What They’re Saying About the Eagles


A roundup of national media links on Sunday’s Eagles-Giants game.

ESPN.com’s John Clayton notes the Birds’ home losing streak:

The Philadelphia Eagles have some of the most rabid fans in sports, and they’ve witnessed nine consecutive home losses. They might not forgive first-year coach Chip Kelly if he loses to the New York Giants on Sunday. The Giants have an eight-game road losing streak and are 1-6 for the season. Michael Vick returns to the Eagles’ starting lineup after missing two games with a hamstring injury. His return should allow LeSean McCoy to explode. McCoy is at the top of the league’s rushing list, in part because of Vick’s ability to run.


Peter Schrager of FoxSports.com predicts a 24-17 Giants win:

This is a struggling team that has statistically one of the worst offensive and defensive units in the sport. But I like them over the Eagles on Sunday. Anyone can beat the Eagles in Philadelphia, apparently. It’s like a Six Flags amusement park—everyone’s welcome to come right in, skip lines, and do whatever the heck they want.

Dan Graziano of ESPN.com predicts a 34-28 Eagles win:

The Giants are feeling good coming off their first win, but it was the gift to end all gifts. The Eagles aren’t a great team by any means, but they’ll do what the Vikings didn’t do Monday — give the ball to their best players and try to win the game. The Giants don’t have enough on defense to limit LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson and the Eagles’ speedy stars.

Andy Benoit of TheMMQB.com chimes in on how the two teams match up:

The Giants have more healthy pieces at their disposal in the secondary, which means corner Turk McBride won’t be there for Vick to attack on the outside. (You might recall DeSean Jackson getting by McBride in Cover 3 for 56 yards.) Vick’s mobility will dictate how this game goes. If he can move, the Eagles will use the read-option concepts that worked masterfully last time. And in the passing game, the Giants might be reluctant play man coverage (which Eagles wideouts have struggled against all season). Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell remembers the third-and-20 where Vick scrambled for 34 yards against their man-free lurk.

Chris Burke of SI.com is seeing improvement from Jason Pierre-Paul:

One very positive sign for the Giants last week: Jason Pierre-Paul appeared to be inching closer to 100 percent. He had been struggling since offseason back surgery, then missed several practices leading up to that game against Minnesota with an illness.

The Giants are the first team to face the Eagles twice this season, meaning their defense will be the first to see Kelly’s unique offense multiple times. Will that help the Giants slam the door or will Kelly be ready with adjustments?

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com likes the Eagles, 31-27:

The Giants are coming off their first victory Monday night, but now must face a rival on a short week. That’s tough to do. The Eagles will have Mike Vick back as the starter, which will put a lot of pressure on a Giants defense that isn’t very good. Look for the Eagles to get their offense back on track here. But the Giants will get their points as well.

Will Brinson of CBSSports.com likes the Eagles to cover the 5.5-point spread:

This line is fascinating to me. It’s predicated on the Eagles looking terrible with Nick Foles last week and the Giants winning. But Philly with Michael Vick — even a not-totally-healthy Vick — is more than a touchdown better than the Giants. Eli Manning and Co. looked awful against the Vikings on Monday night, have a short week, were hammered by this same division opponent the last time out and didn’t stop anyone last week. Josh Freeman stopped himself.

Elliot Harrison of NFL.com goes with the Eagles, 24-16:

Philadelphia surprised everybody by playing a little defense against the Cowboys last Sunday. Too bad the offense scored three points. Now, Michael Vick likely will be running the show this week, which is important. Last week, the tandem of Nick Foles and Matt Barkley performed as well together as Axl Rose’s jorts and age. Surprisingly, LeSean McCoy didn’t have his best game, either. While the Giants can contain McCoy, they’ll have trouble with the aerial attack; Vick brings escapability, as well. With this game being at the Linc — and with the way Eli Manning has been playing — we’ll take Philly at home.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk picks the Eagles, 27-17:

The Eagles haven’t been much more this year than the best of some bad teams.  They’ll get another chance to do it on Sunday, and in the process snap a nine-game home losing streak.

Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
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