Nick Foles vs. New York Giants pass defense
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles hasn’t enjoyed a successful start to the 2014 season, and he could easily have more than the five interceptions he’s thrown this offseason. Both Foles and LeSean McCoy have been the biggest victims of major absences on the offensive line, but they also share some blame for their own struggles. Foles has rarely looked comfortable in the pocket, though, and that directly correlates to poor blocking (see Eli Manning last year and Tom Brady in weeks three and four of this season).
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It won’t get any easier for Foles on Sunday Night Football against the rising rival New York Giants, as they boast some impressive talent on the defensive side of the ball. Jason Pierre-Paul is quietly playing at a superstar level, and fellow defensive linemen Johnathan Hankins, veteran Cullen Jenkins, and the always under-appreciated Robert Ayers should not be taken lightly. Beyond that, the Giants have some big names in the secondary in Antrel Rolle, Prince Amukamara, and, of course, shutdown-caliber corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
Last week against the St. Louis Rams, Foles pretty much chucked the ball to his weapons, who did a nice job of bailing him out. With Darren Sproles coming out of the backfield, Foles has someone who can produce major YAC and turn short dump-offs under pressure into chain-moving chunks of yardage. The Giants are, as you would expect, fantastic at defending wide receivers, but where they struggle in coverage is against RBs and TEs; their worst players in coverage are all easily linebackers.
That’s great news for Nick Foles and the Eagles, because two of their most dangerous weapons are TE Zach Ertz and Sproles. Ertz has 16 receptions for 259 yards and a touchdown this season, averaging a bit over 50 yards per game. He could hit 75 on Sunday night if given the opportunity, and Ertz is one of the most talented and versatile TEs in the league. This is the kind of game he can dominate, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he outshines Larry Donnell.
As for Sproles, I think his talents and impact on the Eagles offense have been gone over frequently enough, though it is worth noting that he and Ertz have the same number of receptions. With the Giants better-than-the-sack-totals pass rush and the Eagles still-thin O-Line, I could see Foles targeting Sproles early and often.
Jeremy Maclin has been a staple for the team this year, and I think he could break free for a couple of big plays on Sunday. The Giants have eight interceptions this season compared to just five touchdowns allowed, but they have also given up plenty of yardage. Quit a bit of that has come in garbage time, as the most important stats are their league-leading INTs and close-to-league-leading TDs allowed (league-leading as in “lowest” here). I don’t think this game is going into garbage time, but the flow of it should allow Foles to rack up yardage.
The Giants ability to create turnovers concerns me, since, again, Foles has thrown five picks and could see consistent pressure from the Giants front four. That said, he is also averaging 276 passing yards per game, so those invested in him for fantasy purposes could end up liking the amount of yards he puts up on the Giants defense. I hate to single out one receiver as a weakness, but I think it would behoove Foles to avoid Riley Cooper this week. Cooper will improve as he cuts down on his drops and as the big plays start rolling in, but his hands and playmaking ability have betrayed him thus far. More importantly, Cooper will be going up against a top-flight corner no matter what, and he isn’t as good as Maclin or Jordan Matthews.