PHILADELPHIA -- A few thoughts on the Philadelphia Eagles' 27-0 victory against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field:
What it means: The Eagles dispatched a division opponent that had won three consecutive games and was starting to feel pretty confident. With the Dallas Cowboys' big win in Seattle, the Eagles kept pace with a 5-1 record. And they did it in style. Their offense finally looked like the 2013 version, with LeSean McCoy rushing for more yards (85) in the first half than he’d gained in an entire game all season. Nick Foles was efficient, throwing for two touchdowns before a couple of interceptions clouded his evening. The Eagles' defense also played its best all-around game, sacking Eli Manning five times in the first half and getting the Eagles’ first shutout since a 24-0 defeat of the Giants on Dec. 1, 1996. Put simply: The Eagles really looked like the team their record says they are.
Stock watch: LeSean McCoy -- the real one, the player who led the NFL in rushing last season -- finally appeared. On his second carry of the game, McCoy went around right end for 12 yards. On the next play, he ran up the middle for 18 yards. On the way to a season-high 149 rushing yards, more than his past three games combined, McCoy passed Steve Van Buren and moved into third place on the Eagles’ career rushing list. With a nod to the much steadier offensive line, McCoy’s stock went way up.
The empty box: OK, it wasn’t empty, but it must have looked that way to the Eagles. All season, opposing defenses have loaded up the middle of the field with seven or eight defenders in order to make life difficult for McCoy and the Eagles’ running game. The Giants held McCoy in check (2.7 yards a carry in two games) last season, but decided not to stack the box in this game. That opened things up for McCoy as well as the passing game. It also suggests future opponents will be very likely to load up the box when preparing for the Eagles.
Game ball: We have to go with McCoy. You could make an argument for Foles or Connor Barwin, who had three sacks. But it has been such a frustrating season for McCoy, let’s just hand him the rock one more time.
What’s next: The Eagles have their bye week, which means they can only watch as the Cowboys and Giants battle for an edge in the divisional race. The week off will help injured Eagles such as DeMeco Ryans (who played Sunday night) and Mychal Kendricks (who did not), plus offensive linemen Jason Kelce and Evan Mathis. The week after that, the Eagles travel to Arizona for a tough road game against the Cardinals.
