They Might Be Giants

Posted: January 15th, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on They Might Be Giants

We don’t have to wait for the Dallas-Tampa game to know the Eagles opponent for next week. The Giants upset the Vikings today and their reward will be a second trip to The Linc.

Some might see this as favorable to the Eagles. That’s hard to say, with Tampa being so mediocre this year and the Cowboys being so erratic. The Eagles blew out the Giants in mid-Decbember 48-22, but the Giants are 3-1 since then when playing their starters. They picked the right time of the year to peak.

The Eagles are the better team and will be favored to win. They won the first game by 26 points and were up 19-0 in the second meeting before letting the Giants back in the game. This will be the third meeting of the season. Does that give the Giants an advantage?

It seems harder because it feels less likely to happen. On the flip side, the Eagles have never done it.

The week of rest probably did the Eagles a world of good. They needed a chance to heal and recover. They had played 11 straight weeks prior to this. NFL bodies take a beating even when there aren’t big injuries. A week off can be huge.

Jalen Hurts was sore after the regular season finale. He did practice last week.

The coaches are trying to be smart with how much they use him. They know what he can do so there is no reason to put extra strain on that shoulder.

Lane Johnson was on the field last week. He might still be a game away, but it is encouraging to see him out there trying to do something.

Jack Driscoll has been effective in his place, but Johnson is the best RT in the league. He makes a difference, in the run and pass game.

Josh Sweat practiced last week and said he’ll be ready for the playoffs. It will be good to have him back on the field. Sweat had a breakout year, finishing second to Haason Reddick in sacks and QB hits. Sweat did lead the team in TFLs (15). He is a difference-maker.

The Giants went up to Minnesota and won 31-24. They were the better team. There weren’t any lucky breaks. No fluke plays. The Giants out-gained the Vikings 431 to 332. They had more sacks. Daniel Jones had more rushing yards than the whole Vikings team. The Giants held Justin Jefferson to 47 receiving yards. Giants WR Darius Slayton had that many on a single play.

Before you think I’m delusionally pumping up the Giants, this says as much about the Vikings as anything. They went 13-4, but were a fraud all year long. They won close games, with a ton of little things going their way. That can make for a fun regular season, but it catches up to you in the playoffs. Today was their first loss in a one-score game all year (11-1).

Vikings supporters (fans and media) told us they knew how to win in close games and were a clutch team. There is some truth to that, but they also needed a lot of favorable circumstances. Today that luck ran out. Saquon Barkley ran over it. Daniel Jones ran by it. Dexter Lawrence crushed it.

The Giants will have a much tougher task next week. The Eagles are a better team than the Vikings. Jones was only hit four times. The whole Vikings defense seemed invisible. Take away kneel-downs and the Giants averaged 6.8 yards per play. The Giants were 7 for 13 on third downs, 2 for 2 on fourth downs and 3 for 4 in the red zone. Yikes. What in the name of the Purple People Eaters was going on out there?

With Jefferson doubled almost every play, there were chances for the other receivers, but they only totaled 70 yards. The Vikings were just 4 of 10 on third downs. And with the game on the line, Kirk Cousins did this.

The Giants can feel really good about winning this game, but next week will be a lot tougher for them. The Eagles are a complete team. They are more physical than the Vikings.

Get ready for Round 3.

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