Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 6 Clash With New York Giants Is Vital

By Max Zelenko on October 8, 2014

It’s hump day, and it’s finally time to get over the Philadelphia Eagles‘ loss in Week 5 to the St. Louis Rams. I joke, I joke, but Sunday’s 34-28 victory legitimately has felt like the team simply lost that game. The reason being that the Eagles proved even with a 4-1 record, there are major areas that need to be improved. Now, heading into Week 6 against the New York Giants, Philadelphia will most likely have to play their most complete game of the season if they want to head into their bye week on a positive note.

This should be the Eagles’ stiffest test — a divisional game on Sunday night against a rival. With the NFC East being much more competitive than many people thought, Philadelphia can ill-afford another lackluster performance.

The Giants enter Week 6 coming off three consecutive wins and have seemingly figured things out, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Eli Manning, who looked lost during the first two weeks of the NFL season, now has received solid offensive line play and is arguably playing his best football in over two years. For Philadelphia to have a shot on Sunday, they will need to continue to apply pressure to the quarterback, just as they have been doing over their past two games.

While making Manning uncomfortable in the pocket, as well as getting better secondary play from the Eagles, is important, Philadelphia’s offense is the unit that needs to wake back up. They have scored only two offensive touchdowns over the past two weeks, and the entire group has simply not played well.

It seems the offense is lacking confidence, as Nick Foles is not completing any deep balls and LeSean McCoy has failed to make any explosive plays this season. While both Foles and McCoy need improvement from the offensive line, both playmakers still need to step up their games dramatically and put the weight on their shoulders.

Foles’ footwork has been terrible recently, and McCoy has picked the wrong times to try and make something out of nothing. Chip Kelly must figure out a way to get Foles a few opportunities early on and make some easy throws down the field, as one completion can go a long way for a player’s confidence. On top of that, if Foles is able to stretch out the defense, it will in turn open up much more running room for the Eagles’ All-Pro running back.

Heading into the season, many analysts felt that the NFC East would be the worst division in football. It is now arguably the best at this point in time. This game will be a statement game for whichever team wins it, and if Philadelphia wants to come out on top, they better bring their A-game on the offensive side of the football.

Max Zelenko is a Philadelphia Eagles/NFL writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on twitter @maxzelenko, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.