At 4-3, the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants are staring up at the 6-1 Dallas Cowboys. The winner of a Week 9 showdown between the two will sort out the East’s pecking order — at least for one week.
Eagles vs. Giants 2016: Start time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know
Second place in the NFC East is up for grabs Sunday afternoon.
The NFC East has developed into one of the NFL’s most ferocious divisions. All four teams currently have records better than .500, a mark unmatched across the NFL. At best, only three of those squads can qualify for the playoffs, so Sunday’s matchup between the Eagles and Giants could have major repercussions on the NFC postseason race.
Philadelphia rocketed out to a 3-0 start behind rookie quarterback Carson Wentz, but the Eagles have gone just 1-3 since then, thanks in part to a shaky offensive line. Wentz has absorbed all sorts of punishment now that starting right tackle Lane Johnson has been suspended due to a violation of the league’s performance-enhancing substances policies. If his blockers can’t keep him upright against an underwhelming Giants pass rush, this flaw could prove fatal to the team’s playoff hopes.
New York has been a team of streaks in 2016. Two wins, then three losses, and now another pair of victories has the Giants back over .500 and ascending towards a stop in the upper tier of the NFC. Only one of those wins has come against a team with a winning record, but that was against another East rival breaking in a rookie quarterback behind center — the Cowboys.
How to watch Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Place: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
TV: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews
Online: Sunday Ticket, Fox Sports GO
Three big things to know
1. Carson Wentz’s masterful rookie season has started to slow. Wentz became Philadelphia’s starter after the team traded away Sam Bradford and immediately impressed with his steady play. The Eagles rolled out to a 3-0 record while the young quarterback avoided mistakes and even threw for more than 300 yards in a 34-3 rout of the Steelers.
Since then, his ascent has slowed. Wentz’s TD:INT ratio is just 5:4 in his last four games after a 5:0 start to the season. During that 1-3 stretch, his yards per pass attempt average has decreased from 7.54 to 6.0. Opposing defenses have started to figure out the North Dakota State alum’s weaknesses.
2. New York has no running game to speak of. The Giants rank dead last in rushing offense and have only gained 3.3 yards per carry this season. Here’s a list of players with more rushing yards than their team leader, Shane Vereen:
Andrew Luck
Blaine Gabbert
Aaron Rodgers
Colin Kaepernick
3. Eli Manning is showing some signs of slowing down, but mostly he’s still just Eli Manning. As is tradition, Manning is having his usual, quietly steady season behind center. The veteran passer is on pace for 4,500 passing yards and approximately 7.3 yards per pass, numbers that line up with his last two seasons and are actually better than his woeful performances in 2012 and 2013. While his lack of scoring success is concerning — he’s only thrown eight touchdowns this season — he’s proving once again he can be a consistent passer well through his 30s.
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