As the Eagles prepare to play on Thursday Night Football against the New York Giants, it's important to remember that matchups within the NFC East are even more paramount this season with the division in the shape that it is in. No team in the division at this point is above .500, which makes it more crucial for every team to win the games against division rivals.
You would think the player they need to contain week in and week out is the opposing team's quarterback, but Daniel Jones hasn't turned into the stud the Giants need him to be. So instead of Jones, the Eagles need to be able to contain Darius Slayton on TNF if they want to win.
Slayton is the hands-down number one receiver for the Giants. So far through six games this season he has 25 receptions on 44 targets for 406 yards. The number two option for the Giants is their tight end Evan Engram, who has recorded 20 receptions on 35 targets. A key difference between these two stat lines is that Engram is averaging 8.9 yards per reception and 29.5 yards per game, while Slayton is averaging over 16.2 yards per reception and 67.7 yards per game. Slayton will be more of a threat downfield than any other Giants receiver. Daniel Jones has 13 passes for 20+ yards so far this season, and six of those passes were to Slayton.
Stopping Slayton will stop the Giants from putting points on the board through the air. Through the first six games this season Daniel Jones has only thrown three touchdown passes and all three of them were to Slayton. This stat helps you realize the Giants are struggling to score points, and if you take Slayton out of the equation the Giants would have to find another receiver to throw a touchdown to which has not happened yet to this point. Stopping Slayton would force Jones to spread the ball around and they are not deep at the receiver position. The Eagles went out and traded for Darius Slay this offseason and paid him like a shutdown corner. So far he has lived up to his contract this season, but he'll be tested once again by the Giants' speedy receiver.
If Darius Slay can shadow and contain Darius Slayton on Thursday Night, then the Eagles should come out of this game with a 2-4-1 record.
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