Eli Mannings up & down game: Big win over Eagles
By: Marco Imperati
The Giants, in another must win lead up to the game, found a way to hold off the division rival Philadelphia Eagles and won 28-23. The Giants at times looked like the team that deserved to win, but at times looked fortunate at the hands of the Eagles mistakes.
Overall, the Giants are 5-3 (2-1 in the NFC East) and the loss sends the Eagles to 4-4 (0-3 in the NFC East). Quarterback Eli Manning finished with a stat line of 22 for 36, 257 yards, 4 touchdowns, 2 Interceptions. As Eli goes, the offense goes. There where bits and pieces that looked really sharp. It was obvious the Giants wanted to get Odell Beckham Jr. more involved. McAdoo moved OBJ around frequently, even deployed him as a decoy in the backfield. I talked about this in the week 8 edition of Monday Morning Manning and yes…I knew Paul Perkins was coming soon.
Ben McAdoo has shown that he is not afraid to play younger players. That was evident with the amount of snaps given to Perkins and TE Jerell Adams. The offensive got an early jump with two Carson Wentz interceptions.
The “good” Eli flashed on a brilliant timed bomb to Victor Cruz down the sideline, and a great touch pass to Sterling Shepard for a touchdown; however, his four TD’s is only part of the story. The Eagles were very much in this game, highlighted by the invisible Giants running game and another bad Eli interception. The defense continues to put the offense in position to win.
Keep an eye on: With Victor Cruz suffering what looks like a sprained ankle, keep an eye on rookie WR Roger Lewis Jr. Lewis has the respect and attention of his coaches and teammates. He reminds me of a taller Dominic Hixon. Hopefully Cruz will not miss any time; however if needed, Lewis can get the job done.
Up next for the Giants:
Next week the Giants will host the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals are a tough, battle tested, physical team and if the Giants play without Justin Pugh and Victor Cruz, the Giants will need to play flawless ball.
During the halftime ceremony, the Giants will celebrate the careers of DE Justin Tuck, former GM Ernie Accorsi, and former head coach Tom Coughlin. There will certainly be a buzz in the crowd and hopefully the Giants can match the intensity on the field.