The New York Giants can’t afford a letdown after smacking down the Eagles in Philly.  The Cardinals have lost two tough games in a row.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Giants have the ball:  The Giants are likely going to try to bully the Cardinals in this game.  That means they are likely going to feed the ball to Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs in this game against a Cardinals’ D that is allowing 122.7 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry so far this year.  The Giants are going to also attack the Cardinals down the field with passes to WRs Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham and Victor Cruz.  The key for the Giants will be giving Eli Manning time to throw the ball as he has been sacked 10 times already this year and the Cardinals have 8 sacks.

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Giants are going to have to get a lot of pressure on Kevin Kolb or he’s going to be making plays against the thin secondary.  The Cardinals are throwing for 253.3 yards per game while the Giants are giving up 255.0 yards in the air so far this year.  The Giants will likely double team Larry Fitzgerald a lot in this game and dare Kevin Kolb to beat them throwing to his other receivers.  Getting RB Beanie Wells back should give the Cardinals a boost in the running game and some balance on offense.

PREDICTION:  GIANTS 23, CARDINALS 21

The Giants were without a lot of their top playmakers last week due to injury against the Eagles.  They needed someone to step up and 24-year old WR Victor Cruz certainly did that.  He caught 3 passes for 110 yards (36.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs against the Eagles and their supposedly vaunted secondary last week.  Both of the TD grabs were amazing.  He has now played in all 3 games for the Giants this year and he has caught 5 passes for 127 yards (25.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  With Mario Manningham back this weekend, the Giants are now three deep in solid receivers.

25-year old WR Mario Manningham has been cleared to return to action after missing yesterday’s game with the Eagles due to a concussion.  Manningham has played in 2 games for the Giants so far this year and he has caught 7 passes for 105 yards (15.0 avg).  This is good news for the Giants, as Manningham will give the Giants a very solid top three at WR along with Hakeem Nicks and the suddenly red hot Victor Cruz.

The New York Giants started quick (14 points in the first quarter) and they finished strongly (scored 15 unanswered points in the 4th quarter) to put away the Eagles yesterday.  Eli Manning shredded the so-called great secondary of the Eagles as he completed 16 of 23 passes for 254 yards with 4 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Ahmad Bradshaw led the way on the ground for the Giants yesterday with 86 yards rushing on 15 carries (5.7 ypc) plus he also caught 5 passes for 53 yards (10.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Brandon Jacobs only rushed for 19 yards on 7 carries (2.7 ypc) but he also caught 2 passes for 42 yards (21.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  WR Victor Cruz really stepped up big time for the Giants in this game with 3 grabs for 110 yards (36.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  The Giants finished up with 102 yards rushing on 25 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 23 passes (69.6%) for 232 yards as they only had the ball for 23:09 in this game.

The defense was on the field a long time and they gave up a lot of yards, but they made big plays when they had to.  LB Jacquain Williams (10 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss), DE Jason Pierre-Paul (9 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks and 2 QB hits) and safety Kenny Phillips (9 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) led the way for the Giants’ on D in this game.  CB Aaron Ross also made some big plays as he had 5 tackles, 3 passes defensed and 2 interceptions.  The Eagles rushed for 177 yards on 40 carries (4.4 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 30 passes (66.7%) for 199 yards in this game.  The Giants are now 2-1 on the year.

The Giants have re-signed 28-year old WR Michael Clayton.  Clayton played in 6 games (0 starts) for the Giants last year and he caught 2 passes for 19 yards (9.5 avg).  He has now played in 90 games (56 starts) in his first 7 years in the NFL and he has caught 223 passes for 2,955 yards (13.3 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  Clayton has also carried the ball 18 times for 100 yards (5.6 ypc) without any TD runs in his career so far.  This was a good signing for the Giants as they are suffering a lot of injuries at WR with Domenik Hixon out for the year (torn ACL) and Mario Manningham nursing a concussion.

This could be an epic matchup this week in Philly.  The Eagles swept the Giants last year by a combined score of 65-48 last year, but the Giants almost beat them the second time around.  Here’s a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Giants have the ball:  The Giants are going to tighten up the chinstraps and try to bully the Eagles with the running game.  Look for Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs to combine for 35-40 carries if things are going right this Sunday.  The Eagles are allowing 146.0 yards rushing per game and 5.3 yards per carry so far this year!  If the Giants can control the clock with the running game, it will help keep the Eagles’ offense on the sideline.  The Giants’ O-Line has given up 7 sacks already this year and the blitzing Eagles have 9 of them already this year, so Eli Manning will have to make smart and quick decisions.  Manning threw 4 pickoffs against the Eagles (and 6 TDs) last year, so he will have to be careful against the outstanding corners of the Giants.

