Giants seek redemption against Eagles

There is no mystery to the Giants’ 34-13 loss to the Eagles in Week 6 of this season.

“I know exactly why they beat us,” coach Pat Shurmur said. “We didn’t do anything that you need to do against any type of team to win. We turned the ball over, we gave them big plays, we just didn’t play well enough to beat any team . . . We did a lot of things where you go, ‘Ugh, now I see why we didn’t [win].' "

The Giants, though, insist they are a different team now. Not only in terms of their roster — five of the starters from Week 6  either are injured or no longer on the team — but their attitude.

“We found a way to have two good team victories the last two weeks, so we’re doing some things as a team better,” Shurmur said. “Not near good enough yet, but we are different. We have some new faces in there certainly, so yeah, we are different.”

So, too, are the Eagles. While the Giants have won two straight games, the Eagles have lost three of their last four and have been beset by  injuries. It should give the Giants an opportunity to avenge the one lopsided result on their schedule so far.

“That game got away from us,” Shurmur said. “We played a really good team and we didn’t play well, and we got smacked. [The Giants players] need to know that so that we can worry about doing the things well that we didn’t do well in that game. That’s more of the deal. I don’t get into all the payback things.”

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?

The improved play of the offensive line has been one of the noticeable differences in the Giants’ play in the past two games. Part of that has come from the natural cohesion that develops over time, especially among players who had never even met each other before they became teammates this year. But a big part of it has come from the addition of one player: Jamon Brown.

He was claimed off waivers from the Rams during the bye week, has settled in as the starting right guard and has made a tremendous impact in a very short amount of time.

“I think we’re playing better as a unit, and we added one new player,” Shurmur said of the difference in the blocking.

Can one player bring that big of a change?

“He can,” Shurmur said. “\[Brown\] has done a good job coming in here and contributing in a positive way. They found a way quickly to work well together.”

It’s certainly given the Giants their best permutation in what had been a steadily-changing offensive line. In fact, the current alignment will start its third straight game together on Sunday. That’s the second-longest tenure for any starting Giants group this season.

“Obviously, there’s just been a lot of turnaround at the offensive line from right tackle to right guard, centers, that whole right side,” Eli Manning said. “So finally for the last couple of weeks, just had that same combination and those guys working together and working well.”

Nate Solder, who has played every snap at left tackle this season, was asked if this current lineup is the best fit for the team compared to previous incarnations.

“This line combination is the one we have now,” Solder said. “I can’t make that comment without saying something bad about someone else, and everyone else that’s been in there has done an excellent job and worked very hard. Everyone I work with and played with has done the best that they can.”

Translation: Yes. 

X-FACTOR

Saquon Barkley isn’t the only rookie running back who could make a big impact in this game. The Eagles have one of their own.

Josh Adams has emerged as Philly’s de facto starting running back, quite a jump for a player who was undrafted and didn’t even make the roster out of training camp. But with Jay Ajai on injured reserve and Darren Sproles out for this game, Adams has emerged as one of the few bright spots for the Eagles in a season that is quickly souring.

“I think they’re trying to find their featured back of choice, and he’s done a good job when given an opportunity to run the ball,” Shurmur said.

Adams’ numbers aren’t on par with Barkley’s (he has 207 rushing yards), but they have been impressive of late (161 yards and a TD in the last three games).

His average of 6.1 yards per carry is second-highest among NFL rookies, behind only Nick Chubb’s 6.2 for the Browns. He’s on pace for the highest per-carry average ever by a rookie Eagles running back (Jim Parmer had 5.6 in 1948) and he’s the first Eagles player with at least seven carries in three straight games to average 6.5 yards or more since Randall Cunningham in 1990.

Because of injuries and circumstance, the Eagles have been more of a passing team this season. Now they face the Giants’ run defense; only two teams in the NFL have allowed more gains of at least 40 yards.

“They certainly threw the ball more than the law allows last week because the score got away from them,” Shurmur said of the Eagles’ 48-7 loss to the Saints. “I’m assuming they’re going to think it’s going to be different this week in terms of how they play it.”

NOT SO SUPER RIGHT NOW

Heavy is the head that wears the crown.

That’s what the Eagles have learned in 2018. They’re only a few months removed from their Super Bowl LII victory, but they’re floundering near the bottom of the standings in the NFC East with only four wins.

Coach Doug Pederson said he warned his players before the season that teams would be aiming for them.

“I can remember a year ago saying the same things: If you want to be the best, you got to beat the best when we’re playing playoff-type teams,” he said. “I’m assuming teams are doing the same thing when they’re playing the Eagles.”

Is that still the case? The Eagles don’t seem like much of a yardstick at this point. But Pederson still wears that crown despite its often unbearable heft.

“We’re still going to have that ‘world championship’ title attached to us for the remainder of this season until that game is played again in February, and that’s OK,” he said. “We understand that, and we’ve got to be our best each week.”

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

225: Starts for Eli Manning with the Giants after Sunday’s game against the Eagles. Only four other quarterbacks in NFL history have started at least 225  games for one franchise: John Elway (Denver), Brett Favre (Green Bay), Dan Marino (Miami) and Tom Brady (New England).

4.3: Yards the Giants are averaging per carry this season. The last time they finished a season with an average above 4.0 yards was 2012 (4.6).

31: Regular-season Giants games since they have won three straight, a streak that dates to Week 12 of the 2016 season, when they won six straight. A victory on Sunday would give them a third win in a row.

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.