The NFC East was surprisingly strong a season ago, but this year all of the teams in it are struggling. The New York Giants started the season off with two straight losses, but have put together three consecutive wins and may just be the favorites in the division going forward. But this is a familiar situation for them, sitting at 3-2 with a three-game winning streak and heading into a Week 6 game against the Philadelphia Eagles -- the same thing happened last year.
Giants vs. Eagles 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
The Giants and Eagles will face off in an important NFC East matchup on “Monday Night Football.”
That game last season was an ugly one for the Giants. Eli Manning threw for just 151 yards and the Giants were shut out, 27-0. It was the start of a rough seven-game losing skid for the Giants, and it effectively killed their season. They picked up a couple more wins starting in Week 14, but closed out the year with another loss to the Eagles, this one 34-26, in the final week of the season.
New York and Philadelphia have fielded similar teams this season from a production standpoint. The Giants have scored 26.4 points per game to Philadelphia's 23.4, and they have allowed 21.8 points per game to Philadelphia's 20.6. The Giants are coming off a narrow victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5. Manning led the Giants on a scoring drive in the final minutes to give them a 30-27 victory.
The Eagles are 2-3 on the season, coming off a dominant win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 5. They also started the season with a pair of losses, dropping games to the Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys, but own wins over the Saints and the New York Jets. Wedged between those games was a loss to Washington. With two NFC East losses already in the books for the Eagles, they cannot afford to drop one here against the Giants.
The division is totally up for grabs. The Giants are on top at 3-2, while Washington, Dallas and Philadelphia are all 2-3 on the season.
If it's a battle of quarterbacks, the Giants clearly have the edge. Manning has thrown for 1,417 yards with 10 touchdowns and a pair of interceptions, while Sam Bradford has thrown for 1,281 yards, eight touchdowns and six interceptions. Some of those numbers are close, but the interceptions are a huge difference. Bradford, who protected the ball well earlier in his career, is being asked to do more with the Eagles and has made more than his fair share of mistakes.
And it probably will be a battle of quarterbacks, as neither team has been effective running the football this year. The Giants are ranked 26th in the league with 456 rushing yards and a 3.9 yards per attempt on the year, while the Eagles rank 23rd with 466 yards and 3.8 yards per attempt. Meanwhile, the Giants come in at No. 7 in the league in passing offense, while the Eagles aren’t too far behind at No. 13. The Eagles have thrown the fifth-most interceptions in the league, however.
How to watch
When: 8:30 p.m. ET
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pa.
TV: ESPN
Commentators: Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Lisa Salters
Online: WatchESPN, Verizon NFL Mobile, NFL.com/watch
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