What is it about the city of Philadelphia that brings out the worst in the New York Giants, anyway?
Historically, the city was never a very friendly place for the G-Men. The Eagles seemed to own the Giants in the late 1980's and early 1990's, even while the Giants were reaching the height of their powers during the Bill Parcells era. The Eagles were the one team that those Giants always seemed to struggle against, and never seemed defeat in the city of Philadelphia in particular. That was never as apparent as in the 1990 season, when the Eagles handed the 10-0 Giants a stinging 31-13 defeat to end their hopes of an undefeated season.
In the 2000's, the Eagles again seemed to own the Giants, when McNabb and Andy Reed were leading Philly to consecutive NFC Championship Game appearances. Rare were any Giants victories over the Eagles, especially in Philadelphia.
The Eagles knocked the Giants out of the playoffs in both 2006 and again in 2008, when the Giants were the defending Super Bowl champions.
And now, in the last two seasons, the Eagles seem to own the Giants again. But in particular, while wearing their black jerseys and pants when hosting New York, they always seem to blow the Giants out of the water in Philly.
The Giants were riding high, on a three game winning streak that saw them rise to the top of the NFC East. Now, after this loss, they have to share first place with the Eagles, and hope to exact a measure of revenge against them in the later meeting back in New Jersey.
Not a good game, and definitely not a good sign for the New York Giants.
Let's take a look at the upcoming weekend in the NFL:
(Thurs) - Seattle defeats San Francisco - The 49ers finally snapped their four game losing streak with a home win against the Baltimore Ravens, while the Seahawks suffered yet another stinging defeat to drop to 2-4 on the season. But don't let the poor record fool you, these Seahawks are still far better than their record indicates. Look for them to prove it again this season with another convincing win at San Francisco, which would be their first road victory of the season, and ease the pain of their first, and so far only, home defeat of the year.
St. Louis defeats Cleveland - I hesitate here, because the Rams are not as good as I had expected them to be, and the Browns are not as bad as I feared they might be. Still, the Browns will have a tough time on the road in St. Louis, and the Rams are well rested and hungry to snatch a victory to pull within a half a game of the Arizona Cardinals, and put some distance between themselves and Seattle and San Fran.
Indianapolis defeats New Orleans - It might appear that the Colts want to exact a measure of revenge against the Saints for that Super Bowl defeat, only hardly any members of the Colts active roster were actually on the field for that Super Bowl. This is a new Colts squad, and they almost beat the Patriots last weekend. Look for them to pull away early against the Saints, however.
Minnesota defeats Detroit - The good news for the Lions is that they finally won a game. The bad news is that it is not likely to last, because they dug themselves in too deep of a hole, and their defensive lapses have betrayed just how much weaker they are this year than last season's elite defensive unit. The Vikings feel that they are a playoff team, and they need to win games like this. I suspect that they will do just that.
Atlanta defeats Tennessee - So the Falcons were the one undefeated team that lost this past weekend. True, but they should return to winning this weekend against an obviously struggling Titans team that has some questions at quarterback at the moment. The Titans just do not have enough to realistically keep up with the Falcons, who will return to form in this game.
Washington defeats Tampa Bay - I would like to pick the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to score a huge upset here, but I just do not see it. They have played some uninspired football, and it is hard to see them going on the road in a potentially cold city this weekend and pull off a win. Washington has shown some positive improvements all season thus far, and this game is too important for them to let slip. Washington wins.
Pittsburgh defeats Kansas City - This was supposed to be a tough match for the Steel City. But the Chiefs are reeling, and seem to have lost faith in this season. It would be good for them to pull off a stunner against the Steelers, but it is hard to see how they could do it, even in normally tough and hostile Arrowhead Stadium.
New England defeats NY Jets - The Patriots are undefeated for the time being, and their offense looks hot. Announcers on Sunday Night Football were beginning to draw comparisons to the 2007 Patriots, although that seems a bit premature. However, New England should have enough to keep their undefeated start going, as they should beat the surprisingly tough, 4-1 Jets, at Foxboro. This one should be a real slugfest.
Miami defeats Houston - The Dolphins seem to have shown more than a spark of life, and I would expect that they should be able to beat back a Texans team that is surprisingly weaker than I expected them to be at this point of the season. Dolphins win.
San Diego defeats Oakland - The Raiders are an improved team, and that might mean that "The Black Hole" could be back. But I suspect that it still might take a while, and that the Chargers, after two consecutive, very tough and very close losses, are overdue for a win. I like San Diego in this one.
NY Giants defeats Dallas - Yes, the Giants played pretty poorly on Monday Night Football against the Eagles. But they want to avenge their earlier season loss to Dallas, and the Cowboys still have not proven they can win without Romo. My suspicions are that the Giants will benefit from home field advantage, and hold off them 'Boys.
Carolina defeats Philadelphia - The Eagles looked really impressive against the G-Men, but going into Carolina in hopes of winning is a different ball of wax. The Panthers are hot after knocking off the Seahawks in Seattle, although they certainly have to guard against a letdown. If they play as well as they are capable of playing, however, they will beat Philadelphia.
(Monday Night Football) Arizona defeats Baltimore - Another strange Monday Night Football match-up, and the poor Ravens cannot catch a break. The Cardinals need this win to stay on top in the NFC West, and they have a significant home field advantage, to boot. The Ravens will play well, but the Cardinals at Arizona should prove to be a bit too much.
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