The Philadelphia Eagles look to rebound from their first loss since last December when they visit a New York Giants team that hasn’t won a Thursday game in a decade.
The Eagles (4-1) have won their last three Thursday night contests under coach Nick Sirianni, while the Giants (1-4) are 0-10 on Thursday under their last four head coaches.
Current coach Brian Daboll is 0-4, while predecessors Joe Judge, Pat Shurmur and Ben McAdoo were each 0-2. New York’s last win on the short week — a 32-21 victory over Washington in 2015 — came during Tom Coughlin’s final season on the sideline.
That’s just one of the storylines for this prime-time NFC East clash, which is also the second trip back to MetLife Stadium for Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and the division debut for Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Ahead 17-3 entering the fourth quarter last week, Philadelphia was on its way to a franchise-record 11th straight win before the Denver Broncos stampeded to a stunning 21-17 upset.
Barkley rushed only six times, his fewest carries in a game since Week 11 of 2021 when he was with the Giants. He did score against Denver on a 47-yard pass play, the longest by an Eagles running back since 2016, but is far off the pace of his dominant 2024 campaign.
“I don’t really know what you want,” Barkley said after the loss. “If I touch the ball too much sometimes, we’re not throwing enough. If we throw it too much and I only have nine touches — I’m not in the business of ‘what are we doing enough?’ I’m in the business of winning football games.”
Perhaps a return to his old stomping grounds will jumpstart Barkley, who ranks 22nd in the NFL with 267 rushing yards. In his first game back in East Rutherford, N.J., he carried 17 times for 176 yards and a touchdown in a 28-3 win over the Giants in Week 7 last season.
“Obviously, with Saquon, he’s going to be juiced up, ready to go Thursday night here,” Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said. “So, it starts there, and then we got to make sure we do a good job handling these playmakers on the perimeter. They’re going to find ways to get them the ball. They always do.”
Barkley needs 11 scrimmage yards to become the first player from the 2018 draft class to reach 10,000.
As for the Giants, the focus is on their latest first-round pick. Dart won his home debut against the Los Angeles Chargers in his first NFL start in Week 4 and built a 14-3 lead last weekend at New Orleans before the Saints scored the game’s final 23 points.
He is excited about facing his first NFC East opponent and the defending Super Bowl champion.
“Obviously, divisional games hold a little more weight,” Dart said. “Understanding the history of this matchup and the intensity of it carries weight as well. I’m really just excited to get out there on the field Thursday night and have a lot of fun competing. It’s going to be a really cool environment.”
Dart was a full participant in practice on both Tuesday and Wednesday after being listed as limited Monday with a hamstring issue.
Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. had no injury designation on Wednesday’s injury report, lining him up for a return against the Eagles.
Tracy, 25, has not played since Week 3 because of a shoulder injury and had been limited in practice this week. He has rushed for 68 yards on 22 carries in three games this season. The second-year back rushed for 839 yards with five TDs as a rookie last season.
Right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor (back) is questionable after being limited on Wednesday. Linebackers Swayze Bozeman (ankle) and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (hamstring) and wideout Darius Slayton (hamstring) did not participate in practice all week and have been ruled out for Thursday’s game.
Barkley was a limited participant on Tuesday and a full participant on Wednesday. He does not carry an injury designation into Thursday’s game.
Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (heel) is deemed as questionable after being listed as a limited participant in Wednesday’s estimated walkthrough session.
Linebacker Nakobe Dean (knee) also is listed as questionable to make his season debut. He sustained a torn patellar tendon in Philadelphia’s wild-card victory over the Green Bay Packers on Jan. 12.
Philadelphia ruled out left guard Landon Dickerson (ankle) and tight end Grant Calcaterra (oblique) for Thursday’s game.
The Eagles have won seven of the last eight meetings, including the playoffs.
–Field Level Media
