What I saw: Eagles vs. Giants
Here are my observations from today's Eagles-Giants game from the Linc:
OFFENSE
+ Before today, Owen Schmitt had carried the ball five times in his NFL career. All five of those were in 2008 with the Seahawks. Today, he had four rushes, including two goal-line carries in the third quarter. He was stuffed, and the Eagles settled for a field goal. Who wants to explain that one to me? The Eagles converted just one of five red-zone trips into a touchdown.
+ The Giants gained momentum early as Michael Vick's third-down pass in the red zone went off of Steve Smith's hands and was picked off by Giants cornerback Aaron Ross. That particular interception wasn't Vick's fault, but he had a few other dangerous passes in the game that the Giants dropped.
+ Vick was chased on the Eagles' second possession and took a hit to the helmet from Giants defensive lineman Jason Pierre-Paul. Jason Peters got beat on the play, but LeSean McCoy was late with his chip too.
+ The Eagles ran the ball on eight straight plays in the second quarter. McCoy had 15 carries for 88 yards in the first half and carried the offense. He averaged only 13.8 carries per game in 2010. McCoy ended with 128 yards on 24 carries.
+ The Giants sent six at Vick in the red zone in the second quarter, and he was nearly intercepted. They blitzed Sam Bradford constantly in the red zone in Week 2.
+ Vick fumbled on a designed third-down run in the third, but Jason Peters recovered for a gain of 21.
+ Vick hit Maclin for a gain of 23 in the third quarter, but took a big hit himself on the play. It looked like it was Chris Canty who got to him. I'm not sure if that's the play where he broke his hand.
+ Strange situation in the second half. Vick went into the locker room to have X-rays, but returned before missing any offensive plays. Later, however, he left again - this time for good, as he was diagnosed with a broken right hand. Vick finished 16-for-23 for 176 yards and an interception.
+ Mike Kafka replaced him and was intercepted by Ross on his first pass attempt. He was later intercepted by Kenny Phillips.
DEFENSE
+ The Eagles only blitzed two times last week against the Falcons, but Moise Fokou blitzed on the Giants' second offensive play. Later, the Eagles sent seven on the 70-yard touchdown pass to Victor Cruz. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie blitzed, along with linebackers Jamar Chaney and Brian Rolle, and Manning burned them. It didn't help that Kurt Coleman missed the tackle. He was benched and replaced by Nate Allen on the next series.
+ Early on, in nickel, Nnamdi Asomugha lined up in the slot and Rodgers-Cromartie lined up at right cornerback. We saw that on a handful of plays last week.
+ Cruz outjumped Jarrad Page and Nnamdi Asomugha for a 28-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. The play was reviewed, but the ruling on the field was upheld.
+ The Eagles' defense allowed five plays of 25 yards or more. Eli Manning threw four touchdowns and finished with a QB rating of 145.7. In the last two weeks, the Eagles have allowed eight touchdown passes. Six have gone to running backs/tight ends, two to wide receivers.
+ Philip Hunt saw more action this week, it looked like. Jason Babin also played some snaps at right defensive end, spelling Trent Cole.
+ Casey Matthews bit on a play-fake on Manning's 40-yard touchdown to Brandon Jacobs.
+ Ahmad Bradshaw was second in the league in carries of 20+ yards last year, but he did not have any of those plays in the first two weeks. That changed with a 37-yard run in the second quarter. Jarrad Page missed a tackle, and Allen took a stiff arm. Bradshaw finished with 86 yards on 15 carries (5.7 YPC).
+ Cullen Jenkins picked up his fourth sack in the second quarter. Cole had a sack in the third on a play where Brian Rolle blitzed. Rolle had a nice play in coverage in the fourth quarter down the far sideline. You have to think he might get a shot sooner rather than later for Matthews.
+ Babin sacked Manning in the fourth quarter. He, Cole and Jenkins each have a sack in all three Eagles games so far this season. Babin was also called for an offsides penalty on a Giants field goal attempt late that gave them a first down. Manning ended up hitting Bradshaw for a touchdown to put the game away.
You can follow me on Twitter or become a fan of Moving the Chains on Facebook.