(Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
Last night, the Eagles had to prove to me that they are still the team they were last season. I was wary of last night’s game for multiple reasons. It was a game on the road against a division rival on a short week. Throw in a little bad weather, and it’s easy to understand why I thought there was a chance the Eagles could have dropped yesterday’s game. Needless to say, the Eagles eased my doubts early in the game.
I am aware of the fact that the Giants are currently a dumpster fire. Despite the individual talents of Saquon and Odell, their offense never seems to find any harmony. Eli has clearly lost a step and the offensive line has certainly had their fair share of issues over the years. So that begs the question, were the Eagles that good or are the Giants that bad?
I am going to say the Eagles are that good. We have seen teams stoop down to the Giants level this year. The Eagles did not do that. The Eagles took advantage of the opportunities the Giants gave them. After the Eli interception to start the game, the Eagles capitalized on the short field and scored a touchdown. Over the last couple of weeks, it would not have been a shock if they settled for a field goal. They also took advantage of a short field after a nice punt return by Deandre Carter. Good teams score touchdowns when they are given those opportunities. Scoring touchdowns instead of field goals is what separates good teams from bad teams. The Eagles got back to doing that last night.
Elite teams in the NFL also step on the throat of their opponents when given the chance. Instead of letting the Giants get back into it, the Eagles scored a touchdown on a 12 play six-minute drive to start the 2nd half. Despite a 50-yard touchdown run by Saquon on the following drive, the outcome of the game was never in question the rest of the way. The Giants were never going to come back from being down 31-6.
While it is hard to gauge just how good the Eagles are based off of yesterday, it is clear the team we saw last night resembled the 2017 Eagles. Wentz looked like Wentz and it looks like the rust is completely off of him. The offensive line protected him and opened up holes for Clement and Smallwood to work with. Next week in Philadelphia, Carolina will provide a greater test. The result of that game should let us know for sure if the Eagles are really back or not.
Fun Fact Friday: Since 2009, the Eagles are 15-4 against the Giants.
