by David ElfinFiled under: Eagles, Giants, NFC East
New York is 9-4 and tied with Philadelphia for the NFC East lead, but heading into Sunday's showdown with the visiting Eagles, no team has coughed up the ball more than the Giants. A staggering five of those 35 turnovers came in a 27-17 defeat at Philadelphia four weeks ago and prompted New York coach Tom Coughlin to bench loose-fingered 1,000-yard runner Ahmad Bradshaw for the more sure-handed Brandon Jacobs. That tandem ran wild the past two weeks in routs of Washington and Minnesota and figures to be even more critical Sunday with the passing game a bit hamstrung by the loss of Pro Bowl receiver Steve Smith to a season-ending knee injury against the Vikings.While the Giants will be at home for this matchup, they're just 3-2 in their new digs while the Eagles are 5-2 on the road. Philadelphia also has the confidence gained from its Week 11 victory, its fifth straight triumph (including a 2008 playoff game) in this ancient East Coast rivalry. What's more, the Eagles are the better-rested team, having played last Sunday night in Dallas while the Giants' game at Minnesota was postponed a day and moved to Detroit because of a snowstorm's aftermath.
The Eagles will be without middle linebacker Stewart Bradley, who dislocated an elbow against the Cowboys, forcing seventh-round draft pick Jamar Chaney into duty, but they could welcome back Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel, who leads the NFL with seven interceptions despite missing the past three games with a knee injury. However, Pro Bowl receiver DeSean Jackson, who torched the Giants for 178 yards last December and leads the league with 23.1 yards per catch, might be absent after being unable to practice on Wednesday and Thursday because of a foot injury suffered against the Cowboys. Not that the Eagles still wouldn't have plenty of weapons in Michael Vick, the NFC's top-rated passer, running back LeSean McCoy, its leader in yards from scrimmage, and dangerous receiver Jeremy Maclin.
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