Matchups and predictions for a pair of Eagles rivals in Week 8 of the 2023 NFL season
- The Eagles are still on top of the NFC East.
- The Cowboys are perfect according to themselves.
- The Commanders can't do anything right.
- The Giants are in Tyrod Taylor season.
By Jake Beckman
The New York Jets vs. the New York Giants
Is it crazy to say that Zach Wilson is a better quarterback than Daniel Jones? It might be, but it’s also true. Every week you look at the slate of games and say, ‘Oh, that’s going to be the worst game of the year.’ Well, this time, it's true. This is actually going to be the worst game that we see all season.
Jets offense vs. Giants defense
It’s probably best to start with Zach Wilson. He stinks and everyone knows it, including him. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson is averaging five catches and just over 60 yards per game, and most of that is due to Zach being Zach.
The Jets will win this game through running back Breece Hall. When the Eagles played the Jets in Week 6, he was stuffed and shut down, but that’s because the Eagles' defense is otherworldly. The Giants' defense is pretty much the exact opposite of that.
They’re allowing WR1s to exploit them (Terry McLaurin had six catches for 90 yards in Week 7) and allowing running backs to get 5.0 yards per carry. They’ve allowed 961 rushing yards this season, which is the second-most in the NFL. To put that in perspective, the Eagles are first with 440 yards and the Denver Broncos are last at 1,171 yards.
If the Jets choose to throw the ball in this game it will be dumb. It’ll be funny, but it’ll be dumb. Just run the ball. Bonus points to the Jets if they can get Dalvin Cook to have a good game right before the trade deadline. That’d be pretty cool for them.