Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants week three game preview

After a hard-fought game against one of the NFL’s best, the Eagles now know what a playoff team looks like.

The Eagles are home this Sunday for their first time in front of their fans. After starting the season out on the road the first two weeks, the boys finally get to sleep in their own beds Saturday before a division tilt with the Giants. The Eagles face the Giants in which looks to be the perfect time. The Giants offensive line has looked awful and their offense, in general, hasn’t clicked since late last season. With the Eagles tied with the Redskins and Cowboys at 1-1 in the division, this game is extra important down the line, tiebreakers and division wins could come down to determine who wins the NFC East this year and getting this win over the Giants could come in handy at the end of the season.

New York Giants at the Philadelphia Eagles

When: Sunday, September 24th @ 1 pm

The injury list is a long one this week:

Out

• CB Ronald Darby – Ankle
• S Corey Graham – Hamstring
• CB/S Jaylen Watkins – Hamstring
• DT Destiny Vaeao – Wrist

Questionable

• – S Rodney McLeod – Hamstring – McLeod could miss Sunday’s game, but is not considered a long-term injury. McLeod will be a game-time decision for Week 3.
• – WR Torrey Smith – Illness – Assuming it is not a bad flu, Smith will be a game-time decision.

The home opener for the Eagles this week, the get-in price against a division foe in the Giants looks to be around 215$ for a seat. If you want to stand it’s still 175$!

What to watch for on Offense

Another week, another question about the running game. What happened last week?! The NFL leader in rushing touchdowns last year gets 6 snaps! Not a single rush and one catch for zero yards, while every fantasy football owner of Blount is upset, this doesn’t bode well for the real-life Eagles. Carson Wentz was the leading rusher last week with 4 carries for 55 yards and most of the other rushing duties went to Ole’ reliable; Darren Sproles, with 50 offensive snaps and 10 rushes for 48 yards. The Eagles handed off the ball just 13 times on Sunday, and while some of that can be attributed to game-flow, it didn’t seem like the offensive staff even tried to get the ground game going. Obviously, you need to run the ball somewhat to win games nowadays, and it will be interesting to see what kind of running back mix Frank Reich and company decide to use on Sunday.

Who to watch on offense

If I knew what running back would carry to workload then I would keep my eye on him, but with no idea who is carrying the ball Sunday, heck, it could be Duce Staley on the sideline for all I know, then my attention will be put on Wentz. My chips are all in on this guy, after almost coming back against the Chiefs, in their house, with no running game, Wentz fell short on a Hail Mary and that comeback was super impressive. The Giants have a top-tier defense, with a great pass rush and a formidable secondary, it’s going to be fun watching Wentz go up against Spagnuolo and that unit. Look for Wentz to get rid of the ball quickly and try to find Ertz or a running back matched up against a linebacker, the only weak spot of that defense.

What to watch on Defense

If you have paid any attention to the Giants season at all, it has been filled with experts, fans, and the general public making fun of their offensive line. The Giants come in already giving up 8 sacks in just two games and Eli Manning has taken way more hits. With Manning having thrown only 1 touchdown, OBJ having 36 yards receiving and a running attack that looks worse than the Eagles, the Giants come into Philly with one of the worst offenses in the NFL. It will be imperative for the defensive line to keep after Eli, keep the pressure on, and not let the Giants get into a rhythm and think this is the game they are going to get out of their offensive funk. With a banged-up secondary, it will come down to the front 4 to control the line of scrimmage and force Manning into some tough decisions.

Who to watch on Defense

This week, it’s time to watch whoever lines up against poor Ereck Flowers. Flowers was drafted 9th overall out of Miami in the 2015 NFL Draft and after a couple of quiet years playing different positions on the offensive line, he is now starting at left tackle. Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansah ate up Flowers on Monday Night Football and the Eagles will expect whomever lines up against Flowers to do the same come Sunday. Whether it’s Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Vinny Curry or whoever Schwartz has going up against Flowers, that defender must get to Eli and force Eli into ‘Eli Things’

Fantasy Spin

Thank you for all the readers that checked out my Week 1 and 2 fantasy rankings. If you haven’t checked out my week 3 rankings yet, click on the link!

• I have Wentz ranked as my QB10, a serious replacement over Mariota, Prescott or Tyrod this week.
• LeGarrette Blount is a flex for me
• Darren Sproles is a flex for me, an RB2 in a PPR league
• Alshon Jeffery is a WR1
• Nelson Agholor is a WR4
• Torrey Smith is a WR4 or a Hail-Mary flex option
• Zach Ertz is a TE1
• Eagles DST is my 4th ranked defense

If you are interested to hear more about my fantasy football rankings, enjoy the podcast!

Laying Odds

Eagles -6 (-105)   O/U 43

Last week I went 2-0, putting me at 9-3 for the season. The Chiefs won by more than 5.5 and I just hit the under of 47.5 with 27-20 final.  This week I am going to take the Eagles -6 and over the 43 point total.

Next: Philadelphia Eagles: The secondary must step up against New York Giants

Oh man, I feel way too good about the Eagles -6 at home. The Giants cant score and the Eagles have looked really good in the first two weeks. I do see the Giants offense looking a bit better come Sunday because Odell Beckham is getting better from his ankle injury and it seems as the Giants offense only goes as far as OBJ will take it. Regardless, I could see this game being a 27-17 game with the Eagles winning and hitting the over.

Give me the Eagles -6 and the over!