Giants quarterback Eli Manning drops back after taking the snap from center Shaun O’Hara, ball gripped tightly in his right hand, three fingers over the laces. To his left, Amani Toomer is running a short slant. Charging down the sideline on a deep route is Domenik Hixon. Manning trusts both, but not to 100 percent.
This is one of the scenarios Manning will face Sunday as the NFC East champion Giants take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round of the playoffs. With the season series split a game apiece — the Eagles handed the Giants their only home loss, 20-14 on Dec. 7 — the game could go either way.
Manning no longer has a number-one receiver to get the ball to. But, the soft-spoken reigning Super Bowl MVP will tell you differently. He thinks equally of all his wideouts. The way you’ll be able to tell who the Eagles have game-planned as Manning’s top target is by looking to see who coach Andy Reid puts All Pro corner Asante Samuel on.
Samuel is one of the keys to the game for the Eagles. The first-year Bird has more postseason interception returns for touchdowns than anyone. With the temperature expected to rest below freezing, and the wind sure to be swirling around the Meadowlands, you can bet a few of Manning’s throws will be up for grabs.
The second key to the game for Philadelphia is their ability to get the ball to Brian Westbrook. The seventh-year back, who’s missed practice all of this week with a knee injury, has two touchdowns and 157 yards rushing against the Giants this year. Westbrook has the ability to make the defense look foolish — albeit the Giants wouldn’t be the first.
New York, meanwhile, needs to rely on their rushing attack. Brandon Jacobs hasn’t seen action in three weeks, but you can bet he’s feeling like a caged cat being teased by a 3-year-old. Coach Tom Coughlin’s been saving his big back for the playoffs and you can expect to see him get somewhere near 30 carries in this game. The Giants must also compliment his powerful runs with long bursts to tire the Eagles’ defense. That’s where Derrick Ward and Amhad Bradshaw come in. Combined, the three have rushed for 2469 yards — Jacobs and Ward both had 1000-yard seasons — and 18 touchdown.
The Giants’ defense will be the other key to the game for Big Blue. Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb no longer has the speed he once possessed, but that doesn’t mean he won’t run with the ball. The defense needs to play tight on Westbrook and hope that rookie standout Desean Jackson (912 yards receiving) makes more boneheaded blunders. McNabb doesn’t have any other major targets, which should prove to be an easy day for Giant corners Corey Webster and Aaron Ross. Of note, the Giants finished fifth (292) in the league in yards allowed this season. The Eagles, meanwhile, were third (273.3).
Plain and simple: Stop Westbrook and the Giants win. It’s the front-page game plan the Giants coaches have been working on over the last week, and it’s the one way to put them a game away from… well, the Big Game.
Catch CheapSeatsRadio.net’s complete coverage of Sunday’s game as the Giants take on the Eagles. We’ll be inside the Giants Stadium press box bringing you live insight, analysis and updates beginning at 11 a.m. ET.
"The Cheap Seats: Notebook" 