The Eagles have won the last four matchups against the Giants heading to Sunday’s showdown at MetLife Stadium. They also have won 13 of their past 16 games against their turnpike neighbors.To call the Giants “Turnpike Rivals” would be an exaggeration. There is no rivalry between the NFC East rivals. Not when the Eagles are dominating the Giants.
It’s on the Giants to change that trend. That has to start Sunday at home. What better time than now? The Giants are better than the Eagles when comparing both rosters. They have the better quarterback, better offensive line, better defense and better special teams.
Obviously, better talent on paper means nothing as we have seen over the years. It’s about who plays better. The Eagles have found a way to outcoach, outwork and outfox the Giants for a long time. It’s one of many reasons the Giants are on a four-year playoff drought.
The Eagles seem to play angry when they play the Giants. They always talk about feeling disrespected by them. After all, the Giants have trash-talked the Eagles over the years with nothing to show for it.
Maybe it’s time for the Giants to get angry and start taking the rivalry seriously. The Giants seem to play with something to prove when they play the Cowboys. Against the Eagles, that does not seem to be the case. When the Eagles take a lead over the Giants, the Giants tend to roll over and quit. When was the last time the Giants fought back when the Eagles were leading? In fact, do the Giants fight back when the Eagles physically push them around? The Giants seem to have their Keystone Cop moment against the Eagles far too often.
Four years of this should be enough. For the Giants to be taken seriously as a playoff contender and a Super Bowl contender, they find a way to win Sunday’s game. No ifs, ands or buts. Games like Sunday would go a long way for the Giants. It would be a confidence booster. It would reaffirm who is the top dog in the NFC East. It would send a message to the NFL the Giants are kicking butt and taking names.
It would be the difference between making the playoffs and watching the playoffs on television. This is a divisional game that’s worth two games in the standings. It’s a conference game. Considering the NFC East will be a donnybrook this season, the Giants need to win their divisional games to win their division.
The Giants are 1-1 in divisional games this season. They beat the Cowboys in their season opener, and they inexplicably blew a 21-9 lead over the Redskins and went on to lose 29-27 to their divisional rival at home. They can’t lose another divisional game at home. The Giants need to protect their turf at MetLife Stadium. This should be a stadium where other teams shouldn’t feel comfortable as they are since the stadium opened up in 2010.
Sunday should be a message to the Eagles that these are not the same old Giants. A loss would damage their credibility to the point anyone can wonder if they are good enough to make the playoffs. Forget the fans. The players would have their doubts. Losing games tend to take a toll on the players.
The Giants know how important Sunday is. After losing to the Eagles the last few years, there has to be a sense of urgency. For some reason losing to the Eagles doesn’t bother the Giants. If it did, the Giants would have put a stop to this long time ago. If the Giants can’t beat the Eagles, when will they? The Giants losing to the Eagles yearly is as predictable as the Twins losing to the Yankees yearly. This is what we call being bullied.
It’s hard to take Giant pride seriously when the Eagles keep beating up on those poor Giants. There’s no more excuses. It’s time to do something about it. The Eagles are a vulnerable team. No one expected them to do much. Right now, they have overachieved.
Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz is struggling, which is what is to be expected with a rookie starter. This is where the Giants defense needs to throttle him at all costs.
This is a winnable game for the Giants. They have no business losing to the Eagles.
It’s time for the Giants to send a message to the Eagles the days of beating them is over.
What better time to do it than Sunday?