The New York Giants (7-5) had a great win over the Cowboys last week, but they have an even tougher opponent this week in the Philadelphia Eagles (8-4).  The Eagles have won three in a row, with Donovan McNabb leading the way.  The Giants cannot let McNabb beat them deep, and he will be passing the ball a lot so they will have some opportunities for interceptions.  If they can get a turnover or two off McNabb they will probably win.  Although McNabb will be throwing a lot, the Giants need to pay attention to LeSean McCoy who has the ability to make some big plays on the ground.

The Giants offense will need Eli Manning to be on top of his game.  Eli’s foot has been bothering him, but it should be better this week and he should be able to play through it with a lot less pain.  He has thrown an interception in three straight games though, and if the Giants don’t win the turnover battle they will lose the game.  Brandon Jacobs could help Eli out a lot if he can run the ball better than the 3 yard average he has been putting up lately.  The Eagles have been playing better football as of late, so I am going with them in a close game.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  New York Giants 20, Philadelphia Eagles 27

The New York Giants (5-3) have now lost three straight games after opening the season 5-0.  They don’t have an easy opponent in the San Diego Chargers (4-3) so they are in danger of losing four in a row.  Eli Manning really needs to step his game up, as he is one of the main reason the Giants have been playing so bad lately.  Eli has thrown six interceptions in his last three games, and if the Giants want to win this game Eli has to stop turning the ball over.  Brandon Jacobs has yet to have a 100 yard game this season, but he may have his chance in this one as the Chargers give up 132 rushing yards per game.

The Giants defense will have a big challenge in this one.  The Chargers have a very talented offense and their quarterback Drew Brees has the confidence and ability to put up some huge numbers.  He is prone to forcing the ball at times though, so if the Giants can get a lot of pressure on him he may throw a pick or two.  They also have to worry about the two-headed running attack of LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles, who are averaging 3.4 yards per carry and have combined for four rushing touchdowns.  If the Giants continue like they have played lately, they wont have a chance.  I expect them to come out ready to play though and Eli should be able to bounce back.  I still see them falling just short to the Chargers and their offense.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  San Diego Chargers 31, New York Giants 30

Just like the Yankees, the New York Giants (5-2) are on the road against a Philadelphia team, as they take on the Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) Sunday.  This should be a good match-up, as it is two good teams with two good quarterbacks facing off.  Eli Manning needs to play much better than he did last week, as he threw three interceptions in their loss to Arizona.  Philly has a strong defense, but they have been inconsistent at times so Eli could make some big plays down the field, he just needs to make sure he takes care of the ball.  Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw should be effective against the Eagles’ run-defense that gives up 97 rushing yards per game.

The Giants defense needs to try and stop the Donovan McNabb-DeSean Jackson combo.  Johnson is battling a foot injury, but it doesn’t look like it will slow him down too much as he has practiced fully the last two days.  He has 21 catches for 423 yards this season, which is a 20 yard average, so he is a big play receiver.  If they can limit the big plays, then they should be able to win the game, especially since the Eagles running game has been struggling lately.  This will be a close game, but I think the Giants will pull out a late win.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  New York Giants 30, Philadelphia Eagles 28

The New York Giants (5-1) are coming off their worst game of the year and are trying to bounce back this week against the Arizona Cardinals (3-2) at home Sunday.  The Giants, who have one of the best defenses in the league, gave up 368 passing yards and four touchdowns to Drew Brees last week.  The are facing another talented quarterback with Kurt Warner and he has one of the best targets to throw to in Larry Fitzgerald.  The Giants need a much better effort from their pass-defense in this game and they say they are going to blitz a lot more than they did last week.  If their blitz is not effective, Warner will eat up the secondary.

The Cardinals don’t have much of a running game, so the Giants can key in on stopping Warner and the passing game.  I’m expecting Eli Manning to have a much better game this week.  He has been hurting from plantar fasciitis, but another week has passed for it to heal so I think he will have a much better game than the previous two.  The Cardinals give up 265 passing yards per game too, so Eli should not have a problem with their secondary.  These are two very good offenses going in this matchup, but with the Giants having the better defense I think they will win a close, hard fought game.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Arizona Cardinals 30, New York Giants 35

I loved watching the Giants sneak up on the Cowboys, Packers and Patriots last season but it won’t likely happen in 2008.  Every team is going to fire their best shot against the defending Super Bowl Champions.  It doesn’t help matters that Osi Umenyiora is out for the season and Michael Strahan is retired.  I would make a small play on the under if I had a gun to my head.

This season it’s put up or shut up time for QB Eli Manning.  He won’t have Tiki Barber around to bail him out this season.  RB Brandon Jacobs must have a good season or teams are going to tee off on Manning and force him into making huge mistakes.  Also, the defense is going to be nothing to write home about.  Fans will be calling for Tom Coughlin’s head in the middle of this season so do yourself a favor and take the under.

The over/under for Giants wins is 9.  The Giants are currently 16-1 to win the Super Bowl and 9-1 to win the NFC.

Save your cash, I project 9 victories for the Giants in the rugged NFC East.

The Giants have beat up on the Saints as of late at home.  This could be a game the Giants really need late in the season and it should be cold.  The Giants are 3-0-1 against the spread the last four times these teams have met in the Meadowlands.  I think the Giants defense will rise to the challenge and shut the Saints down, as Reggie Bush is thinking “Man, it never got this cold at USC”.

Pay off the Christmas season and take the Giants.