Field Level Media
25 Nov 2021, 14:49 GMT+10
When the Philadelphia Eagles dropped a heartbreaking home game to the Los Angeles Chargers on Nov. 7, reaching the playoffs seemed bleak.
Fast forward a few weeks and the Eagles are in the thick of the NFC playoff race following victories over the Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints.
If theEagles (5-6) can defeat the host New York Giants (3-7) on Sunday, they'll be surging in a positive direction with a favorable schedule looming.
Nothing is guaranteed, however, especially against an NFC East rival.
"That's what we talked about today at our team meeting -- blocking out the noise," Eagles safety Rodney McLeod said. "It was the noise that we heard when people didn't give us a chance and now it's the same the past few games when we've had success. We just have to be consistent and if we do that, we'll be fine."
The Eagles will be without linebacker Davion Taylor, who was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. It looks as if Darius Slay will be available after being in concussion protocol since last Sunday.
Philadelphia's defense will be in for a different challenge since the Giants fired offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and replaced him with former Cleveland Browns coach Freddie Kitchens.
"Yeah, you gotta go back and you gotta look at some things that coach Kitchens did at Cleveland and some of those things like that," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. "You look for every advantage, every edge, tendency things. You go back and look at what they have. I've said this before here, it's a different play caller so there's going to be different looks, there's going to be different things that he does that coach Garrett didn't do or vice versa. We just have to be ready for anything."
The Giants will look to rebound after a 30-10 road loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Monday.
New York's offensive struggles continued as it remains the last team in the league to score at least 30 points in a game this season. That's likely a large reason why Garrett was replaced with Kitchens.
"In terms of Freddie, the lens he looks at it with is through the lens of the players," Giants coach Joe Judge said. "I think that's important when you talk about distributing the ball around the team. You gotta make sure you present opportunities for guys to make plays."
But Judge wouldn't confirm whether Kitchens would be calling plays.
"Maybe we'll just draw names, I'm not sure," Judge said.
While Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has developed into a marquee starter, the opposite has occurred for the Giants' Daniel Jones.
Jones completed 23 of 38 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions against Tampa Bay.
"It's on all of us to perform better at each of our jobs," Jones said. "We all have to play better and produce better."
The Giants have been banged up as key players such as wide receiver Kadarius Toney (quad) and tight end Kyle Rudolph (ankle) sat out of practice. Running back Saquon Barkley (ankle) remains limited.
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Cleveland Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Cleveland Star.
More InformationFRANKLIN, Tennessee: Hundreds of thousands of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles are being recalled across the United States due to a potential...
REDMOND, Washington: Microsoft is the latest tech giant to announce significant job cuts, as the financial strain of building next-generation...
LONDON UK - U.S. stock markets were closed on Friday for Independence Day. Global Forex Markets Wrap Up Friday with Greeback Comeback...
SANTA CLARA, California: Nvidia came within a whisker of making financial history on July 3, briefly surpassing Apple's all-time market...
SACRAMENTO, California: California's multibillion-dollar farms are facing a growing crisis—not from drought or pests, but from a sudden...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump says the United States could soon reach a trade deal with India. He believes this deal would...
(Photo credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images) Seattle forward Jesus Ferreira believes no one can match the Sounders on their home...
(Photo credit: Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK) FC Cincinnati announced the signing of French forward Kenji Mboma Dem to...
(Photo credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images) The Colorado Rockies have yet to win a home series this season, but they still have a chance...
(Photo credit: David Richard-Imagn Images) Riley Greene, Javier Baez and Gleyber Torres will start in the All-Star Game this month,...
(Photo credit: Mady Mertens-Imagn Images) The Cincinnati Reds are becoming known for their resilience. Fresh off an impressive...
(Photo credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images) Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is having a blast batting in his team's...