Eagles and Giants similar teams Posted on November 8th
Even after all that has happened for the New York Giants, and all that has not for the Philadelphia Eagles, these old football franchises, which play for the 152d time on Sunday, are not that different.
Both have good defenses and dangerous offenses, and the gap of two games that separates them in the NFC East is less than one would expect between a defending Super Bowl champion and a team trying to regain its equilibrium.
That shouldn’t be surprising, though, because the Eagles and Giants were in lockstep until recently. The Eagles beat them in the first round of the 2006 playoffs, by a scant three points, and both teams began the 2007 season with 0-2 records that had their fans in a lather.
Of course, the Giants then went off and won that championship, which doesn’t seem entirely fair, but that was what happened.
This season, New York has beaten up on some bad teams while compiling its 7-1 record. The Giants’ best win was probably on the road against the Steelers. The Eagles’ most impressive victory this season might have been their home win over Pittsburgh.
What separates the teams at the moment is the losses the Eagles took at Chicago and at home against Washington. Those were bad losses, against teams that should have been beaten, and the Giants haven’t really suffered similar problems. They were a little sluggish in the opener against Washington and needed overtime to beat Cincinnati in the third week, but the disasters that find nearly every team now and then have not located the Giants yet.
There are miles to go, and the result of Sunday’s game is important, but it won’t make or break the season for either team. If the Eagles are going to become very interesting down the stretch and enjoy that rare late improvement the Giants pulled off a year ago, however, they might have to start with this game.
And if they start with this game, they might have to start down where the dirt meets the grass.
You’ve heard it before, but the Eagles need to run the ball better to win this kind of game.
Last season, in two losses to New York, the Eagles combined for just 241 passing yards. The Giants refused to believe Andy Reid would use the running game as a weapon, and they concentrated on stopping Donovan McNabb and the passing game. The first game was the infamous 12-sack disaster in which Osi Umenyiora undressed Winston Justice, but it was the philosophy that made the sacks possible.
“We have to do things a little better, where we have to get them into a situation where they have to defend the run as well as the pass,” Brian Westbrook said.
Having Westbrook is half the battle there. Actually using him is the other half.
“You want to keep a group like that off-balance,” offensive tackle Tra Thomas said. “You don’t want to get into a situation where you’re passing every down. Then they just tee off on you.”
The Giants lead the league in sacks per passing play and have the second-ranked pass defense. The Eagles’ offense, predicated on the pass, should provide an interesting matchup for the Giants, or the Eagles could throw a changeup and let Westbrook soften them up.
“You want to start early with these guys. You know it’s a very, very good team and top in the league in sacks,” Westbrook said. “We have to make them respect the run.”
Westbrook has had a couple of effective rushing games this year - 91 yards against St. Louis and 167 against Atlanta - but the other four games for which he was active weren’t as good. In those games, he had 55 carries for 164 yards. For the season, he’s ranked 22d in yardage gained among NFL rushers.
A big part of Westbrook’s game is catching the ball, of course, and a well-placed swing pass or screen can do the job of a draw play. But Westbrook has had recent success on the ground against the Giants - 354 yards in his last three games versus New York - and it seems foolish to not give that avenue a try.
“I understand the dilemma Coach Reid is in. He’s got a great quarterback and needs to get him into rhythm. Then he wants to keep him in rhythm by throwing more,” Westbrook said. “It’s a similar thing with me. He wants to get me in rhythm and keep me in rhythm, too. I’m not going to say there’s not enough balls to go around, but it’s tough to do both at the same time, unfortunately.”
Finding a way on Sunday would be a good idea, however.
Not much separates the Eagles from the Giants right now. After all that has happened, and even despite that golden trophy they put behind glass at the Meadowlands, these are similar teams.
What does separate them is that the Eagles have a Brian Westbrook and the Giants do not. It’s up to the coaches to make sure that matters.
Contact columnist Bob Ford
at 215-854-5842 or bford@phillynews.com.
Read his recent work at http://go.philly.com/bobford