defender and can work over the middle for intermediate gains on top of the linebackers.

Goedert can maintain his top-level speed when working the vertical field to track down the catch and carry it to the endzone. At the point of a contested catch, he uses his frame to gain an advantageous positioning and then snatches the ball away from traffic with his huge strong hands that act like bear paws. He can also make in-air adjustments to get the ball into his chest, a further testament to the unusually athletic abilities of a player of his position.

If there’s one weakness to his game, it’s the fact that Goedert is not a route “salesman.” He tends to make his route clear, rarely relying on head and body fakes to create his separation. That’s where his upper body tools come in, which the tight end has had faith in throughout his precessional tenure.

In addition to these intangibles, Goedert has been a combo-blocking tight end on certain reps within 11- and 12-personnel schemes. There were questions about his ability to block against more explosive pros coming out of college, but all those doubts have since been put to rest. Goedert looks strong at the point of attack and displays good technique, including striking with a good pad level, knee bend, hand placement, and balance to hang in against more rugged rushers off the edge.

Offensive Line

When the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense takes the field for their second match with the New York Giants, their stoic front will be without one of its best and longest-tenured members at the most important time for the franchise.

A little over a week ago, tenth-year offensive tackle Lane Johnson suffered a torn abdomen, an ailment that will require surgery and likely keep him out the remainder of the Eagles' season. A 2013 first-round pick by the team, Johnson’s presence will be missed, given he was one of the best pass protectors at his position last year with zero sacks allowed and an 83.0 overall blocking grade.

In his collection of snaps this season, Johnson has been one of the crispest blockers at the right tackle spot, succumbing to zero sacks and hits with just nine pressures in 16 games. His 99.1% efficiency rating is the best mark on the Eagles starting line, which has helped him increase his run-blocking efforts by 77.3 grade for his third-best outing in the past five seasons.

The good news for Philadelphia is the rest of the offensive line will remain intact to offer elite protection for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles backfield, a group of incumbents tallying 27 seasons of NFL experience. In 2021, they became so comfortable and consistent in the organization’s new system under head coach Nick Sirianni that they entered the fall ranked No. 1 on Pro Football Focus’ offensive link projections.

At the left tackle position, fifth-year player Jordan Mailata returns for his third consecutive season, holding the starting spot. A 25-year-old and former seventh-round pick by the Eagles, Mailata has had to overcome heavy adversity in his years with Philadelphia, including criticism for his rugby background and not playing a single snap in his first two campaigns.

With class and incredible development in his role, the Sydney, Australia native rose from practice squad prospect to the league’s third-highest graded offensive tackle in 2021. Entering this season, he ranked 18th in his position and has continued to improve his craft, working alongside fellow linemen Landon Dickerson. In 951 total snaps, Mailata has allowed six sacks and earned seven penalties but has kept the pocket fairly clean of extra hits on Hurts.

Dickerson is also playing as the Eagles starting left guard in his second season. A second-round pick by the organization in 2021, the Alabama product was thrown into the fire during his rookie campaign with the center position locked up. Still, he grew quickly into the Philadelphia scheme and appeared in 13 serviceable games.

Besides the Eagles benefiting from his tag-team comfortability with Mailata, they like Dickerson for the extra pass-blocking prowess he gives to the left side of the line. While he has been penalty prone in his 1,023 snaps at guard, the 24-year-old holds a 74.9 pass-blocking grade on Pro Football Focus by only allowing one sack, three hits, and 18 pressures on the season. Dickerson’s run blocking is more suspect, but he still stands in the middle of the pack for his overall protection.

At the center position, twelve-year veteran Jason Kelce remains the trusted snapper for Hurts. Hailing from Cincinnati as Philadelphia’s sixth-round pick in 2011, the 35-year-old and five-time Pro Bowler has been the symbol of consistency and fortitude on the front line, one that looks to mentor the younger players before his potential retirement at the end of the season.

Kelce is one of the best centers in the game in overall blocking metrics, posting a whopping 99% efficiency rating in over 1,000 snaps as the team’s starting option. In 16 games this year, he’s yet to give up a sack or backfield hit, which has guaranteed his quarterback more time than needed to get the ball out cleanly. Expect the run game to move behind him as well, as Kelce has an 89.5 run-blocking grade for his second-best number in the last five seasons.

Moving over to Kelce’s right side, seventh-year pro Issac Seumalo handles the right guard position. The Oregon State product was a third-round selection of the Eagles in 2016, taking over the starting job after the retirement of predecessor Brandon Brooks and Dickerson landing the left guard role.

Seumalo has provided the Eagles’ offensive line with a solid mix of pass and run blocking for their right-side packages. In 16 contests and 1,062 snaps in 2022, the 29-year-old has posted a 98.2% efficiency rating with just one sack, three hits, and 16 hurries allowed. He can earn some holding penalties here and three, but it’s more likely he secures his gaps cleanly.

With the absence of Johnson this week, the Eagles will hand over the right tackle responsibilities to Jack Driscoll, the third-year player out of Auburn. Taken in the fourth round of the 2020 draft by Philadelphia, Driscoll competed for some roles within the offensive line during training camp but ultimately was relegated to a reserve role as Johnson retained his spot and Dickerson earned the left tackle spot.

The 25-year-old saw his highest dose of action last season when he appeared in 512 total snaps for the Eagles, including 293 as a pass blocker and 219 on the run, and earned a serviceable grade for the former with an efficiency rating of 96.5%. In 2022, Driscoll has played in 281 snaps, with 144 coming in the run game, posting a lesser 92.0% rating with three sacks, two hits, and 13 hurries to his resume.

Driscoll might be the Giants’ point of emphasis, given his lack of reps this year, but the right tackle has comfortability in the Eagles system to help him adjust.

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