Beckham caught 12 passes for 185 yards and a TD against the Eagles in Week 17 last season, one of the reasons the Eagles spent big on Maxwell. He’s thrown 10 touchdown passes, only two interceptions, and he’s coming off a spectacular come-from-behind win over the 49ers.
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The Giants’ offense is in its second year under coordinator Ben McAdoo.
Of course, Eagles-Giants games are always spiced with the best trash-talking in the league – even Eagles fan and multiple Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper joined the fun last year – and it started again Wednesday in the Philadelphia secondary with Thurmond, a Giant for the first two games last year until he suffered a season-ending torn pectoral muscle, and safety Malcolm Jenkins.
The Eagles are seventh in the National Football League in passing yards, and the Eagles are 26th in passing yards allowed.
After going 41-of-54 for 441 yards and leading the New York Giants on a last-minute game-winning drive, quarterback Eli Manning has been named NFC Offensive Player of the Week. “It’s not just me”.
“All of the players have a better understanding and a better feel for this offense”, Manning said. It is especially true now as the injury bug infects the roster, with the notable exception of quarterback.
This week, he heads to Philadelphia on Monday Night, in a game the oddsmakers are expecting to be high scoring (over/under is set at 49.5).
The drive was so impressive not just because it was under 2 minutes but Manning was without Odell Beckham Jr and Rueben Randle for most of it. Both receivers were inured on the drive. The Giants also are beset by several injuries on defense, with ends Robert Ayers and George Selvie, linebacker Jon Beason and cornerback Prince Amukamara hurt. “They’ve been things that we probably could’ve avoided, but in this game, throwing the ball as many times as we’ve thrown it, he’s done an excellent job at taking care of the ball”. He’s got two Super Bowl championships. Sometimes the endings are far less rewarding, such as when they had losing records the last two seasons.
Quarterbacks have completed 21 of 22 passes when Bowman is covering their intended receiver, according to Pro Football Focus, and they have a collective 135.2 passer rating when targeting him. Manning made it all possible by bringing the Giants back from a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit. He has an intensity to him and you can see that determination and he’s ready to go. “It makes life easy”. It’s going to be loud, they’re going to be fired up and yeah primetime on Monday night and it should be a great atmosphere. But he’s known that all along.
“They’re getting good pressure”, Manning said of the Eagles’ defense.
“I remember the first play, handed off to Tiki Barber, he went about 75 yards for a touchdown”.
“This is easy”, Manning said to himself, recalling that memory today in the locker room at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.
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Manning was crushed by Eagles tackle Jerome McDougle and fumbled on his final play. “That was my “Welcome to the NFL” hit for sure”. You can talk yourself into seeing a season opener they should have won against a team that is still undefeated (and a team that beat the Giants the following week).
