Mistakes. Make none of them and the Giants are talented enough to beat any team in the league. Make a few and they’ll likely defeat at least half of their opponents. Make several and they’d better hope one of the NFL’s weaker squads is on the opposite bench – and the Philadelphia Eagles are not to be confused with your neighborhood’s Pop Warner team.

The Giants have lost the turnover battle twice this season – against fellow playoff contenders New Orleans and Arizona – and suffered two straight losses. No surprises there. So before reviewing the key matchups for Sunday’s game in Philadelphia, we’ll remind you that it’s imperative for the Giants to eliminate the turnovers that have plagued them during their two-game skid.

1. Eagles WRs DeShaun Jackson and Jeremy Maclin vs. Giants LCB Corey Webster and RCB Terrell Thomas. Philadelphia finally has provided QB Donovan McNabb with the kind of speed at receiver that he’s craved throughout his career. Jackson’s averaging 20.1 yards per catch in his second year with the Eagles and seven of his 10 career touchdowns have come on plays of at least 55 yards. In Week 5, Maclin (13.7 avg.) became the first rookie in team history to catch two TD passes of 40-plus yards in a game when he sliced the Buccaneers for scores of 51 and 40 yards. We already know it’s important for corners to get a good jam at the line against such speedsters, but it’s also critical for the Giants to allow Webster and Thomas to plaster their man. Last weekend, Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald dissected the Giants’ zone for two big plays on the go-ahead TD drive, but wasn’t nearly as productive against man coverage the rest of the night because Webster wouldn’t allow him to get comfortable nor could Fitzgerald find any room to roam after the catch. Webster will start out on Jackson and would be wise to stay on him, leaving Thomas on Maclin. WARNING: Thomas leads the Giants with nine missed tackles. He whiffs and Maclin may be sprinting toward the end zone. If the Giants feel the need to blitz a safety, maybe they should send CC Brown or nickel safety Aaron Rouse because neither one has proven to be much help in coverage over the top.

2. Giants MLB Antonio Pierce vs. Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. In addition to Jackson and Maclin, the Eagles have added rookie halfback LeSean McCoy to the mix – giving them the most speed they’ve had at the skill positions in recent memory. For those of you who think the Eagles are going to miss RB Brian Westbrook (concussion), be careful what you wish for because McCoy’s quickness brings a different dimension to their offense – which just happens to be trait that’s given fits to the Giants’ bruised defense this season. (Did you hear? WLB Michael Boley is working on a limited basis at practice, although he likely won’t be ready until after the bye week.) Anyway, back to the Eagles. They’ve got a full chapter of Wildcat plays and will run them for backup QB Michael Vick, Jackson or McCoy. More often than not, these plays are successful when the defense is not in the proper alignment – which means film guru Pierce must be on top of his game (and he usually is) when making adjustments at the line. Somebody order Pierce a few movie theater-sized bags of popcorn to munch on during his study time in the final 48 hours before the game.

3. Giants QB Eli Manning vs. Eagles secondary. He’s coming off his worst game of the season, albeit only one of Manning's three interceptions against Arizona could be pinned on a poor throw – the force to Steve Smith that was picked off by Antrel Rolle (one of three defenders in the area) with 1:15 remaining. Philadelphia CBs Asante Samuel (four INTs) and Sheldon Brown (three) play the ball well, but can be burned gambling for the pick so there will be several chances to go deep during the game - Manning must connect on these opportunities and his receivers need to hold onto the ball. (Mario Manningham has a team-leading seven drops, so how about throwing more at – sorry, Stephen Baker - Hakeem “The Touchdown Maker” Nicks?) Manning’s had moderate success against the Eagles in his career, going 6-5 as a starter (including the postseason) with 14 TDs and 13 INTs. Oddly enough, he’s an impressive 4-1 with nine TDs and six INTs at The Linc.

PREDICTION: Giants 23, Eagles 20 (OT)
PREDICTION RECORD TO DATE: 6-1