Sunday Showdown as the Giants Come to Town

In the first really big game of the season, the Eagles get a chance to grab at least a share of the NFC East lead with a win on Sunday over the division rival New York Giants. There are always fireworks when these two teams meet and this week should not be any different.

The Giants come into this contest having lost their last two games. Two weeks ago they were completely blown out by the New Orleans Saints 48-27 and last week at home they fell apart in the second half losing to the Arizona Cardinals 24-17.

Suddenly after starting 5-0, there are problems popping up on both sides of the ball. The strength of this team has always been up front with their lines but lately that hasn't been the case. After recording 14 sacks in their first 5 games, they have only recorded two in the last two games. Against the Saints they never laid a hand on Drew Brees and against Kurt Warner, one of the most immobile quarterbacks in the league they only got to him twice. On the other side of the ball Eli Manning has been under constant pressure which has led to five turnovers, 4 interceptions and 1 fumble in the two game losing streak. Keeping the pressure on Manning will be one of the keys to winning this game.

The Eagles last two games could be titled "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. After a complete meltdown on the West Coast against the Raiders which was downright ugly, they earned some redemption on Monday night beating the Redskins 27-17 with some big plays on both offense and defense which was good. The bad part is they still are lacking the consistency on offense that is needed to make a serious run at a title. There was definitely a better balance between the pass and the run against Washington, but there were too many missed opportunities as they were unable to put any points on the board in the second half.

We all know that the Eagles tend to play their best football during the second half of the season when it matters the most, but this game is a golden opportunity to grab the lead in the division as opposed to chasing the leader. With Dallas heading into town next week, a win on Sunday gives them a chance to sweep the first game against the entire division. This is something they haven't been able to do since 2004.