The Firm of Jacobs and Ward
The Giants have what all NFL defenses fear. Not one, but two 1000 yard rushers. Not since the 1985 Cleveland Browns accomplished this feat with Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner has a team featured a pair of 1000 yard runners. Brandon Jacobs and Derek Ward combined for 2114 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2008. Each back averaged over five yards per carry and helped the G-Men become the top rushing team in the league.
How do you stop this punishing duo? Well, the easy answer is you don’t, unless you commit ten guys to the box and essentially play a goal-line defense the entire game. Of course, that’s pure lunacy. Only four games this season did the Giants not have the top rusher. They lost three of those four matchups. The Steelers’ Mewelde Moore in Week 8 ran for 84 yards and a touchdown but Big Blue still won 21-14. In the other twelve games, Jacobs (7), Ward (4) and Ahmad Bradshaw traded off as the leading rusher. Their only loss in those twelve contests came in Week 6 to Cleveland, but Jacobs and Ward still rushed for 168 yards and a touchdown.
One of the three teams to flip the script on the Giants were the Eagles back in Week 14 when Brian Westbrook toted the rock 33 times for 131 yards and touchdown. We all know the Birds won that game by allowing only 88 yards rushing. Can they do it again on Sunday with a “healthy” Jacobs ready to rumble? I don’t know, but I do know this: the Eagles cannot give up 219 yards on the ground like they did in Week 10. I seriously doubt they can hold Jacobs and Ward to less than 100 yards again, but I will throw out the figure 140. If they can hold the Giants to somewhere close to that number and Westbrook has another big game, then the Eagles can win. If they give up 175 plus, you can cancel reservations to next week’s NFC Championship.
My suspicion is this will be another knock-down, drag-out bareknuckle brawl that will come down to the fourth quarter. The Eagles have been blown-out only once in ‘08 (Baltimore). The Giants had one bad outing on Monday Night Football versus the Browns. This is the playoffs, a proverbial do-or-die showdown. It’s Eagles-Giants. Get ready for a classic battle.
…wheew, I have to come over here to get away from all the hyperbole on both sides. =o
Once again, good read Scott. I agree. This game is an absolute toss up as it should be. At the end of the day through all the analyzing by the fans and experts, it all means nothing, it all comes down to who shows up to play. Hopefully both teams so we can have one to remember…
May the best team win.
January 8th, 2009 at 7:09 pmI’m with you SoDev. I really am looking forward to watching both teams get after each other. The Eagles are rolling, but the Giants remain the team to beat, no matter what anyone writes or says.
Whichever team wins will have earned it.
January 8th, 2009 at 8:05 pm