Follow the playoff game between the Giants and the Eagles starting at 8 p.m. with Blitz’s pre-game show on RDS and on the RDS.ca.
It’s hard to ask for a better second-round duel than a match between the Giants de New York and the Philadelphia Eagles. On one side, the sixth team drafted against the favorites of the National Association. The Giants, underdog football champions of the 2000s against the Eagles, one of the favorite teams for the top honors since the first week of activity.
Mission “break the party” for the Giants. And breaking up the party is something the Giants have done repeatedly and convincingly since restructuring the NFL playoffs in 1990. The Giants have gone 6-0 ever since against the favorites. of one of the two associations. Just mention the names of David Tyree or Mario Manningham to supporters of the New England Patriots to measure the extent of the breaking of the New York party.
On the other hand, New York does not have in its ranks the enigmatic Eli Manning and the threatening defensive line which terrorized the quarterbacks in 2007 and 2011. To surprise the Eagles, it is especially the ground game of Saquon Barkley et daniel jones which should make the difference. If the Eagles have one weakness to exploit on defense, it’s their ground game defense. Don’t think that’s a weakness in itself, but at 4.4 yards per rush at running backs, the Eagles find themselves midway through the league. Against the quarterbacks, this is where it hurts for the Eagles who find themselves 31st with 6.5 yards allowed per carry. With one of the best running backs in Barkley and one of the most mobile quarterbacks in Jones, New York could do well by enforcing their running game.
But how do you curb a threatening ground game? By mastering aerial play and forcing Jones to become one-dimensional. Good news for Eagles fans, Philadelphia led the league with 70 sacks, 15 more than the second team. Despite two good weeks in a row from Jones, the challenge will be much greater when the Fletcher Cox, Jarvon Hargrave, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, Speaking of Reddick and company will put pressure on him. We know that Jones isn’t really used to responding well to constant pressure. If Jones is forced to react quickly, the aerial game may take a turn for the worse, much to Barkley’s dismay.
Another solution to erase the ground game from the game plan, score a lot of points and quickly. With the third-best offense in points per game against the 17th-best defense in points allowed, Philly could slip into the game if Jalen Hurts regains his form from the start of the season, he who has slowed down since his injury.
In another David vs. Goliath-like duel, the Giants have often had the upper hand, but this time is the monster too big for the underdogs?
Prediction: No magic this time, Eagles win 31-17.
