The Philadelphia Eagles are just hours away from hosting the New York Giants in a huge Thursday night matchup with NFC East ramifications.
We sat down with Dan Benton, managing editor of The Giants Wire to discuss tonight’s matchup, Carson Wentz, and more.
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1. With everyone ‘Tanking’ for Trevor Lawrence, where do you think the Giants stand on Daniel Jones? Can he lead this franchise back to prominence?
The Giants stand firmly in the corner of Daniel Jones, as they should. Consistency is essential in the NFL and the relentless turnover for the Giants has failed them and will continue to do so unless they settle in and let things take shape. From the outside looking in, it’s easy to say Jones has been the problem for the Giants, but that’s not steeped in any sort of reality. He certainly deserves some criticism for the turnovers, but the fact remains: the Giants are near the bottom of the league in wide receiver separation and dropped passes, as well as penalties that erase first downs and touchdowns.
Their offensive line can’t pass protect or run block, their ground game is among the worst in football and the play-calling has been suspect at best. There’s simply not enough talent around Jones to succeed and the talent he does have is under-performing. With the right pieces, Jones has shown enough to believe he can become highly successful in the NFL.
2. Breakdown the Giants running game this season without Saquon Barkley?
There isn’t one. That’s as blunt as I can be about it. The Giants have struggled to run block this season and while they’ve gotten a bit better in recent weeks, Daniel Jones remains the only consistent runner on the team and that’s not a recipe for success. Dion Lewis and Wayne Gallman have seen their roles nearly evaporate over the past two weeks, which has left only Devonta Freeman, who is averaging 3.2 yards per carry. That really sums things up.
3. One under the radar player the Eagles should watch out for?
I would have said rookie linebacker Tae Crowder initially, but he has landed on IR with a hamstring injury. Unfortunately, the Giants are so thin that no one else really stands out — at least not anyone that would be considered under-the-radar. But for the sake of offering some sort of answer, maybe cornerback Ryan Lewis. The Giants have cycled through cornerbacks like kids with candy on Halloween, but seem to have settled on Lewis. He’s not going to blow anyone away, but he’s solid enough.
4. How has Joe Judge changed the culture of the organization? Is he the right man for the job?
Even those who mocked the Joe Judge hire have to admit there’s something very likable about the guy. He’s blunt, he’s disciplined and he’s militaristic, but he’s also very humble and cares greatly about his players. He’s earned the respect of the locker-room and as bad as the Giants are, it’s clear they play very hard for him. Judge has completely undone that lazy attitude that festered under Ben McAdoo and Pat Shurmur, and while it may take some time, the winning will come.
5. How has Andrew Thomas progressed at left tackle?
It’s been a nightmare for Andrew Thomas and it’s not getting any better or easier. Moving him from right tackle to left tackle at the last moment clearly threw him off and the constant barrage of above-average edge rushers has only made things worse. He was benched in Week 6 after arriving late to a team meeting and once he did return to the field, didn’t last long before being benched yet again, this time in favor of third-round pick Matt Peart, who performed at a higher level.
6. Who wins and why?
The Eagles do because, well… it’s Philly and no matter how terrible they are, they own the Giants. There will be no streak broken this week. Eagles 20, Giants 20.