The Sunday slate of football games couldn't have ended with a more enticing fixture than the Giants taking on the Eagles. These two NFC East foes have been going back and forth in recent seasons and, though the Giants have had the success come January, Philadelphia always makes things interesting.
This game was no different as the two played out another nail biter that came down to one successful late field goal and another that sailed wide left. The Giants had a chance to snatch the game on the road, but an offensive pass interference call on their final drive backed them up, ultimately making the field goal attempt a tough one from distance.
With neither team able to consistently generate much offense the game was always going to come down to which was able to mount a scoring drive at the right time. Ultimately that was the Eagles this time.
New York – Three Performances of Note
Stout Inside
It is the defensive ends for the Giants that usually get all of the ink when their defense is looked at, but in this game it was the big bodies inside that were exceptional. DTs Rocky Bernard (+4.6) and Linval Joseph (+2.3) were a force, especially against the run, all game long. Bernard was far too much for the Eagles' replacement center to handle, and Joseph was a handful for anybody he went up against.
Evan Mathis has long been someone PFF has championed, and he is without question one of the league’s best guards, but I have never seen a player give him as many issues upon first contact as Joseph did in this game. The Giants defensive tackle was regularly able to generate instant movement before Mathis could readjust and regain control of the block, and there aren’t many players in the NFL that can move Mathis upon contact.
Webster’s Quality Nothing but a Memory
Remember when Corey Webster (-1.8) was a legitimate quality cornerback? I ask because it’s getting to the stage where I don’t! In 2008 he was PFF’s No. 2 ranked CB in the NFL, and comfortably the best graded corner in coverage terms, ahead of a young Darrelle Revis, and a seemingly invincible Nnamdi Asomugha. Since then his decline has been dramatic and he has now allowed 336 receiving yards over the first quarter of the season. That’s putting him on pace for a ridiculous 1,344 yards allowed by the end of the season. In this game he was thrown at seven times, and allowed five receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown.
The touchdown was a particularly ugly mistake as Webster entirely lost track of his receiver when he went to look for the ball. Just as he turned to look for it his man made his break outside, leaving Webster to meander towards the end zone wondering why the ball he was tracking wasn’t really heading anywhere near him. At what point do the Giants give up hope that he will ever return to the kind of form we once saw from him?
Receiving Options Without Nicks
The Giants were always going to miss the physical presence of Hakeem Nicks from this game, but they got some able play from Victor Cruz (+2.5) and Domenik Hixon (+2.1) who each ended the game with over 100 receiving yards. The pair combined for 15 catches, 223 yards and a touchdown and were thrown at 24 times. Hixon has very good hands, is a solid route runner, and, with the exception of his odd insistence on catching deep passes only when facing back toward the quarterback, is an extremely capable stand in as a starter.
Cruz is an exceptional route runner, maybe the best in the NFL. He is able to generate massive separation with quick little jab steps that can shake even the closest coverage. The move he put on Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on 4th-and-1 with four seconds left in the third quarter was a thing of beauty. He caused the Eagles corner to open up entirely and allow a completely free route for the first down and plenty more.
Philadelphia – Three Performances of Note
Wide-9 Rush Missing, If Found Please Return
If there’s one thing you know the Eagles will do, it’s bring heat around the edge from Jason Babin and Trent Cole all game long. In this game however, it never really materialized. Despite combining for 73 rushes in the game, the pair was able to account for just a couple of total pressures on Eli Manning.
Given how much the Eagles rely on the pressure this pair is able to generate they will think themselves fortunate to escape from a game like this when they were virtual non-factors. If the Eagles can knock off the defending Super Bowl champions without their wide-9 firepower in full force then that bodes well for the rest of the season.
The Good Vick
Just when you’re about ready to write him off and start to look elsewhere, you get a reminder of exactly why the Eagles persist with Michael Vick (+4.4) at quarterback and why they handed him such a ludicrously large contract. He is still capable of exceptional plays, both with his legs and with his arm, and this game showed a little bit of each aspect of his game. He was able to pick up some critical first downs with his legs, but also to escape pressure at times and get rid of the ball rather than take critical sacks.
He also showed off his arm. He hit some nice deep corner patterns and gunned a blistering fast-ball to TE Brent Celek through one of the tightest windows you are likely to see this season for a first down.
Of course we also saw a little bit of bad Vick, as he invited pressure at times and forced a few balls that he shouldn’t have. In the end though, he did enough to win the game for Philadelphia.
Injury Stand-Ins Struggling
It’s not often a team can replace two-fifths of its starting offensive line and not notice the drop-off. That’s especially true when one of those players is the best left tackle in football in Jason Peters. At center Jason Kelce had an excellent start to the season after struggling in the past before going down to a knee injury. His replacement, Dallas Reynolds (-5.8) doesn’t look up to the task, and at left tackle Demetress Bell (-1.9) also looks like he will struggle long-term. That turns the left side of the Eagles line, which had been such a strength, into a problem which is leaking pressure and penetration in the run game.
Game Notes
– Dealing with some shifty running backs, each defense missed six tackles during the game.
– David Wilson may be firmly in Coughlin’s dog house, and his drop of a shovel pass sent him right back there after just a single snap on offense, but he was fantastic returning kicks, earning a +3.8 grade and averaging 36.2 yards per return without one over 55 yards.
– Despite some soft coverage at times Prince Amukamara was thrown at just four times all game, giving up two receptions for 24 yards.
PFF Game Ball
As frustrating as he can be at times, Michael Vick made the difference in this game turning in some key plays when the Eagles needed him.
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