THURSDAY NIGHT
Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants (+7.5), o/u 40.5
Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EDT
I do love it when the NFL goes full chaos gremlin. After last week there are no undefeated teams left — the earliest that's happened in a season since 2014 — and the Eagles blowing a two-TD lead at home to the Broncos in the fourth quarter last week was a big part of that chaos. After weeks of complaints from A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, Nick Sirianni and OC Kevin Patullo let Jalen Hurts air it out a bit, and the QB turned his season-high volume into a season-high 280 yards while tossing multiple TDs for the third consecutive game. Smith enjoyed the extra attention (8-114-0 on 10 targets), but Brown remained stuck in neutral (5-43-0 on eight targets), and the team lost, so who knows if they'll keep that up. Philly's offensive approach this year seems to be to minimize mistakes and turnovers at all costs, but playing it extremely safe generally doesn't win Super Bowls, so you have to think at some point it will open things up more consistently. They may not need to do it this week, though. Even aside from the revenge game motivation for Saquon Barkley (last year's lone meeting with Big Blue resulted in 187 scrimmage yards and a rushing TD), the Giants have been bad against the run and have a beat-up linebacking corps, so a Saquon breakout could be coming. On the other hand, the offensive line still isn't quite in sync — Barkley's averaging just 1.8 yards before contact, less than league average and a massive drop from last year's 3.8. That, moreso than any performance decline following his huge 2024 workload, is what's fueling his disappointing start to the current campaign.
Well, the Jaxson Dart honeymoon didn't last long. After winning his first NFL start in Week 4, the Giants lost last week, giving the Saints their first win under Kellen Moore. To be fair to the rookie QB, he's working with the worst WR group in the NFL, and it got even weaker when Darius Slayton strained his hamstring. Dart instead focused his attention on tight ends Theo Johnson (two TDs) and Daniel Bellinger (season-best 4-52-0) last week, as well as running back Cam Skattebo, with Wan'Dale Robinson being the only Giant WR other than Slayton to catch more than one pass. Tyrone Tracy should be back Thursday to help with that short passing game, but Jalin Hyatt, undrafted rookie Beaux Collins and special-teams ace Gunner Olszewski are what passes for downfield threats on this roster, and Philly's defense has been extremely stingy against TEs. Dart could be in for a long night, though the Eagles' pass rush is another element of the team that isn't matching its 2024 performance yet.
Key Info
PHI injury report: LG Landon Dickerson (out, ankle), EDGE Jalen Carter (questionable, heel), LB Nakobe Dean (PUP, knee)
NYG injury report: WR Malik Nabers (IR, knee), WR Darius Slayton (out, hamstring), RT Jermaine Eluemunor (questionable, back), K Graham Gano (IR, groin), LB Micah McFadden (IR, foot)
Strong lean: RB Saquon Barkley (NYG 32nd in rushing DVOA, 29th in YPC allowed, t-27th in rushing TDs allowed to RBs)
Slight lean: RB Cam Skattebo (PHI 21st in rushing DVOA, 22nd in passing DVOA vs. RB, 25th in YPC allowed, 23rd in rushing yards allowed, 25th in receiving yards allowed to RBs)
Slight fade: WR A.J. Brown (NYG fourth in DVOA vs. WR1)
Strong fade: TE Theo Johnson (PHI second in DVOA vs. TE, third in receiving yards allowed, t-third in receiving TDs allowed to TEs)
NFL weather report: 1-10 percent chance of rain
Head-to-head record, last five years including playoffs: 8-3 PHI, average score 25-17 PHI, average margin of victory 15 points. All three NYG wins during that period have come at MetLife Stadium, but the two PHI victories have had a combined score of 76-25
The Scoop: Barkley busts out 130 combined yards and two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving. Hurts throws for 200 yards and a second TD to Smith. Skattebo does his best to answer back with 90 scrimmage yards and a score. Dart throws for less than 200 yards and a touchdown to Robinson but gets picked off twice. Eagles 24-14
Last week's record: 7-7, 9-5 ATS, 4-10 o/u
2025 record: 50-27-1 (.649), 41-35-2 ATS (.539), 30-47-1 o/u (.390)
