The New York Giants head to Philadelphia on Monday to face the Eagles in a Christmas Day battle.
The Eagles have lost three in a row and they have way more to lose than the Giants, so they’ll be ready to hit the ground running. The Giants may not have as much to play for, but they still have a lot to prove so it’s not like they’ll just let the Eagles run down the field.
Most of the time, opposing teams focus on Saquon Barkley or Kayvon Thibodeaux as a way to gain leverage on the Giants. But they aren’t the only X-factors on the team.
This year, punter Jamie Gillan has done an excellent job making returns difficult, something not unnoticed by Eagles special teams coordinator Michael Clay.
“Jamie Gillan is doing an unbelievable job this year. He is really pinning returners, taking away their avenue of getting north and south. He is putting it outside the numbers with some good hang time and allows the gunners to make a lot of plays,” Clay told reporters this week.
“T-Mac does an unbelievable job giving out some different formations that you got to really study and make sure you’re on point in case they want to try something funky out of it.”
Special teams have caused the Giants a lot of headaches this season, but those problems were generally not on Gillan’s shoulders. This is something the Giants must take note of and use to their advantage on Monday.
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