Giants Preview

The Eagles (3-6) are coming into Giants Stadium (I refuse to call it anything else) coming off two straight bad loses, the 2nd of which a devastating loss to a putrid Cardinals team in their own building.  The Giants (6-3) are coming off a tough but well played loss in San Francisco.  No Vick.  No Maclin.  I expect the Giants to keep Webster locked on Jackson with some help from Phillips over the top on passing downs.  The Eagles should be trying to get the ball into McCoy's hands 30+ times, either on the ground or through the air.  Andy Reid will probably not want to put the fate of the game on Vince Young's shoulders.  I'm interested to see what the Giants will get out of rookie linebacker Mark Herzlich.  The man has overcome more than most in his life and to see him get his first start on defense is really special.  If Prince plays, the Giants will be able to keep Rolle at safety on 3 receiver sets which the Eagles will run McCoy from often.  Rolle might even just act like a spy on McCoy the entire game.  Rolle has impressed, especially over the last couple weeks, playing sideline to sideline.  I really have no idea what to expect from VY.  The Giants should hit him hard and often.  They can force him into a lot of mistakes but we really don't know how much he'll run.  That could be a potential issue if he runs a lot.  Bottom line is if the Giants execute, they will be able to control the Eagles.

Offensively, the Giants will be without Bradshaw for a 3rd straight week.  Everyone else is playing.  The Eagles will most likely double Nicks leaving single coverage on Manningham and Cruz for most of the game.  Cruz has showed he can get separation and this game should be more of the same as the Eagles are without Rodgers-Cromartie.  I can see Eli utilizing Ballard more than last week to expose the Eagles linebackers.  Regarding Jacobs, who knows at this point.  He could go for 80+ or under 30.  If he can actually catch the ball out of the backfield, he could even have a big day.  Eli will throw a lot, especially if the running game continues to struggle. After it's all said and done, I believe the Giants will come out on top with Eli orchestrating a couple late drives to put the game away.  Final score in the 31-17 range.