When the Eagles have the ball:  The Eagles are going to do what works for them.  The Giants are going to have to try to contain Michael Vick in the pocket as he’s nowhere near as effective when operation from it.  Vick threw for 500 yards and he rushed for 164 yards in the two games against the Giants last year.  The Giants are only giving up 66.5 yards rushing per game and 3.0 yards per carry so far this year, so they might be able to put up a better fight against Lesean McCoy and Vick this time around.  The Giants will have to get after Vick, because if the has time to throw the ball, Desean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin are likely to do a lot of damage to the Giants’ secondary.

PREDICTION:  EAGLES 34, GIANTS 17

The Giants have lost 26-year old WR/PR/KR Domenik Hixon for the rest of the season due to a torn right ACL.  This was the second time in 15 months that Hixon has blown out his right knee.  He played in both of the Giants games this year and he caught 4 passes for 50 yards (12.5 avg) with an amazing TD grab last Monday Night.  Hixon also returned 3 punts for 31 yards (10.3 avg) this year.  Hixon has now played in 48 games in his first 5 years with the Giants and he has caught 63 passes for 838 yards (13.3 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He has also returned 51 punts for 561 yards (11.0 avg) with 1 TD return and 80 kickoffs for 1,966 yards (24.6 avg) with 1 TD return.  This is a big blow to the Giants as they were depending on Hixon to be the #3 WR in 2011.

30-year old QB Eli Manning has only been so-so this year.  He has played in both of the Giants’ games so far this year and he has completed 36 of 61 passes (59%) for 468 yards with 2 TD passes and 2 INTs (80.5 QB Rating).  Manning has also carried the ball 5 times for -10 yards (-2.0 ypc) so far this year.  The Giants need Manning to be more consistent on the good side then he has been in the past, because the Giants are going to likely have to outscore opponents a lot this year due to all of the injuries on the defensive side of the football.

The Giants made a lot of big plays on defense and that was the biggest reason for the win last night.  Safety Antrel Rolle (9 tackles), LB Jacquian Williams (7 tackles) and LB Michael Boley (6 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and a fumble recovery that he returned 65 yards for a TD) led the way for the Giants’ D last night.  DEs Justin Tuck (5 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks and 3 QB hits) and Dave Tollefson (fumble recovery) also made big plays for the Giants last night.  The Rams finished up with 59 yards rushing on 19 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 46 passes (47.8%) for 308 yards in this game.

Eli Manning has a so-so game as he completed 18 of 29 passes for 200 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT.  Ahmad Bradshaw led the way on the ground for the Giants last night with 59 yards rushing on 15 carries (3.9 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 45 yards (9.0 avg).  Brandon Jacobs also was solid last night with 16 carries for 50 yards (3.1 ypc) with 1 TD carry and he caught 1 pass for 17 yards.  WRs Mario Manningham (3 rec, 56 yards), Domenik Hixon (2 rec, 29 yards, TD) and Hakeem Nicks (3 rec, 15 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Giants last night.  The Giants rushed for 119 yards on 38 carries (3.1 ypc) last night and they also completed 18 of 29 passes (62.1%) for 181 yards last night as they had possession of the ball for 34:12.  The Giants are now 1-1 on the year.

The New York Giants got battered and shocked by the Redskins last weekend in Washington.  But, on Monday Night Football this week, they get the St. Louis Rams in the home opener.  I look for the Giants to be plenty motivated for this game.  Here is a look at the matchups:

When the Giants have the ball:  The Giants are going to come right after the Rams with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw.  And why not?  After all, the Rams allowed the Eagles to run for 237 yards last week and a stunning 7.6 yards per carry!  Hakeem Nicks guaranteed that he would play this week on Friday.  The Giants need him as he is the most dependable WR on the roster.  Mario Manningham and TE Jake Ballard will also get looks from Eli Manning this Monday Night, when warranted.

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams are going to try to ride Cadillac Williams in both the running and passing game against the Giants.  The Giants should be up to the challenge as they held the Redskins to 74 yards rushing on 26 carries (2.8 ypc) last week.  Sam Bradford’s finger is hurting on his right hand, so his passes might not have the normal zip on them.  That being said, the Giants still need to put a good pass rush on him to help protect the Giants’ corners.

PREDICTION:  GIANTS 24, RAMS 13