NY Giants vs Philadelphia Eagles: Preview, Odds & More

The debut of New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart might have felt like something out of a fairytale book two weeks ago against the Chargers.

All that initial magic soon turned into a frustrating performance and crucial learning moment for the novice gunslinger as the team went right back in the losing direction against the Saints last Sunday.. 

What looked like it would be another impressive showing for Dart as the Giants’ new leader in the offensive huddle quickly went sideways after a couple of positive possessions by the team, where they scored two touchdowns and went up 14-3 on the Saints in the first half. 

However, the air seemed to leave the tires as the Giants would wreck five straight offensive drives with turnovers.

Two of those wound up in points for the Saints on the other end, and what could have been a nice second straight win for New York left Caesars Superdome as a gut-wrenching loss to drop to 1-4 on the season. 

However, the Giants don’t have long to lick their wounds and recover from their humiliating defeat, as their next opponent comes to them Thursday night in East Rutherford with the visiting Philadelphia Eagles. 

The Eagles are one of the league’s hottest teams this season on the heels of their Super Bowl championship over the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024, but they are coming off their first loss of the year to the Denver Broncos, who upset them 18-17 at home down the stretch of last Sunday. 

That means the Eagles will likely be looking to avenge their late defeat, and what better opponent to do that against than the Giants? Philadelphia has had a firm grip on the biannual series, winning seven of the past eight contests since the 2021 season and scoring 28 or more points in five of those games. 

In addition, there will once again be the factor of the return of Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, who is in his second season with the team after leaving the Giants as a free agent following the 2023 season.

Barkley torched the Giants in his first game as an enemy player in MetLife Stadium and, despite his slower start to this season, could look to get back on a hot track against his former franchise. 

The Eagles have other weapons for the Giants to worry about, especially on the offensive side, with multiple efficiency pass catchers and a tough, mobile quarterback in Jalen Hurts, who isn’t afraid to take off with the ball or gain the necessary yardage in a total scrum known as the “tush push” that has become a staple play for Philadelphia. 

With an opponent like the Giants, who struggle to defend the run, the Eagles may fall back on their All-Pro running back to do some heavy damage and control the pace of the game.

Don’t be surprised if they sling it deep to guys like AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith and test the discipline of the Giants' secondary that has been penalty-prone in recent weeks 

Defensively, the Eagles have made improvements to their secondary, which was once their biggest weakness over the past couple of seasons.

They limit opposing teams to the 15th-lowest aerial yards and have only allowed six touchdowns, helping to power their third-ranked opponent's red-zone scoring efficiency. 

The Eagles were also very stout on the defensive front last fall, and while that strength did take some personnel hits over the offseason, they still have a pair of players who are within the top 20 interior pass rushers by win rate.

They own a 41% efficiency as a team and aren’t far off from slowing down the run game, which for the Giants has been hindered by early injuries. 

It sets up for an even tougher third matchup for the rookie Dart and company to navigate on a short week.

The Giants will need to pivot from their woeful afternoon in New Orleans and protect the football to give themselves as many chances as possible to drive downfield and get on the scoreboard, thereby competing with their high-powered rivals. 

Not only do the Giants long to get back in the win column after they let one slip away in Week 5, but they’d also like to put an end to the struggle that has been playing with the Eagles in recent memory. What a feat it would be for their first-year quarterback to lead them to that in a less-than-friendly primetime stage.

Be sure to check in with New York Giants On SI for pre-game, in-game, and post-game coverage.