By Patrick Del Gaone, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
The New York Giants are 2.5-point favorites against the Philadelphia Eagles for Sunday’s divisional battle at MetLife Stadium. Currently, 57 percent of wagers have been made on the Eagles, according to VegasInsider.
With injury reports for Sunday’s contest giving us a better idea of who will suit up, let’s take a look at how these 4-3 rivals stack up.
Giants Offense vs. Eagles Defense
Led by future Hall of Famer Eli Manning, New York’s offense features a trio of polished wideouts, all of whom have the ability to make a game-changing reception on a moment’s notice. Odell Beckham Jr. is the most renowned pass catcher among the crew, accruing 630 yards and three touchdowns on 40 catches through seven games, but he and Manning haven’t had tremendous chemistry in 2016. Manning has 30 incompletions to Beckham alone, meanwhile, his completion percentage rises to a much more efficient 65 percent when targeting Sterling Shepard and Victor Cruz.
Head coach Ben McAdoo has essentially given Manning the keys to the Giants’ offense, and the veteran from Ole Miss has chosen to sling the ball around 65 percent of the time. For perspective, New York’s leading rusher, Shane Vereen, hasn't played since undergoing surgery on his torn triceps in late-September. Rashad Jennings is struggling mightily in the former Patriot’s absence, averaging just 2.7 yards per carry. Almost half way through the season, the Giants are averaging 70 just rushing yards per game (last in NFL).
The most prominent concept in McAdoo’s playbook is the ‘Slant Flat’ route combination. It’s usually designed to quickly get the ball into the hands of Beckham – the outside receiver – on the slant with room to work. The inside receiver runs a simple flair route to the outside, clearing the space for “OBJ” to snag the ball with room to work.
The biggest mismatch in this game will be Eagles’ defensive end Brandon Graham against New York’s right tackle Bobby Hart. Hart has struggled in protection since being called upon to fill in for injured starter Geoff Schwartz, and is probably a tier below what you’d expect from a starting-caliber NFL lineman. Graham has earned the right to be called one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers this season. Look for the former Michigan Wolverine to record at least two sacks lined up across from the decimated Giants’ hog-mollies. Additionally, Philadelphia’s vicious front four should get defensive tackle Bennie Logan back for Sunday’s bout.
Considering the Giants have largely abandoned the run, the Eagles vaunted pass defense (5th in NFL) is likely to feast on the one-dimensional unit on Sunday afternoon.
Eagles Offense vs. Giants Defense
Philly has been outgained by an astronomical 423 yards in their two divisional games this season. While the Eagles’ defense wasn’t impressive in either game, particularly against Washington, Doug Pederson’s offense deserves a majority of the blame for two NFC East losses in which they failed to consistently move the chains.
Carson Wentz should have an easier time completing passes against a Giants’ defense allowing 267 yards per game (22nd in NFL). New York has extreme difficulty creating pressure on the quarterback, which is perhaps the hardest deficiency for a defense to overcome in today’s pass-happy NFL. Moreover, the Giants have a minus-seven turnover ratio this season, due in large part to the fact that Steve Spagnuolo’s defense has secured just one of the five fumbles they’ve forced.
Spagnuolo tries to confuse opposing quarterbacks with misleading pre-snap pressure packages. Against Dallas, New York lined up four potential rushers to the left of quarterback Dak Prescott, but dropped two of the linebackers showing blitz in coverage. Dallas slid protection to the left, which allowed Landon Collins and Darian Thompson a two-on-one matchup with the Cowboys’ back from Prescott’s right. Collins, the first man in, leapt over the woeful cut-block attempt from Lance Dunbar on his way to a quarterback hurry which resulted in an errant pass.
Since the Giants have totaled just nine sacks on the year, Spagnuolo has no choice but to be creative and unafraid to send any of his eleven defenders when designing pressure schemes. Another example of this came against the Ravens. The Giants’ defensive coordinator sent eight men after Joe Flacco on an all-out blitz that left Baltimore’s wideouts unable to separate from man-coverage.
Collins has a Brian Dawkins-esque ability to perfectly time a blitz from the safety spot. Like “Dawk” used to, he’ll creep up, almost hiding behind the bigger linebackers and upright lineman near the line of scrimmage. As the former Crimson Tide defender pokes his head out to see the center given the signal to snap, he wastes no time picking his lane and jetting through – not into – the line of scrimmage.
Matchup to watch: Eagles WR’s vs. Cowboys DB’s
Player of the Game: Brandon Graham
Prediction: Eagles win 27-17
