NFL Game of the Week: Giants vs. Eagles
The NFC East has been one of the most surprising divisions in football. All four teams within the division have a record above .500 and all but one are currently sitting in a playoff spot.
This week two dreaded rivals meet in the meadowlands trying to set themselves apart in a tight division race.
The Eagles and the Giants have both blown away expectations, but which squad can prove themselves legit with a divisional win in December.
Eagles Perspective:
Mac Young
Metlife Stadium has not been kind to Jalen Hurts so far in his career. In his one trip to the meadowlands last season, Hurts threw a shocking three interceptions and completed less than 50% of his passes.
It was a dismal offensive display for the Birds who put up just seven points in a 13-7 loss to the Giants last year. Only Giant killer Boston Scott found pay dirt.
Needless to say, this is a much different Eagles team in comparison to last year. Philadelphia is third in total offense and second in points per game.
Jalen Hurts is having a breakout season with 2,940 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns to just three interceptions, 609 rushing yards and 9 rushing touchdowns.
The Eagles are on a three game winning streak, but divisional games are no joke. Both teams learned this hard lesson against the Washington Commanders. The Eagles lone loss on the season came at the hands of Washington and the Giants tied with D.C. last week.
Despite struggling in East Rutherford the last couple of seasons, the Eagles should be able to pull this one out with the way they have been playing lately, just don’t expect them to win by more than a touchdown.
Final score prediction: Eagles 27-24 Giants
Giants Perspective:
Jakob Schnur
After a shocking 6-1 start to the season, the Giants have faltered as of late, winning just one of their last five games and even tied the Commanders their last time out.
Still winless in the division in Week 14, something has to change fast for the Giants as they are just barely holding on to a playoff spot.
Over the course of the last 10 years, the Giants have struggled against the Eagles, amassing just five wins compared to 14 losses.
However, in their last two meetings in Metlife, the Giants came away victorious, beating Philly 27-17 in 2020 and 13-7 just last season.
In recent weeks, the New York pass rush has come alive with Dexter Lawrence continuing his stellar season, Kayvon Thibodeaux showing why he was taken fifth overall in the draft and Azeez Ojulari coming back off Injured Reserve, but the key for this team against Philadelphia will be the run defense.
The Giants have been one of the worst teams stopping the run this season, allowing opponents to rush for 5.1 yards per attempt and 141.1 yards per game. On the other end, the Eagles boast one of the best rushing offenses in the league, averaging 154.6 yards per game on the ground.
With Leonard Williams questionable with a neck injury this week, New York will need all hands on deck against Jalen Hurts and Miles Sanders with big impacts needed from the offensive side as well as track meets haven’t been favorable for the Giants this season.
Final score prediction: Eagles 27-13 Giants
Historically, the Giants and Eagles are one of the best rivalries in all of football and with both teams having their best seasons in years, this game could be the first taste of what’s to come for the next handful of seasons.
Maclain Young is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email macyoung21@gmail.com.
Jakob Schnur is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jks6463@psu.edu
About the Contributors
Jakob Schnur
Second-Year / Broadcast Journalism
Jakob Schnur is a third-year from Long Island, New York majoring in broadcast journalism at Penn State. He is a writer and broadcaster for the sports department for CommRadio. He has written articles regarding various sports and leagues including the NFL, NBA, MLB and more. He has also been an analyst and hosted multiple live talk shows. His broadcast career has consisted of calling soccer, hockey, volleyball, basketball and softball on CommRadio while also calling games for Big Ten Plus. If you’d like to contact him, you can email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or follow him on Twitter @JakobSchnur56.
Mac Young
Second Year / Broadcast Journalism
Maclain Young is a third-year student from Ocean City, New Jersey majoring in broadcast journalism at Penn State. He writes articles weekly for CommRadio’s sports department ranging across all five major sports. Maclain also contributes with play-by-play coverage, beat writes, board ops, and has even helped new members by producing State High Calls. Maclain usually goes by “Mac” and enjoys writing about the Philadelphia sports teams, which he follows vigorously. To contact him, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
