How great are the 11-1 Eagles? Just ask the Giants
Philadelphia Eagles' Jalen Hurts scores a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Credit: AP/Matt Rourke
Perhaps coach Nick Sirianni should have banned his Eagles from reading anything coming out of Giants camp this week. Call it reverse bulletin-board material.
Even by the standards of facing an 11-1 opponent, the Giants’ gushing about Philadelphia has been extraordinary.
Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale said, “I was telling the defensive staff, ‘I know they’re not going to play the Pro Bowl this year, but they’re playing it in Philly, because they’re talented across the board.’ ”
And he was merely talking about the offense, which ranks No. 3 in the NFL in yards per game. The defense ranks No. 2 in yards allowed.
“All phases of the ball — especially on defense — every single level, they’re talented with Pro Bowl-caliber players, to be honest,” Saquon Barkley said.
The Giants are 1-3-1 in their past five games and are a half-game ahead of the fourth-place Commanders in the NFC East, so they obviously could use a victory on Sunday. But they also know that win or lose against the Eagles, the playoff mathematics dictate that next Sunday’s game against Washington is even more important.
So an upset of the Eagles would be great for the Giants, but being competitive and staying healthy would not be the worst of consolation prizes.
The injury situation has improved somewhat during the past two weeks, but key defensive players Leonard Williams, Adoree’ Jackson and Xavier McKinney are either doubtful or out, and on offense, Barkley is questionable with a neck injury.
There is no margin for error for a team that lacked depth to start the season and has seen key players fall left and right. But the NFL schedule dictates that the game be played regardless.
The Eagles have been led by an MVP-caliber season from quarterback Jalen Hurts, who has 20 touchdown passes, three interceptions and a season passer rating of 108.3.
Hurts played for Giants coach Brian Daboll when both were at Alabama.
“I haven’t been around him in the NFL, but I know the type of individual he is,” Daboll said. “He’s all about improvement. He’s all about consistency. He keeps the main thing the main thing.
“I have a great amount of respect for him as a person and he has certainly improved each year. You watch him each game, he’s got a great mindset — he doesn’t let adversity get in his way, which is hard to do sometimes.”
Said Martindale, “He’s really worked on his throwing mechanics, his footwork, and it’s paying off for him. The same way it did for [Kansas City’s] Patrick Mahomes.
“If you go back and look at those comparisons, it’s very similar. He is a triple threat.”
Hurts has plenty of talent around him, including receivers A.J. Brown (61 catches for 950 yards, nine touchdowns) and DeVonta Smith (61 catches, 711 yards, four touchdowns).
Miles Sanders has rushed for 924 yards and nine touchdowns, and Hurts has run for 609 yards and nine touchdowns.
The Eagles’ defense features one of the NFL’s best cornerback tandems in former Giant James Bradberry and Darius Slay, each of whom has three interceptions.
Defensive end Brandon Graham, who has 5 ½ sacks this season, is in his 13th NFL season. He was drafted in 2010, the same year as Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, who was a quarterback at Northwestern.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Brandon, and he’s still playing at a really high level,” Kafka said. “It’s great to see him playing. That whole front seven, they do a phenomenal job.”
Who in Philadelphia doesn’t these days?
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
