New York Giants Week 8: How the Philadelphia Eagles Offense Might Be Different

For the first time this season, the New York Giants will face an opponent for the second time when they travel to face the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off one of their best offensive performances of the season before their rematch with the NY Giants. 

While it’s just been a couple of weeks in between their first meeting on Thursday Night Football, there are still bound to be some tweaks made to keep the Giants off balance.

Personnel

The Eagles' core is still built through quarterback Jalen Hurts, receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and tight end Dallas Goedert for this game, but there might be a shake-up in the backfield next to Hurts.

Former Giants running back Saquon Barkley was injured in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday, though he was not listed on the Eagles’ opening injury report.  

Still, after practicing, there is always the chance that Barkley’s reps get rolled back the rest of the week. If, for some reason, he isn’t able to go, Will Shipley and Tank Bigsby will likely split the snaps, although A.J. Dillon could be activated again after being a healthy scratch this past weekend.

If Barkley isn’t able to go, this Eagles run game is likely going to suffer tremendously behind an offensive line that hasn’t been nearly as dominant as they’ve been in years past.

Tight ends Kylen Granson, EJ Jenkins, and Cameron Latu could all see an increase in snaps as well, with the rise in 12-personnel usage last week.

Scheme

The Eagles leaned into 12 personnel during their Week 7 game against the Vikings. While that might have been due to the Vikings' aggressive defense, it also led to one of their best offensive performances of the season.

I expect the Eagles to continue using 12-personnel, especially if Barkley is limited in any way, as the run game is not as efficient without him. This would lead to fewer manageable situations.

The 12-personnel package would give the Eagles a greater advantage in the run game, keeping them in manageable situations and on task with the offense.

The Eagles also didn’t throw any screen passes against the Vikings, instead opting for more vertical shots to Brown and Smith, who both had their most explosive games of the season.

This was a boring, vanilla offense the last time these teams faced off. If Week 7 had been against the Vikings, the Giants could have seen the same old offense that wasn’t working.

Overview

The Giants should be prepared for 12-personnel, with heavier defensive line looks and more blitzing opportunities, while keeping an eye on the deep ball.

The Giants' defensive backs have struggled to make plays on the ball to this point in the season, and for the past two seasons. If Brown is getting downfield targets, someone needs to step up.