The Giants have saved their two best performances of the year for the Cowboys, accompanied by talk of ‘hatred’ for their rivals.
It is time for the Giants to point some of their anger at another NFC East opponent. The Eagles, who come into the Meadowlands on Sunday night, have beaten the Giants three straight. Last season, they started Big Blue on their late-season swoon with a win on the Giants’ home turf and finished them off on the same field with a knockout in the divisional round of the playoffs. This year, the Eagles embarrassed the Giants in Philadelphia with a 40-17 thrashing that was a low-point for the defending NFC East champs.
“The Giants have to get over that,” former Eagles cornerback and Jets coach Herm Edwards said. “They cannot continue to let a division opponent feel that confident every time you play, especially when it’s happening on your home field.”
Edwards, an analyst with ESPN, said he knows how brutal this I-95 rivalry can be even when nothing is on the line. That is not the case this time, with the Giants one game behind the Eagles and Cowboys in the tightly bunched NFC East.
“It doesn’t matter what your record is, you know what you are in store for,” Edwards said. “Whenever we played them we knew it was going to be tough football.”
Edwards was a part of the most memorable plays in the series. On Nov. 19, 1978, the Giants had the ball and a 17-12 lead in the final minute of the game. The Eagles were out of timeouts, but Giants QB Joe Picarcik fumbled the ball and Edwards scooped it up and returned it for the game-winning touchdown — a play referred to as the “Miracle at the Meadowlands.”
After the Eagles whipped the Giants earlier this season, it felt like the Giants would need a “miracle” themselves to make the playoffs. But after last week’s 31-24 win over the Cowboys and with a favorable schedule ahead, the Giants are in position to steal the division. But first they have to get past the Eagles, who unlike Dallas, seem to thrive as the season goes on.
“They generally play good in December,” Edwards said. “They have Donovan McNabb, who is great this time of year. They’re a little beat up, but they are good enough offensively where they can score points in bunches. They have a very explosive offense and their defense can do some things to make the quarterback uncomfortable.”
Edwards said he believes the key for the Giants is to pound the ball with running back Brandon Jacobs and keep the ball away from the Eagles’ explosive offense.
“The Giants have to control the tempo of the game,” Edwards said. “They can do that if they can run the ball and keep the Eagles offense out of rhythm.”
justin.terranova@nypost.com