PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 07: Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles calls a play against the Minnesota Vikings during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on October 7, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Vikings won 23-21. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)
Thursday night represents a must-win game for the Eagles and Giants. Expect Carson Wentz to put on a show for Philadelphia.
It’s hard to call a Week 6 matchup a must-win game, but that’s true for Thursday night’s NFC East clash between the Eagles and GIants. The loser is going to find it really difficult to make the playoffs.
The Giants, in particular, come into this game as a wounded animal. Pat Shurmur’s team looked like they’d secured a massive road win at Carolina on Sunday only to have Graham Gano’s 63-yard field goal defeat them at the buzzer. Asking them to bounce back on a short week might be more than Odell Beckham Jr. and company are truly capable of.
The Eagles don’t come into this game flying high. They’ve lost two games in a row by a combined total of five points. That’s not good enough for a team that wants to defend their Super Bowl title. Doug Pederson knows his team doesn’t have a lot of margin for error left. Fortunately, he’s got Carson Wentz on his side.
The Pro Bowl quarterback should prove to be the difference in this game. He’ll need to be if Philadelphia are going to come out on top. The Eagles are running out of running backs. Jay Ajayi is out for the season with an ACL injury which means Wendell Smallwood will likely start this game. He’s a capable back, but he can’t carry the ball more than 20 times per game. That means the Eagles have to throw the ball.
It will be a challenge for Wentz to gain yards against the Giants secondary. Janoris Jenkins and Landon Collins are both quality starters. Unfortunately, New York’s pass rush can’t get to the quarterback quickly enough to give them support. That means Wentz is primed for a big game.
Alshon Jeffery will definitely get his share of targets. He and Wentz both returned at approximately the same time this season and their on-field connection is obvious. Don’t be surprised if Philadelphia’s tight ends get a ton of targets as well. Zach Ertz is used to getting a bunch of catches, but Dallas Goedert is an interesting name to watch on Thursday too. Both guys will like their chances to go one-on-one against Curtis Riley.
As long as the Eagles can give Wentz decent protection, they should be able to secure a pretty comfortable win. Victories inside the division are never easy, but Philadelphia’s offense has more than enough talent to get this crucial win.