The Eagles and the Giants were two teams that we really didn’t know much about.¬† The Eagles bounced back after the awful Raiders loss to beat the Redskins, but didn’t look great in doing so.¬† The Giants lost two in a row after starting the season 5-0, but they were beating up on bad teams.
We were all about to learn a lot about who was for real and who was just skating along.¬† And while I don’t think the Eagles are 40-17 better than the Giants, they really let them have it on Sunday.¬† So let’s look at the game:
What I liked…
-As scattershot as Donovan McNabb was the last two weeks, he was equally as sharp Sunday.¬† He threw with confidence and he threw with precision.¬† He was north of 200 yards in the first half to go with three TD passes to three different receivers.¬† Oh, and once again….no INT’s.¬† It really is amazing how few INT’s he throws considering how often they ask him to throw it.¬†
-Hey, look who is running the ball!  The Eagles! 
-I think we need more Leonard Weaver.¬† I think this is what we envisioned him doing when he first came here.¬† The 41-yard TD run was the first kick to the Giants shins and showed what kind of running ability this cat has.¬† He’s quick for a guy his size.¬†
-And how about LeSean McCoy?¬† One of the things I didn’t like about him was I didn’t think he had much burst.¬† Well, how is a 66-yard TD for explosion?¬† He hit the hole and it was off to the races.¬† When Westbrook comes back….dare I say three-headed monster?
-Broderick Bunkley is a quiet stud.  All he does is his job and then some.  
-Do I really need to mention DeSean Jackson here?¬† I really don’t know that there is a more explosive playmaker in the NFL.¬† He had yet another 50+ yard touchdown against the Giants.¬† Doesn’t he do this every week?¬† He is absolute dynamite and he puts the defense on notice every time he touches the ball.¬† Good thing he didn’t get hurt in his little car accident.
-That was a heck of a grab by Maclin in the end zone.¬† In traffic and he came down with the ball.¬† I think what I like more than that grab is the fact that Donovan has the confidence in him to throw it into traffic like that.¬† Donovan doesn’t like traffic.¬†
-I like Andy Reid’s challenge on the McNabb fumble (By the way, great block, Jason Peters).¬† I was yelling at the television because it was clearly a fumble.¬† But my feeble brain didn’t notice the illegal forward pass.¬† Not when it was going on live I didn’t.¬† To Andy I say, “my bad.”¬†
-Asante Samuel did his homework.  He knew where Eli was going with that ball before Eli did. 
-I dig Hakeem Nicks.¬† He’s big, has speed and great hands.¬† I think he’s going to be giving the Eagles fits for years to come.¬† Very nice player.¬† Someone tell Al Davis he was available at #7 when they picked Darrius Heyward-Bey.¬† So was Maclin.¬† And Percy Harvin.¬† And Kenny Britt.¬† And Michael Crabtree.
-A little off topic, but Ryan Moats had three TD’s today for the Houston Texans.¬† Good for him.¬†
-Here is what I think I liked the most about the Eagles win over the Giants.¬† It’s easy to look at the final score of 40-17 and say the Eagles throttled them.¬† And they did.¬† It’s easy to look at the halftime score of 30-7 and say they mopped them up in the first half.¬† And they did.¬† But the Giants had a fairly serious pulse a couple times in this game and the Eagles didn’t let it last.¬† The Giants scored on a Kevin Boss TD reception with 1:46 left in the half to make it 16-7.¬† Knowing the Giants got the ball in the second half, it wasn’t inconceivable that they run down and get a TD to start the half, and now we have a completely different ballgame after the Eagles owned them completely.¬† Eight seconds later, Donovan – with great protection – threw a rifle down the field to DeSean “how on Earth did they let me get this open when I’m probably the best player on the field” Jackson for a TD to answer back.¬† And then after a stupid Eli INT, Donovan found Maclin in the end zone as well.¬† Threat averted.¬†
And then, I think we all held our collective breath as the Giants scored to make it 33-17 in the third quarter.¬† In the NFL, that’s a lifetime left in the game.¬† Sure, they took their sweet time doing it, but when the kickoff bounced off of Jason Babin’s hands, all I could think of was a book titled “How to Blow a 26-point Lead, by the Philadelphia Eagles.”¬† But, I give them credit.¬† LeSean McCoy not only closed the door, but I heard a distinct “clicking” noise as he locked it as well.¬†
-Will Witherspoon can run.  He adds a lot to the linebacking core.  I think this move will prove to be a very good one.  Remember this when people are crying about Andy Reid never making any good moves.  
-Excellent punt by Rocca to pin the Giants at their own 10.¬† I’m not the biggest Rocca fan, but hey, credit where credit is due.¬† He uncorked one.¬†
…and not so much…
-I don’t like some of the penalties.¬† But, I do know that was not a horsecollar on Eli Manning as he went out of bounds.¬† Lousy call.¬† Still, you are best to just stay away from him.
-This team still can’t cover the tight end.¬† I know I’m nitpicking (and I’m sure you’ll make me well aware of this in the comments), but it is a concern moving forward. ¬†¬†¬†
-David Akers had no chance on that extra point.  That was a jailbreak up the middle.
-What’s with all the batted balls?¬† Is it me or is Donovan getting a lot of balls batted down at the line this year?¬† Very fortunate those didn’t turn into picks as they often can.¬† But it’s not like he’s Doug Flutie.¬† He’s a big dude.¬† Not sure if he’s not finding passing lanes or if the Giants are extraordinarily well coached in that area.
-What happened to the Giants defense?¬† They were pretty bad.¬† Yes, they’ve had some injuries, but I think I know what happened.¬† The crux of the Giants attack was that nasty front four.¬† Their secondary has been lousy for years, even when they won the Super Bowl.¬† But the front four was so dominant, that QB’s had to get the ball out quick and it made them look better.¬† Now that the front four isn’t dominating, that putrid secondary is being exposed for the fraud that it is.¬† No Kenny Philips and no Aaron Ross doesn’t help either.¬†
-What were the Giants thinking running the ball down after down while very far behind?¬† It took them four minutes to go some 30 yards.¬† The game wasn’t over at that point.
-What were the Giants thinking going for it on fourth down when a field goal would have given them some important points?¬† They waved the white flag early in the second half.¬† This is the NFL and the Giants are a very good team.¬† I couldn’t believe that decision.¬† Take the points and play for the win.¬† Jeez.¬†
-If there are a bunch of Jason Peters fans out there, I’m not one of them.¬† He isn’t awful, but for what they gave up and what they paid him, he isn’t doing it for me.¬† If it wasn’t for the fact that he’s been playing with a backup guard and now played with Herremans for the first time all season, I’d be all over him.¬† He can still redeem himself if he can form a bond with Herremans and lock up the left side of the line.¬†
I’ll stop because I don’t want to be too negative after a phenomenal win against one of the best teams in the NFC.¬† All those times I wrote “what if they did this against the Giants…”¬† Well, they did a few of those things and still whooped on the G-Men.¬† So I’ll shut up.¬† The real chance to put their foot on the necks of the NFC East comes next Sunday night against Dallas.¬† Until then, go Phillies.¬†
