The 4-2-1 New York Giants travel to Philadelphia this weekend to face the 2–6 Philadelphia Eagles, who enter the matchup on a six-game losing streak. Philadelphia is coming off a disappointing 27–10 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football in Week 8.
Things are unraveling in Philadelphia. The Eagles are dealing with a rash of injuries and have switched from quarterback Tanner McKee to Joe Milton. Head coach Nick Sirianni is facing mounting questions from the media about offensive
coordinator Sean Mannion, while general manager Howie Roseman has traded valuable assets in exchange for draft capital. To put it simply, things are far from sunny in Philadelphia.
Still, the Eagles will look to defend their home turf against a Giants franchise that hasn’t won at Lincoln Financial Field since 2013. New York enters the matchup well-rested after its bye week, presenting an opportunity to snap that frustrating losing streak. And with the John Harbaugh era bringing a different identity and renewed expectations to the Giants, this team may finally have what it takes to change the narrative.
Eagles’ statistics
The Eagles’ offense has struggled all season. Philadelphia ranks 30th in the league in points per game, with an average of just 17.1 points. They’re 29th in total yards (2,122 yards), 32nd in yards per game (265 yards), and they’re last in yards per play (4.4 YPP).
Philadelphia ranks 24th in passing yards per game (196.4) and 27th in rushing yards per game (88.1). They have a 37.3% third-down conversion rate, which ranks 26th in the league.
Tanner McKee has completed 63.2% of his passes for 638 yards with a pair of touchdowns and interceptions. Joe Milton, though, poses a much different skill set that the Giants must account for. DeVonta Smith has missed a handful of games, including the loss to Washington last week; he still leads the team with 310 receiving yards.
Saquon Barkley is hobbled and played on a pitch count last week. He leads the Eagles with 274 rushing yards (4.9 YPC), with two rushing touchdowns. Elijah Mitchell is the backup running back with Tank Bigsby, Will Shipley, and Dameon Pierce all on injured reserve.
Eagles’ personnel
Milton played three seasons at Michigan dating back to 2018 before he transferred to Tennessee. He threw for 2,813 yards with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions and a 64.7% completion rate in Josh Heupel’s offense back in 2023; he also rushed for 299 yards and seven touchdowns that year. Milton spent time with the Patriots, Cowboys, and now the Eagles.
Saquon Barkley played 32% of the snaps in Week 8. He touched the football often in his limited snaps over the last two weeks – he played 15% of snaps in Week 7. Mitchell is the primary backup now, and Jaydon Blue played 12% of snaps last week. The running situation – including the push up front from the line – has been poor.
Smith missed the last two weeks, and the two weeks prior to Week 6. Dontayvion Wicks hasn’t played since Week 6. It’s been the rookies, Makai Lemon and Darius Cooper, who have played more than 90% of the snaps over the last two weeks. Both players have flashed.
Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore were the only other two wide receivers to play snaps against Washington, who operated heavier personnel packages without Smith. Tight end Dallas Goedert played 80% of the snaps, as Johnny Mundt and Eli Stowers both played 19% of snaps. Grant Calcaterra played 17% of snaps.
Jordan Mailata is the starting left tackle with rookie Markel Bell starting on the right side; Lane Johnson retired a few weeks ago, forcing Bell into the starting lineup. Tyler Steen mans the right guard spot, with Landon Dickerson playing left guard; Dickerson has been playing through a pectoral injury. Drew Kendall is the starting center now that Cam Jurgens is no longer an Eagle after he was traded to the Baltimore Ravens.
The matchup
Starting Milton could provide the Eagles with a spark. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound quarterback is an excellent athlete with a howitzer arm, but he’s bounced around practice squads and hasn’t found consistency yet. Still, his mobility and strength in the pocket could allow him to escape the Giants’ rush. It’s an exciting move for Philadelphia — all things considered — but he’s never proven consistent with timing, accuracy, and other nuances of the quarterback position, albeit he’s just 26 years old.
New York has blitzed at a 36.6% rate this season, which ranks second only behind the Minnesota Vikings. I expect the Giants to dial up the pressure against the young quarterback, with a heavy middle-of-the-field closed approach. The Eagles have struggled offensively, but the Giants must focus on stopping Barkley when he is on the field.
The Giants can run man-to-man situational defense and focus on Cover-3, with a focus on stopping the run. Adjustments to middle-of-the-field-open defenses will happen in third-and-long situations. Fire-zone blitzes and a pre-snap loaded line of scrimmage should be employed in an attempt to force mistakes from the young quarterback.
New York’s cornerbacks should press up on the line if Philadelphia attempts to run quick game often, as plenty of teams have attempted to run against the Giants. If pressure starts to get home on Milton and New York establishes a lead, the Giants can sit comfortably in zone to force check-downs underneath, as Washington did at the end of their win against Philadelphia.
If Philadelphia leans on more 12 personnel, especially with Eli Stowers, how do the Giants respond? Base or Nickel? Since New York will likely want to stop the run, they may respond with a heavier base package – five-man front. Philadelphia may look to try and get Stowers isolated against a linebacker or safety in those heavier tight end packages.
The Eagles’ offensive line has been susceptible in both pass protection and as run blockers, relative to what we’re accustomed to seeing every year. The Giants have to maintain the level of knock-back and physicality that they had against Houston. If they can do that, the Giants shouldn’t have a problem winning the game.
Final thoughts
The Giants are the better football team. Still, winning in Philadelphia hasn’t been an easy venture for the Giants. I believe they get over the hump and win convincingly in Philadelphia. Pick: 30-13, Giants.
