National Football League

Breaking down Eagles-Giants with NFL insider Michael Lombardi

Published Nov. 15, 2016 1:45 p.m. ET

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FOX Sports contributor Michael Lombardi is a personnel evaluator by trade who served as the Cleveland Browns general manager in 2013. Lombardi began his career with the San Francisco 49ers organization in 1984. He spent time with the 49ers (1984-86), Browns (1987-95, 2013), Philadelphia Eagles (1997-98), Oakland Raiders (1999-2007) and New England Patriots (2014-15) during his career, earning Super Bowl rings with San Francisco (1985) and New England (2014). Most recently, he served as a special assistant to the Patriots coaching staff during the 2014 and 2015 seasons, working closely with head coach Bill Belichick. Before every big NFL game, he assembles a report that breaks down the matchup from a front office perspective. He shared his eight-point look at Sunday's Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants game (FOX, 1 p.m. ET) with us.

1. The Giants have gotten worse in two spots, head coach and offensive coordinator. They miss Tom Coughlin, and the offense has taken a downturn with Ben McAdoo stepping up from coordinator to head coach. Compared to last season, their NFL rank has slipped in points per game (6th to 26th), yards per game (8th to 19th), rushing yards per game (18th to 32nd) and QB rating (11th to 20th).

2. Carson Wentz must find a way to throw the ball down the field for the Eagles. Philadelphia ranks 28th in the NFL in plays of 10 or more yards, and Wentz has been held under 5 yards per attempt in his past two games.

3. The Giants are the healthiest they have been since the start of the season. Coming off a bye week, all 53 players on the active roster practiced Wednesday. All eyes, however, will be on star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. He has been dealing with a hip/oblique injury that limited him greatly in his last game, but fortunately he’s feeling better after the bye. He is expected to be near 100 percent, but he still needs to be monitored because the injury didn’t respond well to practice two weeks ago, and he almost didn’t play against the Rams.

4. The Eagles are extraordinarily strong coming out of halftime, outscoring their opponents by 58 points in the third quarter. They’ll need to keep that up against the Giants.

5. The Giants are one of three teams that hasn’t scored a point this season on opening drives. Is it possible McAdoo doesn’t have the time/focus to properly script out the first drive in his new role?

6. After beating the Bears during his first road game in Week 2, Wentz lost three straight away from home. He must prove he can win in a hostile environment.

7. The Giants are losing the turnover battle this year. In 2015, they were a plus-7, fifth in the NFL. This year, they are minus-7, 28th in the league.

8. Eagles defensive tackle Bennie Logan (groin) returned to practice this week. A key figure on the interior, Logan will be monitored leading up to Sunday. Getting Logan back is huge. They need him to fill the middle, and he takes pressure off Fletcher Cox.