UPDATE: Michael Vick was knocked out of the game for the second week in a row, as he broke his hand in a loss to the New York Giants. At this point, it is uncertain how long he will be out for. Vick threw for 176 yards and 1 INT before leaving the game, and Mike Kafka was 4 of 7 for 35 yards and 2 INTs in relief.
Eli Manning threw for 254 yards and 4 TDs in the victory for the Giants, and Victor Cruz had a huge day catching just 3 passes for 110 yards and 2 TDs.
GAME PREVIEW:
The Giants and Eagles head into a divisional game on Sunday at 1:00pm ET in Philadelphia with both teams disappointed at their 1-1 starts, and neither wanting to drop to 1-2.
The Eagles have recently dominated the matchup, winning the last six, but the games have been tight, including a 38-31 victory last December in which Michael Vick threw for 242 yards and 3 TDs.
But the main story line for this meeting is the injuries. Most obviously Vick, who left last week’s game with Atlanta after suffering a concussion. After passing a variety of tests during the week, Vick seems ready to go and is expected to play.
“There’s no reason to think that I won’t play on Sunday,” Vick said.
The Giants have been struggling with their own injury problems. They have lost cornerbacks Terrell Thomas and Brian Witherspoon for the season with ACL tears, rookie cornerback Prince Amukamara with a broken foot, and defensive end Osi Umenyiora is listed as out for this week’s game with a knee injury.
Heading into a matchup with the Eagles with a depleted defense, particularly in the secondary where they will be asked to cover Desean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, who have combined for 314 yards and 3 TDs in two games. In addition, they will have to deal with running back LeSean McCoy who has 217 yards and 3 TDs so far this season.
With Vick healthy and effective, it could be a long afternoon for the Giants.
The Giants are quick to point out that things are different this year, but based on the Eagles free agent additions and the Giants injuries, I’m not sure that works to the Giants advantage.
Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul said, “They are a different team. They have good players on their team. Their offensive line has been pretty good. We just have to find a way to get around them and stop the run and their passing game. They are a good team and a fast team. They play very quick.”
The Giants are also trying not to focus on the six game losing streak. “This is the next football game,” said defensive tackle Chris Canty. “I don’t know what happened before this season. Quite frankly, it doesn’t matter. We need to win a football game.”
