Much of that damage came before Nick Sirianni became head coach and Jonathan Gannon took over the defense. In two games, Jones has gained 56 rushing yards on 13 carries. He threw for 202 yards and a touchdown in last season’s 13-7 Giants win up north, and in Week 14 of this season Jones managed just 169 passing yards and one touchdown throwing the football and 26 rushing yards on 4 carries. The Eagles sacked Jones four times and dominated defensively.
The Jones from Week 14, however, was vastly different from the one who led the Giants to the postseason win on Sunday, and Gannon certainly took notice of that performance.
“He played extremely well,” Gannon said on Wednesday. “Their offense was clicking on all cylinders. He made a lot of plays, a lot of throws. He used his legs at the right times to extend drives and get some first downs. We know it’s just like anybody we go against that the skill set of everybody that we’re playing against, how they use those guys and what we’ve got to be aware of and what we’ve got to have a plan for. He played extremely well that game and it’s one of the major reasons they’re playing us on Saturday night.”
Jones isn’t the only challenge here, because the Giants have relied heavily on running back Saquon Barkley, who rushed for 1,312 yards and scored 10 touchdowns on the ground in the regular season. Barkley is also a terrific receiver, as he demonstrated on Sunday in Minnesota with 5 receptions for 56 yards to go along with his 53 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries.
So, while it starts with Jones and there is going to be a heavy concentration on his movement in and out of the pocket, Barkley is also a huge part of the defensive equation.
“He’s a dual-threat quarterback and they do some things for him scheme-wise to get him going in the run game. Passing-wise, you see him making the right decisions and he’s getting the ball out of his hands as quick as he can,” linebacker T.J. Edwards said. “He’s done a good job of extending plays and making the right decisions. It’s going to take everybody and it’s going to take our best game. We know these guys decently well and we have an idea of what to expect.
“They do a good job of keeping it balanced and also using Saquon and their skill receivers on the perimeter. At times they do gap schemes and move the ball inside as well. Overall, it’s a balanced scheme and they do a good job getting a lot of players involved making plays.”
The Eagles also can’t allow all of the things that…
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