It's an understatement to say the New York Giants have struggled against the Philadelphia Eagles.
It's been 1,468 days since Big Blue beat the team in green – that's over four years ago – and the Giants have defeated their foes from the southern tip of the Turnpike just one time in their last 13 games. That's one time in 2,574 days, or 3,706,560 minutes, or 61,776 hours, or 367 weeks and five days. That's how long it's been since the Giants edged the Eagles a second time, on October 27, 2013.
With the NFC East what it is – if it were a Marine base it would be called "Camp Dreadful" – the Giants (2-7) are actually in contention with the Eagles (3-4-1) for first place in a division with nine total wins (for perspective, the Pittsburgh Steelers have eight wins).
Pick a motivation for the G-Men: the epic losing streak to a hated opponent, the skeletal nature of the division, actual playoff contention. Then, throw in the fact that Philadelphia's franchise quarterback, Carson Wentz, is hardly earning the four-year, $128 million contract extension he signed in the summer of 2019, having thrown an interception in seven of the team's eight games this year, and fumbled in five of them. Wentz is stalking Daniel Jones as the NFL's top turnover machine.
The Giants have scored a paltry 168 points, while the Eagles have posted 186 points, and both clubs have surrendered many more than that. Both teams have struggled with their running games, largely because of injuries to their best runners. The Eagles have been decimated at wide receiver. We expected the Giants to take a leap with their passing game, particularly between Jones and Darius Slayton, with the rookie QB tossing eight touchdowns to the rookie wideout last year. Yet the Giants still crawl across the field, with points coming at a premium.
The Giants are playing a robust defense, ranked No. 15 in yards allowed per game, an impressive fifth in rushing yards allowed per game (94.8), and 12th in points per game (24.3). That should bode well against an Eagles offense that has played musical chairs at running back and is legitimately starting a second-string line. Lastly, in one of the few game-defining stats, the Giants have an even turnover margin (15 giveaways, 15 takeaways), while the Eagles rank 31st out of 32 teams with a woeful minus-7 turnover ratio. Only the Dallas Cowboys (naturally) are worse.
But more than stats and standings, the Giants need a signature win. They can't be undefeated against Washington and winless against everyone else. Maybe the Eagles, when healthy, have a better roster. But Bill Parcells would remind us that a 3-4-1 team is exactly that. There's no way the Eagles should be as amped up for this game as the Giants, who are not tanking for Trevor, and need to pin a big win on the board.
We've ignored their record and lauded how hard they play for rookie head coach Joe Judge. But the marginal improvements and moral victories lose traction as the losses mount. In a wholly bizarre year and surreal football season, the Giants can virtually tie the Eagles by beating them for the first time in a long time, finally cheer something at home without any home fans to cheer for them.
Follow Jason Keidel on Twitter: @JasonKeidel
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