The No. 1-seeded Eagles are internet hosting the No. 6-seeded Giants on Saturday within the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
To the predictions:
Reuben Frank (13-4)
It’s pure to really feel skittish about this sport. We simply noticed the Giants play their finest sport of the yr, on the highway, in opposition to a 13-win Vikings workforce. We simply noticed their younger quarterback trend a masterpiece in his playoff debut. We simply noticed their rookie coach lead his workforce to its first postseason win in a decade. But dealing with an nearly fully wholesome Eagles workforce that went 14-1 below Jalen Hurts and is enjoying at residence and is rested after a bye week is a wholly completely different factor. The Giants scored 31 factors in opposition to the Vikings’ Thirty first-ranked protection. If they rating 31 on the Eagles’ No. 2-ranked protection, extra energy to them. But I don’t suppose they will. I count on Jalen Hurts to be near 100%, and with a wholesome Hurts the Eagles are only a higher workforce than the Giants throughout the board. Hats off to Daboll and the job he’s completed this yr, nevertheless it ends on the Linc.
Eagles 27, Giants 20
Dave Zangaro (13-4)
The Eagles are higher than the Giants. They simply are. I perceive that the Giants regarded good final week in opposition to the paper tiger Vikings and provides them credit score. But the Eagles had a extra spectacular weekend sitting on their sofa. They earned that No. 1 seed and let’s be actual: If they wanted to play the Seahawks final week because the No. 2 seed, they might have smashed them. Brian Daboll clearly has the Giants pointed in the appropriate course however the Giants’ expertise simply doesn’t match up.
We’ve seen a pair completely different variations of that Giants protection this season however I’ve confidence the Eagles will have the ability to dissect both. If the Giants need to be aggressive and blitz Jalen Hurts, then Hurts will beat them with 1-on-1 mismatches with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and now have the power to scamper away from strain. If Wink Martindale desires to do what he did final week in opposition to the Vikings, then Dallas Goedert goes to have an enormous sport like T.J. Hockenson did within the wild card round.
And when the Eagles are on protection, the Giants simply don’t have sufficient firepower. Saquon Barkley appears to be like wholesome, Daniel Jones has gotten higher they usually have a good trio of receivers. But it’s going to take an ideal sport for the Giants to beat the Eagles. Sure, it’s attainable. But so long as the Eagles don’t beat themselves, they’ll be internet hosting the NFC Championship Game subsequent weekend.
Eagles 33, Giants 24
Barrett Brooks (13-4)
It’s time to cease speaking about what the Giants have completed this yr. I respect head coach Brian Daboll and what he has completed producing wins with the extent of expertise he possesses. I’m bored with all of the hoopla the Giants have acquired from beating a mean Vikings workforce. Offensively, the Giants have a extremely good working again in Saquon Barkley. He appears to be like just like the rookie again that was so explosive. Daniel Jones has additionally taken over the offense, that means it’s not Saquon left and Saquon proper. Daboll is trusting Jones’ arm and his skill to open up the passing sport. Jones is now beginning to use his legs and scramble extra. In my opinion, Mike Kafka is telling his QB that if the primary learn isn’t there, pull the ball down and run.
DC Don ‘Wink’ Martindale is a blitzer by nature. When I watched the Vikings movie, Wink did not ship the blitz as a lot. In saying that, I can not see Wink blitzing Jalen Hurts, since you should run man-to-man. When you play that fashion, the DBs backs are rotated, which permits Hurts to scramble for extra yards. I additionally see the working sport of the Eagles being a potent weapon in opposition to the unhealthy run protection of the Giants.
Eagles 32 Giants 18
Mike Mulhern (14-3)
The Giants will combat, they’ll pull out all of the stops, however they simply merely received’t have sufficient to beat the Eagles. The nationwide and New York media appear determined for any semblance of success from both of the groups in East Rutherford, however pump the brakes on the 2007 Giants Super Bowl comparisons. It’d be like anticipating the Eagles to hoist the Lombardi Trophy each time the backup quarterback is available in simply because Nick Foles was magical in 2017. Yet, successful three of your final 9 video games, together with a win over the fraudulent Vikings now by some means equates to the Giants being “on a roll.”
