4 ways the NY Giants can do the unthinkable and stun Philly on Sunday
By Zak Musso
Giants-Eagles, December football, playoff stakes on the line: if this doesn’t give you goosebumps then what will? The Philadelphia Eagles will make the short trek up the New Jersey turnpike on Sunday, with the hopes of defeating their rivals on the road for the first time in three years.
There is a lot riding on this game for both sides. The 11-1 Eagles can clinch a playoff berth with a win on Sunday, while the 7-4-1 NY Giants will look to create a little separation between themselves, Seattle, and Washington in the NFC Wild Card race.
The Eagles talent wise are a whole lot better than the Giants, and it is not particularly close. Las Vegas currently has the Eagles as a seven-point favorites, which is a rather large number for a visiting team. It is a rivalry game however, and the only other time Jalen Hurts has ever stepped onto MetLife’s turf he had the worst game of his career. Here are the four ways the Giants can do the unthinkable and stun Philly on Sunday.
4. Force turnovers
The recipe for pulling off upsets in football is simple, force turnovers and win the turnover differential. The Eagles unsurprisingly lead the NFL in turnover differential, with a turnover margin of +13. It’s no coincidence that Eagles have the NFL’s best record while also having the NFL’s best turnover margin.
But, in the one loss this season, the Eagles turned the ball over four times, and lost the turnover margin by two. This is the blueprint the Giants used to beat the Eagles in their first matchup last season. The Giants defense forced four Philadelphia turnovers in that game while the Giants offensive turned the ball over zero times. This is the sole reason Big Blue was able to beat the Eagles 13-7.
Jalen Hurts had the worst game of his career as well, completing just 14 of his 31 passes for 129 yards, no touchdowns, three interceptions, and posted a horrendous 20.8 QBR. If the Giants can slow down Hurts and force him to make bad decisions, they will have a very good chance to come out victorious.