When the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants meet at Giants Stadium on Saturday (1:30 ET), it ought to be a tremendous football game between two of the hottest teams in the NFC. While the Eagles are vying for home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, the Giants are just trying to survive into the postseason.

I had a chance to see the Giants live last week in Indianapolis, and I couldn't wait to break down the coaches' tape to see how they've improved over the last three weeks. People want to talk about Kerry Collins, Amani Toomer, Tiki Barber and Jeremy Shockey, but what jumped out to me is how the offensive line has come together. This group, a huge question mark at the beginning of the season, has made the most significant improvement and they are working in harmony under Jim McNally, one of the best offensive line coaches in the game.

As for the Eagles, everyone thought they would fall apart when Donovan McNabb went down. But I believe the Eagles' offense has developed a better rhythm, first under Koy Detmer and now under A.J. Feeley, who will make his fifth straight start. It's not a McNabb-drop-back-and-make-a-play offense. Feeley is reading the coverage, staying with the progression and getting the ball out of his hand to a running back or wide receiver.

Five keys for the Eagles
1. Keep Feeley in rhythm: That means the Eagles must manage the game and handle the play-calling properly. If they keep him on schedule and out of third-and-long situations, I believe they will sustain offense against the Giants.

2. Good run-pass balance: The Eagles have become much more balanced without McNabb. But they should accentuate the run even more. In the first meeting against the Giants, the Eagles rushed for 299 yards. Yes, McNabb had a lot to do with the production, but much of it had to do with inside traps against Giants DE Kenny Holmes. The key will be for the Eagles to show a commitment to run the ball.

3. Pressure Collins: Giants QB Kerry Collins is in a zone right now, throwing eight touchdown passes without an interception in his last four games. The Eagles, who lead the NFL in sacks, must take him out of his comfort zone.

4. Force third-and-long: That means the Eagles must be successful on first and second downs. The Eagles are the best pressure defense in football. When they get teams in third-and-long, they come with all of their exotic blitzes and break down the quarterback and the protection schemes.

5. Runyan must win: Eagles RT Jon Runyan must outduel Giants DE Michael Strahan. If he can handle Strahan or at least break even with him in one-on-one situations, the Eagles have a good shot. The problem is that Holmes is starting to get his game going on the other side. Maybe that's because the Giants' linebackers are playing better as well. Runyan must win so they can give help to Eagles LT Tra Thomas against Holmes. It's almost a Catch-22.

Five keys for the Giants
1. Tight secondary coverage: Giants CB Will Peterson should be back this week. With Peterson and Will Allen, the Giants can play more tight man-to-man coverage. They want to force Feeley to make the stick throws. They don't want to play off the wide receivers and allow him to read the defense. They need tight, mixed coverages against an inexperienced quarterback.

2. Stop the power running game: The Eagles were able to run almost at will on the edges in the first meeting. Most of it was directed at Holmes. He and the Giants' defense must not allow a repeat performance.

3. Be alert for trick plays: Eagles head coach Andy Reid is as good as any coach in the NFL with his gimmicks and gadgets -- reverses, fake reverses, halfback passes, receiver passes, etc. He always seems to find one every week that produces an explosive play or points. The Giants must be prepared.

4. Think protection first: Against Indianapolis, the Giants had two tight ends on the field for 56 of their 65 offensive snaps. The Giants only had three receivers on the field two times. So the Giants have gone to a more base style of offense. They are not spreading the field. I think they will have the same game plan against Philadelphia. The extra protection has paid dividends with Collins, who has a comfort level in the pocket and has only bee sacked twice in four games.

5. Tiki is key: The Giants must make sure Tiki Barber is an integral part of the game. Barber has played well against the Eagles because he matches up well with their linebackers. If they get him the ball in space, he will make people miss. They have to use him in the screen game and in the passing game out of the backfield.

Former NFL quarterback Ron Jaworski, who played 15 seasons with the Rams, Eagles, Dolphins and Chiefs, is an analyst on "Edge NFL Matchup" and "Monday NFL Countdown."