New York at (3-13) at Philadelphia (13-3)
Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS
BetMGM NFL Odds: Eagles by 3 1/2
Against the spread: New York 4-11-1; Philadelphia 10-6
Series record: Eagles lead 91-86-2
Last meeting: Saquon Barkley rushed for 176 yards to lead Philadelphia to a 28-3 victory in New York on October 20, 2024.
Last week: Giants defeated the Colts 45-33 on Sunday in New York. Eagles routed the Cowboys 41-7 in Philadelphia on Sunday.
Eagles offense: overall (6), rush (1), pass (30), scoring (7).
Eagles defense: overall (1), rush (10), pass (1), scoring (T-6).
Giants offense: overall (29), rush (22), pass (27), scoring (31).
Giants defense: overall (24), rush (31), pass (10), scoring (23).
Turnover differential: Giants: minus-7 (T-24); Eagles: plus-10 (T-6)
QB Tanner McKee. The career third-string quarterback will likely start with Jalen Hurts and backup Kenny Pickett sidelined by injuries. McKee threw two touchdown passes and put the finishing touches on a rout against Dallas.
RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. has 780 rushing yards and ranks third among rookies. He is 527 yards shy of Barkley’s franchise record for rushing yards in a season by a rookie, set in 2018.
If Barkley played, it would have been New York’s rushing defense vs. Barkley. The Giants are second from the bottom in the NFL by averaging 141.6 rushing yards per game. On paper, it didn’t seem like New York could prevent Barkley from passing Dickerson. But Sirianni ensured it wouldn’t happen. In Barkley’s place, the Giants’ rushing defense will be contending with Kenneth Gainwell.
Giants: Defensive lineman Armon Watts (knee) was injured in the first half against the Colts last week and didn’t return. He underwent surgery and won’t play on Sunday, coach Brian Daboll said on Wednesday. C John Michael Schmitz (ankle) and LB Micah McFadden (neck) did not play against Indianapolis. Neither practiced on Wednesday. RT Evan Neal (rib/hip) also didn’t practice on Wednesday.
Eagles: QB Jalen Hurts (concussion) did not play last week and missed the final three quarters against Washington the week before after getting injured early against the Commanders. The Eagles held a walkthrough on Wednesday rather than a full practice, but Hurts would not have participated had it been a full practice. Either way, he likely will not play this week to heal up for the playoffs. TE Dallas Goedert (knee), out since December 1, and LB Nakobe Dean (abdominal), who missed last week’s game against Dallas, would have been full participants on Wednesday if the Eagles held a full practice rather than a walkthrough. Many starters either didn’t participate on Wednesday due to rest and several others were limited participants, as follows: Did not practice: In addition to Barkley, G Mekhi Becton, WR A.J. Brown, G Landon Dickerson, T Lane Johnson, CB Darius Slay, WR DeVonta Smith, OLB Josh Sweat. Limited: LB Zack Baun, S Reed Blankenship, DT Jalen Carter, CB Cooper DeJean, S C.J. Gardner-Johnson, C Cam Jurgens, T Jordan Mailata, CB Quinyon Mitchell and OLB Nolan Smith. Smith also was listed out for a wrist in addition to rest.
The Giants scored a 56-0 shutout of the Eagles in New York in the first contest between the longtime rivals on October 15, 1933.
Giants QB Drew Lock passed for 309 yards and four touchdowns without an interception and ran for a five-yard score in the win over the Colts that snapped a 10-game losing streak. … The victory over Indianapolis kept the Giants from becoming the first team to go 0-9 at home but also knocked them out of control of the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft. … New York had six plays of 30 or more yards against Indianapolis. … Ihmir Smith-Marsette returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score last Sunday. … WR Malik Nabers has 104 catches for 1,104 yards and 6 touchdowns and is four receptions shy of topping Steve Smith’s franchise mark of 107 catches in a season, set in 2009. … Philadelphia is locked into the No. 2 seed in the NFC and will host either Washington or Green Bay on January 11, 12 or 13 in a wild-card game. If Washington loses Sunday to Dallas and Green Bay beats Chicago, the Commanders are headed to Philadelphia. If the Commanders win and Green Bay loses, the Packers are the No. 7 seed and play the Eagles. … Philadelphia needs 35 points to eclipse the club record of 477, set in 2022. … Brown joined Mike Quick (1983–85) as Eagles receivers to reach 1,000-plus receiving yards in three straight seasons last week. Brown stands at 1,079 yards and has gone over 1,000 in each of the last three seasons. … Baun has a career-high 150 tackles, which ranks third in the NFL. … Gardner-Johnson has four interceptions in the last four games.
After letting Barkley leave through free agency and land with NFC East rival Philadelphia, it’s likely that the Giants will want to showcase Tracy. The rookie won’t get to Barkley’s single-season franchise mark of 1,307 rushing yards for a first-year player, but Tracy could get close to 1,000 yards for the season.
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