Philadelphia (4-1) at N.Y. Giants (1-4)
Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, Amazon Prime Video.
BetMGM line: Eagles by 7 1/2.
Against the spread: Eagles 3-2; Giants 1-4.
Series record: Eagles lead 95-88-2.
Last meeting: Eagles beat Giants 20-13 on Jan. 5, 2025, at Philadelphia.
Last week: Eagles lost to Broncos 21-17; Giants lost to Saints 26-14.
Eagles offense: overall (30), rush (25), pass (31), scoring (12t)
Eagles defense: overall (20), rush (22), pass (15), scoring (16)
Giants offense: overall (19), rush (13), pass (18), scoring (28)
Giants defense: overall (26), rush (26), pass (24), scoring (22)
Turnover differential: Eagles plus-4; Giants minus-5.
Eagles player to watch
RB Saquon Barkley. He had just six carries for 30 yards against Denver and his 282 yards this season rank 21st in the NFL. Barkley popped up on the practice report with a knee injury and it was unclear how much that has been affecting him. He said there’s some soreness, but if Barkley can push off and get moving, he could get a steady diet of carries against one of the shoddiest run defenses in the league.
Giants player to watch
LB Abdul Carter. The rookie has just a half-sack to show for his first five professional games after getting chosen third in the draft. He had 12 in his third and final season at Penn State. Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen has gotten creative moving Carter around to get him on the field with fellow edge rushers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Look for that to continue.
Key matchup
Eagles WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith vs. the Giants’ secondary. This might be the perfect opportunity for QB Jalen Hurts to pick big-play spots with Brown and Smith. No. 1 CB Paulson Adebo will be tasked with defending one of them, leaving the other against Cor’Dale Flott, Deonte Banks or Dru Phillips. That’s a matchup disadvantage for New York.
Key injuries
Eagles: LG Landon Dickerson injured his left ankle against Denver and was estimated not to practice at all on Tuesday, along with TE Grant Calcaterra (oblique).
Giants: WR Darius Slayton’s is out with a hamstring injury. … RB Tyrone Tracy is expected to return after missing the past two games with a shoulder injury. … OT Jermaine Eluemunor is questionable with a back issue.
Series notes
The Eagles have won six of the past seven meetings. … Barkley is playing his second game back at his old home stadium in the Meadowlands. He played his first six seasons with the Giants before leaving as a free agent in 2024.
Stats and stuff
Philadelphia’s loss to Denver snapped a 10-game winning streak that included the Super Bowl. It was the team’s first defeat since Dec. 22 at Washington. … Hurts is holding onto the ball longer than any other QB in the league this season at 2.6 seconds from snap to throw or the first sign of pressure. He had just two rushing attempts for 3 yards against the Broncos. … Barkley ran for 176 yards and a TD and caught another in his first career game against the Giants last year. … Brown and Smith have combined for just two 100-yard receiving games between them this season. They’ve been held to 60 or less in all the others. … TE Dallas Goedert has TD catches in each of the past three games. … LB Zack Baun led the Eagles with 12 tackles last week and also sacked Bo Nix. … Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart is set to make his third NFL start. Dart is coming off throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble at New Orleans. … Rookie RB Cam Skattebo had his first career fumble against the Saints. … TE Theo Johnson had two TD catches last week in the Giants’ first game since losing top WR Malik Nabers for the season because of a torn ACL. … Burns is tied for second in the league with five sacks. … LB Bobby Okereke leads New York with 48 tackles. Only Miami’s Jordyn Brooks and Washington’s Bobby Wagner have more this season.
Fantasy tip
Injuries at receiver opened up a huge opportunity for Giants rookie Beaux Collins. He and Dart had a miscommunication that led to one of the picks last weekend, but if they can develop some quick chemistry, Collins has the chance to put up some numbers on an offense lacking difference-makers.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
The Associated Press
