Joe Judge fired Jason Garrett as his offensive coordinator this week and he’s keeping his replacement for play-calling duties close to the vest. The Giants coach says it’s for a competitive advantage, likely to try and throw the Philadelphia Eagles off as they prepare for Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium.
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It might sound ridiculous, but even Eagles coach Nick Sirianni admitted there could be some merit to that idea.
“Anytime a play caller changes, there’s definitely advantages to that as far as for the Giants,” Sirianni told Giants media in a conference call. “Whoever might be calling the plays, it’s going to be different. No matter who it is, it’s going to be different than how Coach (Jason) Garrett called it because everybody’s going to think of the game a little differently ... I believe there’s a competitive advantage whenever there’s a change and you don’t have any current tape on the coordinator that will be calling it.”
All that talk about play-callers, though, has distracted from what would’ve been the real storyline this week: The Giants trying to get revenge on the Eagles after the way the end of last season played out. The Giants beat the Cowboys in Week 17, and if the Eagles could’ve just beaten Washington that night, the Giants would’ve won the NFC East. Instead, the Eagles appeared to purposefully lose to help their draft position.
Judge was mad.
But ultimately, that doesn’t matter much now — especially since the Giants are miserable and 3-7, while the Eagles are ascending at 5-6.
But who will win on Sunday? Something weird always happens in this matchup. What about this week?
Here are predictions from NJ Advance Media’s NFL experts:
Zack Rosenblatt: Giants reporter, NJ Advance Media
This is the exact sort of game the Giants often win. Just when everyone is counting them out, they pull out a win that, it seems, nobody is expecting. They are underdogs against a team with a losing record, at home, in November. They just fired their offensive coordinator. After their performance on Monday Night Football, they were the laughingstock of the NFL for a few days. If they were ever going to show what they’re made of, it has to come this week. The Eagles have played well lately, but the matchup is certainly winnable. Jalen Hurts is the exact sort of quarterback that defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has made a habit of confusing and besting, like he did against Patrick Mahomes, Derek Carr and Sam Darnold this season. The Eagles defense has looked beatable at times.
But the Giants are at their weakest in the trenches — and that’s where the Eagles thrive. Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave will find their path to Daniel Jones to be not very difficult with the Giants’ interior offensive line trying to block them. And the Eagles have an elite offensive line, while the Giants’ pass rushers have mostly been a disaster.
An upset wouldn’t be shocking, but the Giants haven’t earned the benefit of the doubt — and Jason Garrett is not their only problem.
PICK: Eagles 24, Giants 17.
Darry Slater: NFL reporter, NJ Advance Media
New offensive coordinator for the Giants, with Jason Garrett fired. But will the results be any different? Remember, this Giants offensive line is still a mess, and the jury is still very much out on whether Daniel Jones actually is a franchise quarterback. He sure didn’t look like one in Monday night’s awful loss at the Buccaneers. Still, the Giants will muster a good enough performance on defense — as they retire Michael Strahan’s number — to make up for their usual crummy offensive showing. This one will be ugly, but the Giants will happily take it.
PICK: Giants 20, Eagles 17.
Mike Kaye: Eagles reporter, NJ Advance Media
The Giants are falling apart at the seams and have only scored 30 points (or more) once in 26 games under Joe Judge. On the flip side, the Eagles are averaging 34.5 points and 217.5 rushing yards per game over the past four weeks. Oh, and Boston Scott, “The Giants Killer,” is primed for a big role on Sunday.
PICK: Eagles 31, Giants 26.
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Chris Franklin: Eagles reporter, NJ Advance Media
Before the season, it seemed like the Giants had this game circled on their calendar because then-Eagles head coach Doug Pederson decided to pull quarterback Jalen Hurts after one half, allowing the Washington Football Team to win the division and keep the Giants out of the playoffs. The Eagles also leapfrogged the Giants in a trade to select DeVonta Smith. Even with the Giants retiring Michael Strahan’s No. 92, the firing of offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, and the extra motivation, the Eagles and running back Boston Scott win at MetLife Stadium.
PICK: Eagles 24, Giants 20.
Joe Giglio: Sports reporter, NJ Advance Media
The Giants have become the NFC version of what the Browns were for two decades. This is a bad football team that can’t get out of its own way. Will they be up for this game? Of course. Will it matter in the end? Probably not.
PICK: Eagles 27 Giants 24.
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Zack Rosenblatt may be reached at zrosenblatt@njadvancemedia.com.
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