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Eagles at Giants Week 6 observations and reaction

Adrian Fedkiw|

So the champs are back?

Not quite.

The New York Giants look like a complete mess, but Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles took a step in the right direction as he threw two of his three touchdowns to Alshon Jeffery in Thurday night’s 34-13 win at MetLife Stadium.

Wentz was 26-of-36 for 279 yards with Jeffery snagging eight of his 12 targets for 74 yards. Wentz was sacked just once after being sacked 15 times in his last four games coming in. It was better from the offensive line, but they’re still far from perfect.

It was a good performance, but not a great one. I will reserve judgment on if the Eagles are “back” until next Sunday when the Carolina Panthers visit Lincoln Financial Field. That will be a nice test.

Ronald Darby had a big night on Odell Beckham, who was limited to six receptions for 44 yards on 12 targets by Darby and the Eagles’ secondary.

The play of the night came on the Eagles’ opening possession. After a Kamu Grugier-Hill interception, which came after Jordan Hicks stepped in front of Scott Simonson, Wentz showcased some of his magic. While extending the play to his right on a 3rd-and-7, Wentz found Jeffery working the back of the end zone for the touchdown as he ripped this ball back across his body.

Another big play came on a 3rd-and-3 when the Giants had the right flat blanketed when Wentz rolled to the right on the boot action and he found Nelson Agholor breaking free downfield for a 58-yard reception.

The Eagles eventually found paydirt when Doug Pederson dialed his usual pre-snap window dressing inside the 10 before Wentz flipped the 10-yard score to Zach Ertz in the back left corner of the end zone. It gave the Eagles a comfortable 21-6 margin late in the second quarter.

The Eagles put the game away midway through the third when Jeffery capped a 12-play, 75-yard drive with one of the easiest touchdowns of his career. Where’s the effort Janoris Jenkins?

Michael Bennett has turned it around since a slow start, but was called for a roughing the passer penalty for a second straight week. It’s a stupid rule and it needs to be abolished immediately.

Bennett was still able to record a “real” sack when he bent the edge on Nate Solder.

Left tackle Jason Peters exited with a left biceps injury, but NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Derrick Gunn is reporting that it’s one that he might be able to play through. More information will be known following Monday’s MRI.

Slot cornerback Sidney Jones left with a hamstring injury. This led to Avonte Maddox switching from the single-high safety role into the slot and Rasul Douglas moving to safety. I also saw more aggression with the cornerbacks at the line of scrimmage instead of playing the 10 yards back that we normally see from Jim Schwartz’s defense.

The Giants, meanwhile, are now 1-5. At least they have Saquon Barkley. He finished with 13 carries for 130 yards and added nine receptions for 99 yards.

At 3-3, the Eagles are tied with the Washington Redskins (2-2) atop the NFC East. The Redskins play the Panthers Sunday in Washington.

 

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