Yes, Daniel Jones regarded nice every week in the past, however Minnesota’s protection is likely one of the worst within the league. He ought to have diced them up. In reality, he had simply completed so in Week 16, albeit to a lot much less fanfare. The Eagles go rush is on a special stage. They have two elite corners on the again finish. Keep Jones contained within the pocket, and it’ll be a protracted day for him.
Brian Daboll has constructed nice tradition in New York, however so has Nick Sirianni right here in Philly. His Eagles can be laser-focused, beginning with Jalen Hurts and his therapeutic shoulder. The Birds quarterback handled detractors after final yr’s ugly playoff exit to the Buccaneers. On Saturday he’ll present simply how far he’s come. I count on an MVP-level efficiency which has turn into the norm for him this season. The Giants will probably deliver lot of strain, which ought to result in loads of alternatives for A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith down the sector. Plus, Dallas Goedert noticed how little resistance the Giants posed to T.J. Hockenson final week and advised our John Clark that he requested for extra performs this week because of this. He may very well be in line for an enormous day himself. The Eagles transfer one step nearer to Arizona.
Eagles 34, Giants 20
Adam Hermann (15-2)
If you listened to some soccer analysts this week, they advised you the Giants are hitting their stride on the proper time and Daniel Jones has turn into a dependable, borderline elite QB.
Let’s be actual.
The Giants have received 4 video games for the reason that begin of November. They beat the Texans (3-13-1), they beat the Commanders (8-8-1), they beat the Colts (4-12-1), and final week they beat probably the most fraudulent 13-4 workforce in NFL historical past.
This is a superbly acceptable-to-good soccer workforce, one with youth and upside and one that’s completely enjoying higher soccer than I assumed attainable this season. Hats off to Brian Daboll, Saquon Barkley, and Daniel Jones.
But the Eagles are beating this workforce by a number of scores this weekend.
Here’s why.
1. The Giants cannot cease the run. They rank Thirty first in rush yards per try allowed, twenty seventh in whole rush yards allowed, twentieth in speeding touchdowns allowed. The Eagles are the most effective speeding groups within the NFL, significantly when Jalen Hurts is wholesome and allowed to play his full sport. The final time these two groups met the Birds put up 253 speeding yards. I’ve no purpose to count on something completely different this time round.
2. The Giants cannot cease good tight ends. Guys like T.J. Hockenson, Dalton Schultz, and Evan Engram completely abused New York’s protection this yr: Hockenson caught 23 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns in two outings. Yeesh. Dallas Goedert solely noticed motion in opposition to the Giants as soon as, in a hamstrung model of the Eagles’ offense, and caught six passes for 46 yards. I count on Goedert to be closely concerned on Saturday in quite a few other ways – and good luck placing the clamps on Goedert when your secondary is combating for its life in opposition to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
3. The Giants’ offense does not scare me. There’s no query that Barkley is a harmful weapon and that Jones has found out tips on how to cease turning the ball over at an absurdly excessive price. But you are telling me I ought to sweat Richie James and Darius Slayton when the Eagles have the most effective cornerback duos within the NFL and C.J. Gardner-Johnson is again from harm? OK. The solely factor I fear about is Jones’ legs beating the Eagles time and again. But in case your largest menace in a playoff sport on the Linc is Daniel Jones on the run, I’ll take these odds.
You can have all of the questions on the earth about Hurts’ shoulder, and Lane Johnson’s adductor, and bye week rust. The Eagles are a superior workforce. We noticed it in Week 14 when the Eagles almost hung a 50-burger on the G-Men, and we’ll see it once more this weekend.
Give me a red-hot first half and a double-digit margin of victory.
Eagles 34, Giants 23
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