It’s not typical for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles to be meeting for the first time this late in the season. But maybe it worked out for the best, as a Giants Week 16 showdown with the Eagles comes pre-loaded with plenty of storylines.
This year, the Giants will not be making their way back to the postseason. But for a few weeks, Tommy DeVito has been a delightful diversion and has even helped the squad win a lot of games. However, this game against the Iggles will be a major test for DeVito following a lackluster showing against the New Orleans Saints last week. Will he become a pumpkin cutlet, or will he bounce back in time to prove to the Giants’ decision-makers that he’s more than just a funny meme generator?
The situation in Philadelphia has also drastically changed in the last several weeks. A 10-1 start has given way to a three-game losing run, which, with certain fortunate breaks not falling this team’s way, might have easily turned into a five-game skid. What does it say about Nick Sirianni’s squad’s situation that a team with Super Bowl hopes would not change defensive coordinators in Week 15?
There’s nothing like spoiling a competitor’s Christmas festivities. So who’s going to win this ho-ho-ho NFC East battle? Follow our Giants Week 16 predictions to help you decide.
Waller leads Big Blue passing attack
DeVito’s brilliance is fading a little bit. He has taken too many sacks while on the field, his yards per pass attempt average has dropped for three straight weeks, and he was unable to lead the offense to a touchdown in Week 15.
Maybe Darren Waller coming back into the starting lineup will help? The tight end performed admirably against New Orleans in his first game action since October. Playing only 42% of the offensive snaps, Waller ended the day with four receptions for 40 yards on six targets.
As recently as this month, the Eagles were in dire need of adding linebacker support due to their bottom-five pass defense. They’ve already had issues this season with tight ends.
At the very least, Waller ought to be able to act as a safety valve for DeVito. Maybe he can make a huge play to give this Giants offense a little scare? Better still.
Saquon shines
Although the Philadelphia pass defense is awful, the rush defense, which has been struggling since the Week 10 bye, hasn’t exactly been helped by it either. The Eagles have been thoroughly embarrassed on the ground since the week off, surrendering 100 running yards in five consecutive games after doing it just once in their opening ten games.
Saquon Barkley is coming off one of his worst games of the season, a nine-carry, 14-yard day against the Saints.However, giving up on DeVito is not the Giants’ best course of action. (The Giants are winless in the two contests in which DeVito has thrown the most.) Barkley will need to be established early and frequently by Brian Daboll, who will need to take advantage of a struggling Philadelphia defense.
