Sportsnaut
The Philadelphia Eagles (4-1) and New York Giants (1-4) will renew their storied rivalry Thursday night at MetLife Stadium.
Both teams are looking to rebound from losses in which they squandered double-digit leads. Philadelphia swept the season series last year and enters this contest as a huge favorite.
But this is one of the wackier rivalries in the NFL, where anything that could happen does happen. Here are five bold predictions for Thursday’s matchup between these two bitter rivals.
The vaunted Giants pass rush was surprisingly held without a sack in last week’s 26-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The defense knows it can’t allow Jalen Hurts time in the pocket if it’s going to have any chance to pull off the upset.
The Eagles offensive line gave up six sacks in their 21-17 loss to the Denver Broncos and will be without left guard Landon Dickerson, who has an ankle injury. Expect the Giants’ pass rush, led by Brian Burns, to harass the 27-year-old quarterback all night long with seven sacks.
After rushing for 2,005 yards on 345 carries in 2024, many expected Saquon Barkley to regress in 2025, and so far, they’re right. Through five games, the 28-year-old running back is averaging just 3.2 yards per carry, and his longest run has been 17 yards.
The good news for Barkley is he’s facing his former team, which ranks 26th in run defense, allowing 140 yards per game. We won’t have to wait long to see an explosive play from the superstar running back as he scores the first time he touches the ball on a 50-plus-yard touchdown run.
With Malik Nabers out for the season and Darius Slayton sidelined with a hamstring injury, New York’s receiving corps is depleted. The Giants need someone other than Wan’Dale Robinson to be a viable option for quarterback Jaxson Dart. That man will be undrafted rookie free agent Beaux Collins.
Collins made his first catch last week on a seven-yard reception. Now he’s poised to make his first NFL start, and before the night is over, he’ll score his first touchdown.
It’s clear to anyone who has watched the Eagles this season that A.J. Brown is frustrated with his lack of involvement in the offense. Through the first five games, he has 19 receptions for 194 yards with one touchdown and has just one game with more than five receptions.
Philadelphia’s offensive concept doesn’t believe in force-feeding its star wideout. But on this night, the flow of the game and New York’s struggles defending top-tier wideouts will result in Brown having his most productive game of the year with 10 receptions.
Despite his second-half struggles in Week 5 against the Saints, Dart has progressed quicker than anyone...
