NFL Thursday night preview: Eagles try to put 1st loss behind them against Giants
Long before the NFL put out its schedule, it had to know that Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants wouldn't be a great matchup.
Last season, the Eagles won a Super Bowl. The Giants were 3-14. It's not like the NFL needed to force the Giants into prime time; they just played on Sunday night in Week 3. But the NFL often squeezes the Giants into key broadcast windows, and that's why there's a fairly bland game for Thursday night.
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It's still a chance to watch the Eagles, one of the best and most fascinating teams in the NFL. They're 4-1 coming off a Super Bowl win, but things haven't been smooth this season. The Eagles' inconsistency caught up to them last weekend when they blew a fourth-quarter lead at home and lost to the Denver Broncos. That brings some attention to the issues the Eagles have had, particularly with an uneven passing game and Saquon Barkley's numbers being way down from a magical 2024 season.
Thursday night is a chance to watch Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. He was great in the preseason and helped the Giants beat the Los Angeles Chargers in his first career start two weeks ago, but then made some critical mistakes last week as the Giants lost to the New Orleans Saints. There will be ups and downs with Dart, a first-round draft pick, but he adds some excitement to the Giants' season.
Some excitement would be good for Thursday night, in what looks like a lopsided matchup.
Who needs it more?
Brian Daboll would say it's the Giants. At some point he probably needs to win enough games to convince team ownership to give him another season as head coach. Realistically, New York is a 1-4 team that's going nowhere. That's why the Giants shouldn't be on prime time as often as they are.
The Eagles don't want to be on a two-game losing streak. They had a disappointing loss last weekend to the Broncos, and every Eagles defeat causes an overreaction. Falling to the Giants would give them a headache they don't want.
Philly needs this one more.
Key player: Eagles RB Saquon Barkley
Barkley is coming off one of the greatest seasons a running back has ever had. It also included a number that was cited often in the offseason: 482. That's the staggering amount of touches Barkley had last season, including playoffs. That led many to wonder if he'd regress this season.
It's hard to say if the workload is affecting Barkley, or the Eagles' offensive line issues are an emerging problem, but Barkley's numbers are way down. Barkley averaged 125.3 rushing yards per game last season, and that's plummeted to 53.4 this season. That's a reason the Eagles' offense hasn't been as good this season. On top of that, Barkley is dealing with a knee injury and was limited in practice Tuesday after missing practice Monday. It seems like he'll start, but it's a challenge on a short week.
Maybe seeing the Giants, his former team, will lead to a big Barkley game. But it hasn't happened yet this season, after Barkley rarely had a quiet game last year.
Betting market watch, by Ben Fawkes
Coming off of their first loss of the season, the Eagles won't be in a good mood entering MetLife Stadium, and the betting public is expecting a win by a wide margin. More than 75% of the bets and nearly 90% of the money at one sportsbook is on Philadelphia to cover the spread, which has ticked down from Eagles -7.5 to -7. A banged-up Jaxson Dart and no Darius Slayton at wideout won't help matters for the Giants. This one will be on New York's D to keep it close.
Check out more of Ben’s work at the Yahoo Sports betting hub.
Fantasy football storylines, by Scott Pianowski
The Eagles are heavy favorites at the Giants tonight, but you never know what might happen when divisional foes meet in a prime-time game. Here are three fantasy angles to watch for.
Can Saquon Barkley cook up a revenge game? Philly’s feature back is stumbling around at 3.2 per carry this year, though he did have a long touchdown catch last week. Barkley rumbled for 176 yards in his revenge game against New York last season (he sat out Week 18). The New York rushing defense ranks dead last in DVOA.
Can A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith join the party? Smith ranks WR30 and Brown slots WR43 in cumulative points per game, despite both of them logging five starts thus far. Only two of Philadelphia’s 14 offensive touchdowns have included Brown or Smith.
Is Theo Johnson here to stay? The second-year tight end has nine catches and three touchdowns since Jaxson Dart took over, and Dart has favored tight ends and backs over wide receivers when he looks downfield.
Check out more of Scott’s work at the Yahoo Sports fantasy hub.