The road to victory: How the Eagles will beat the Giants
24 September 2017 Eagles News
It almost that time Eagles fans, the home opener is just a few hours away. A division rival is in town and they are hungry to get their first win of the season. With that being said, here are two things that the Eagles need to do to ensure a victory in the home opener.
1. Harass Eli Manning (Defense)
So far this season, the Giants offense has been stagnant and awful, mostly due to their terrible offensive line play. Eli Manning has scored just one touchdown this season and has shown everything from struggles to mental lapses. He has been under constant pressure and has been sacked eight times already.
If the Eagles are able to generate pressure, the Giants offense will not be able to do anything. Their running game is almost non-existent and so far, their “stacked” receiving corps has not been able to do much as a result of their offensive line’s struggles. Luckily for the Eagles and unluckily for the Giants, the Eagles defensive line has caused havoc in the first two weeks, racking up eight sacks. Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Timmy Jernigan and Vinny Curry are set to feast today and if they do, they will control this game.
2. Run the ball (Offense)
Last week versus the Detroit Lions, the Giants gave up over 100 yards on the ground and the week before, they gave up over 100 yards to the Dallas Cowboys. Right now, they have shown no signs of stopping the run. The Eagles have a plethora of different running backs they can use against the Giants. Expect the Eagles to use their different running backs to their advantage versus the Giants. Knowing that the Giants offense is struggling, the Eagles need to use their run game to their advantage to not only run down the clock but keep the Giants offense off the field and off a rhythm. This season, the Eagles have not had a running back run for over 100 yards and today it might be the day for that.
I went back and looked at Pederson's first 18 games in the NFL, his rushing attempts per game, and what that meant for the #Eagles record: pic.twitter.com/BVSDPwa6wD
— EROCK (@TheMightyEROCK) September 19, 2017
The Eagles have the most success when they stick to the run. With that being said, expect the Eagles to have over 25 carries today, which when you look at their history, only good things come out of that.
Many are calling this a trap game, but in reality, this game is nothing more than an NFC East rivalry game. In the NFC East, it does not matter what your record is, anyone can beat anyone. However, the Eagles are the better team right now and if they control the line on both fronts this game will be a very easy one.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Matt Rourke