The New York Giants will host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The Giants are in dire need of a win as they are 2-4 on the season and have already lost their first two games against district opponents.
Despite the fact that the Eagles look far more flawed than the teams the Giants have seen in recent years, Big Blue opened as a four-point underdog at home earlier this week. The crowd will be more diverse as more Eagles fans will be at MetLife Stadium.
Of course, the Giants are trying to bounce back from their loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. sunday night football. Meanwhile, the Eagles won a close game against the struggling Cleveland Browns on Sunday, but the game ended with head coach Nick Sirianni yelling at several disgruntled Eagles fans in the stands.
This is a game the Giants want to win for several reasons.
Here are three reasons for concern ahead of Sunday’s NFC East matchup.
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Return of Saquon Barkley
Without a doubt, this is the number one storyline ahead of Sunday. Saquon Barkley has been one of the most popular players among Giants fans in recent history. Barkley doesn’t expect to be booed Sunday, but he may not fully grasp the level of hatred between the two teams.
The bigger concern is less about Barkley’s emotions when he left for the Giants’ archrival and more about his level of play so far this season.
Barkley has been great in the first five games against the Eagles, and the Giants will have their hands full on Sunday.
No matter how much Barkley tries to downplay it, he’ll have extra motivation to play a big game against his former team. After all, he felt disrespected by Big Blue and has expressed resentment towards the Giants since his departure, saying leaving the team that drafted him was a blessing.
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Injuries are starting to pile up.
It was a breath of fresh air this year to see the Giants’ offense function as the cohesive unit fans have been asking for for nearly a decade. But New York’s offensive line took the biggest possible blow this week when star left tackle Andrew Thomas underwent Lisfranc surgery and is out for the season.
Thomas’ injury will be very difficult to overcome as finding a replacement will be a major challenge, and there is no doubt that the Eagles will be looking to uncover the Giants’ O-line shuffle on Sunday.
Losing Thomas is a big concern, but one of the few injuries. Running back Devin Singletary and rookie Malik Nabors missed the final two games, but the team seems optimistic that both will be available Sunday.
There were some concerns about Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns, but both have insisted they will play after missing Wednesday’s practice.
The Giants will also be without Kayvon Thibodeau for the second straight game after he was placed on injured reserve (wrist) last week.
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recent history
We all know how bad the Giants have been against the Dallas Cowboys and Eagles for the better part of the past decade. The Giants will be hoping to move past that history and start turning the page Sunday.
But this is definitely not the powerhouse Philadelphia team the Giants have become accustomed to seeing in recent years. The Giants will have their hands full with the Eagles’ offensive weapons, especially with the addition of Barkley. However, this game is very easy to win and the low spread backs this up.
