Eagles-Giants predictions: Our beat writers make their picks for Week 14

The Eagles will visit the New York Giants on Sunday. Here are the game predictions from our Eagles beat writers for Week 14.

After opening the season 6-1, the Giants are 1-3-1 in their last five games with their only victory coming against the 1-10-1 Texans. Brian Daboll has done an excellent job getting the most out of the roster that isn’t very strong. But reality has hit and it could be a tough slog against a superior Eagles team. If the Giants can keep the score close, or get ahead early, maybe there’s a chance for an upset. But as long as the Eagles don’t play down to their opponent, or lose the turnover differential by a wide margin, they should win comfortably.

» READ MORE: Week 14 NFL lines: Eagles open as sizable favorites vs. Giants

How will that look? Offensively, it can look any number of ways. Nick Sirianni’s approach will depend upon defensive coordinator Don Martindale’s game plan, but taking advantage on early downs will be key. The Giants rank last in the NFL on first down. The Eagles don’t necessarily have to run to set up the pass, but they will want to avoid defensive tackles Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence on the ground. They probably want to also scheme up specific pass protections for the pair, especially the latter. Martindale’s unit is better when it gets to third down, even on shorter distances. He blitzes at a higher rate than any other coordinator and has kept scoring down with a strong red zone defense. The Eagles will be without their best screen guy with tight end Dallas Goedert still out, but they could slow the Giants’ aggressiveness with early success on those types of passes.

The Giants’ offense revolves around Saquon Barkley. Daboll found some creative ways in the early going to create space for the running back, and he’s increasingly utilized quarterback Daniel Jones as a plus-one in the ground game, but it’s been tough sledding of late. Andrew Thomas is one of the game’s best left tackles, but the rest of the Giants’ offensive line has been suspect. Rookie right tackle Evan Neal was benched, but he’s back in the lineup and could be red meat for Eagles edge rushers. Jones has been sacked at a higher rate than almost any quarterback. Jonathan Gannon tweaked his scheme to account for Titans tailback Derrick Henry last week. Barkley’s a different breed, but will he devote an extra body to the box? It’s not like the Giants have a bevy of receivers to be overly cautious about. Darius Slayton has been their best downfield threat, but Jones has often been under duress.

I erred last week in picking Tennessee. The Titans had nothing on offense once Henry was shut down and receiver Treylon Burks got hurt. Defensively, they were overwhelmed through the air. The Giants have a chance, of course. I don’t place much emphasis upon Jalen Hurts’ return to MetLife Stadium where he had arguably his worst start last season. He has improved in nearly every aspect this season and is healthy. Could Martindale’s exotic pressures give the quarterback and his O-line problems? It’s possible. But I think the Eagles will be fine as long as Hurts plays his usual brand of football.

Prediction: Eagles 31, Giants 20

» READ MORE: Eagles for Super Bowl? Jalen Hurts for MVP? Jonathan Gannon for head coach? It’s all happening.

The Giants seemed bound for some regression after a hot start to the season and that’s come in recent weeks. The newness of Daboll’s scheme centered around Barkley has worn off and the one-score games that broke their way so often early are starting to even out.

None of this is to suggest that the Eagles will have a cakewalk as they travel up to MetLife Stadium, but the Giants’ record is still a bit inflated. Still, division games are often rife with weirdness and Sunday could be no exception.

The Eagles defense will be tested with another gifted ballcarrier, the latest in a long string of backs to challenge the team’s run defense. Both the Giants and the Eagles’ recent results would suggest the Birds defense, and more importantly Gannon, will be up for the challenge.

Last Sunday, Gannon loaded the box more often than usual to slow down Henry, disregarding the threat of Ryan Tannehill gashing him over the top on obvious run downs. A similar game plan would make sense against the Giants, unless Jones gets hot. The Eagles will have to contain Jones on scrambles — the former first-round pick is among the fastest quarterbacks in the league — but they have advantages on the outside in coverage and should be able to generate pressure.

On the other side, the Eagles offense has shown in recent weeks it can pinpoint favorable matchups and continue to press a defense’s buttons until the opposition finds an answer. Williams is a handful on the interior defensive line, but this Giants defense ranks 28th in pass defense efficiency and 27th against the run according to Football Outsiders.

This has the makings of a physical game that could stay tight deep into the second half, but the Eagles have a decided talent advantage and have played better than the Giants in recent weeks.

Prediction: Eagles 28, Giants 17

Division games, especially those that occur late in the regular season, typically present unique challenges. That being said, the Eagles still have the superior roster compared to the Giants, who haven’t won a game since Nov. 13 against the Texans.

There’s plenty of familiarity between the two teams, but Hurts has grown by leaps and bounds since Daboll served as his play-caller at Alabama. The 24-year-old quarterback has a legitimate chance at capturing the league’s MVP award if he can string together a strong performance over the final month of the regular season. The Eagles have larger goals, but Hurts’ maturation has played a significant role in their success. Hurts will once again need to make quick decisions against a defensive unit that loves to apply frequent pressure. Through 13 weeks, there arguably haven’t been many better decision makers across the league than Hurts.

On defense, the Eagles are expected to regain cornerback Avonte Maddox (hamstring) from injured reserve. Outside of Barkley, it’s difficult to identify a potential matchup in which the Giants overpower the Eagles, specifically across the secondary with Maddox back in the fold. James Bradberry continues to work his way toward CB1 money, and he’ll have an opportunity to make a statement against his former team.

Prediction: Eagles 30, Giants 17

Inquirer Eagles beat reporters EJ Smith and Josh Tolentino preview the team’s Week 14 game against the New York Giants on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. Watch at Inquirer.com/EaglesGameday