3 Keys to a Philadelphia Eagles win versus New York in Week 7

1. The Philadelphia Eagles need to get the ball out of Wentz’s hands quickly.

New York brings a solid front seven to Philadelphia for Thursday’s matchup. They’re currently top ten in the NFL in sacks with 16 and fifth in yards allowed per rush with opponents averaging just 3.7 on the year. They’re not afraid to stack the box and show pressure with multiple guys on the line of scrimmage. It’s not quite the same aggressiveness the Steelers and Ravens defenses showed at the line the past two weeks but it’s not far off.

While Lorenzo Carter is on injured reserve, the Giants still have multiple pass rushers active. Kyler Fackrell has been a playmaker this year seeing his snap count increased each week. Through six games, he’s racked up three sacks, six tackle for loss, five quarterback hits, and eight pressures. It’s also important to note that the Giants will drop him into coverage at times.

Leonard Williams is also off to a hot start with three sacks and six quarterback hits. The big criticism on him in recent years was that while he could get pressure, he couldn’t turn it into sacks. This year, he is delivering. Dexter Lawrence and Dalvin Tomlinson also do some damage along the Giants’ interior with Williams.

With Carter out, Markus Golden will probably get more snaps. While there are other edge rushers who the Giants want to get experience, it’s been strange to see Golden sidelined more often than not. He’s no slouch when he’s in the game, so expect him to get some pressure.  Finally, when bringing extra pressure, don’t be surprised to see some blitzes out of the slot by either Logan Ryan or Darnay Holmes and also some from Blake Martinez at linebacker.

With all of this said, consider that the Eagles are going into the game with an inexperienced and banged-up offensive line. While Lane Johnson is playing, he is likely not 100 percent. Jamon Brown was released but Matt Pryor isn’t exactly a reliable starter at right guard. Not to mention, Miles Sanders is the only running back who has shown he can pass protect and he’ll be out. The Eagles cannot afford to keep Carson Wentz in the pocket waiting for long and intermediate routes to develop like they tried to versus the Ravens. It needs to be similar to last year where they went with swing passes and pitches to Boston Scott and short hitches to Greg Ward and the tight ends.