Eagles Carried This Motivation into Game vs. Giants

Two weeks ago, when the New York Giants defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, the youthful Giants, in the eyes of some, celebrated as if they had just won the Super Bowl.

And why not? That was a team that came into that game on Thursday Night Football as an underdog, deemed a pushover. 

A big win over the defending Super Bowl champions, it was hoped, would provide the spark that the team desperately needed after a disheartening and turnover-filled loss against the Saints the week prior.

So as the Giants celebrated, led by rookies Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo, the latter of whom famously ripped off his shirt to perform a chest bump with TNF analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick, who also removed his shirt, the Eagles quietly took notice and kept score for the next meeting.

According to former Giants running back Saquon Barkley, who told reporters in the postgame locker room after Philly beat the Giants 30-28, Philly took note of the Giants' celebrations, and it sounds like they didn’t particularly care for it.

“It’s always great to beat a division rival,” Barkley said while standing in front of his locker. 

“For sure, we definitely saw how they celebrated when they beat us last time. But I think one of my favorite things (Head) Coach (Nick) Sirianni says is that revenge mindset that lasts for five minutes. Then it goes back to your habits.”

The way the Eagles went after the Giants, revenge might very well have been high on their minds. With the win, they have now beaten the Giants 13 straight on their home turf at the Linc. They also avoided being swept by the Giants for the first time since the 2007 season.

The Giants’ loss puts New York at 2-6 for the third consecutive season, the Giants having lost 31 of their last 42 games under head coach Brian Daboll, who this week saw his run defense completely gashed by the Eagles’ ground game, as led by Barkley. 

“Give credit to Philly,” Daboll said in a series of one-liners after the game. “They beat us in all phases.

“They controlled the line of scrimmage, and that was a major point of emphasis, and give them credit for doing that. When a team runs for nearly 300 yards, it's pretty difficult to control the game, if you will. And we missed out on some opportunities.”

The Giants will try to regroup for their next game, a home contest against the 49ers (5-3), who are coming off a 26-15 road loss to the Houston Texans.