The Eagles host the New York Giants in a Week 8 matchup at Lincoln Financial Field at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Here’s what you need to know about the game:
When the Eagles have the ball
Wide receiver A.J. Brown is out with a hamstring injury. His presence is of obvious importance. DeVonta Smith has had more of the hot hand recently, but the attention his counterpart receives from defenses has helped Smith catch 21 of 26 targets for 346 yards over the last three games.
Jalen Hurts’ bounce-back performance against the Vikings will mean only so much if momentum is stalled a week later. And no Brown, despite whatever may be bothering him off the field, will make it that much harder on the quarterback. Receiver Jahan Dotson’s workload will increase. John Metchie, Xavier Gipson, and possibly Darius Cooper (shoulder) are next on the receiver depth chart. Tight end Dallas Goedert figures to be Hurts’ second option.
Can the Giants make it as hard on Hurts in the rematch? They play more man coverage than almost any other defense, and normally, that’s a recipe for passing success for the Eagles. But Hurts had his worst game of the season in the initial meeting. He saw blitzes only a quarter of the time, but he was sacked twice and tossed an interception when defensive coordinator Shane Bowen sent extra rushers.
The Giants’ strength remains their front four. Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, Abdul Carter, and Kayvon Thibodeaux pressured Hurts a combined 11 times. The Eagles’ offensive line will be without center Cam Jurgens (knee). Brett Toth, his likely replacement, may be a marked man.
Brett Toth likely will fill in at center for the injured Cam Jurgens against the Giants on Sunday.
The Eagles still were unable to run the ball in Minnesota, but the increased use of under-center runs led to success off play-action. It’s a wonder it took Nick Sirianni and Kevin Patullo so long to get to it. But the hope is that the four passes for 121 yards and a touchdown that came after Hurts was under center will force the Giants to respect the pass.
Saquon Barkley has been facing six-man fronts and stacked boxes at an increased rate this season, and the only way to slow it is for Hurts to make defenses pay with his arm. The Giants, who ranked third-to-last in the NFL in expected points added per rush, offer another opportunity to get Barkley off the schneid. He would like nothing better than to do so against his former employer.
The Eagles were without star defensive tackle Jalen Carter in their first game against the Giants, a 34-17 loss in Week 6.
When the Giants have the ball
The Eagles found out 90 minutes before the last game vs. the Giants that they would be without defensive tackle Jalen Carter. They then lost cornerback Quinyon Mitchell in the early going. The absence of two of their best defensive players wasn’t a fitting excuse for how Vic Fangio’s unit performed at the Meadowlands, but it helped explain a season-worst outing.
Carter (heel/shoulder) returned the following week and had arguably his best performance with two hurries that led to interceptions. He hasn’t quite looked like the game wrecker he was most of last season, but it was a step in the right direction.
Mitchell, meanwhile, had a lot to do with keeping Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson in check on Sunday. The other cornerback spot is a question mark with Adoree’ Jackson out with a concussion. Kelee Ringo has toggled back and forth at the spot and likely will start again with Jakorian Bennett (pectoral) still out.
One possible way to avoid the return of Ringo would be to move Cooper DeJean outside in all packages and play Parry Nickerson in the slot in nickel personnel.
The Giants may have Darius Slayton (hamstring) back, but their receiver group isn’t the same without Malik Nabers, even though the Eagles made them look superior in the first meeting. Safety has been an under-the-radar issue. Rookie Drew Mukuba has been out of position at times, which has stressed Reed Blankenship, who hasn’t been as impactful.
Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo rushed for 98 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-17 victory over the Eagles in Week 6.
Tackling was an issue the first time around. The Eagles missed 11 and got bowled over by Giants running back Cam Skattebo (19 carries for 98 yards and three touchdowns). They also had trouble getting rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart to the ground. He escaped several would-be sacks and scrambled five times for 42 yards — he rushed for 58 yards overall.
The Eagles are down another edge rusher with Azeez Ojulari (hamstring) sidelined. Brandon Graham came out of retirement this week, but he’s still ramping up. That leaves just Jalyx Hunt, Joshua Uche, and Patrick Johnson at outside linebacker. Inside linebacker Jihaad Campbell helped on the edge the last game, but mostly on base downs and had only three pass-rush attempts. He may get more on Sunday.
The Eagles enter about as banged up as they’ve been all season with three starters sidelined. They’re already without outside linebacker Nolan Smith. Middle linebacker Nakobe Dean’s return helped settle the run defense last week, and he could do the same against the Giants. But Brown and Jurgens are key guys, and missing Jackson and Ojulari will test the team’s depth.
Still, it’s hard to win twice within the division, especially within a 17-day span. The Giants may be reeling from an epic choke against the Denver Broncos. It’s not like they have much to fall back on. Dart and Skattebo have brought energy to a floundering franchise, but I like the odds that Fangio won’t have another hiccup against an inferior opponent.
Receiver A.J. Brown (hamstring) has been ruled out for the Eagles’ rematch against the New York Giants on Sunday, according to the team’s final injury report released Friday afternoon.
Brandon Graham (not injury related), cornerback Jakorian Bennett (pectoral/injured reserve), center Cam Jurgens (knee), cornerback Adoree’ Jackson (concussion), and outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari (hamstring) also have been ruled out against the Giants. Receiver Darius Cooper (shoulder/injured reserve), whose 21-day practice window opened on Thursday, is questionable.
Brown did not practice this week as he recovers from a hamstring injury, an ailment that popped up on the injury report in the aftermath of the win over the Minnesota Vikings. It is unclear when Brown sustained the injury, as he played 46 offensive snaps (92%) against the Vikings.
He was on the field until the final passing play of the game, in which he caught a 45-yard pass from Jalen Hurts on third-and-9 with 1 minute, 45 seconds remaining. Brown has dealt with hamstring injuries before, most recently during training camp when he was sidelined for eight practices.
“Obviously, he’s a great player,” receiver DeVonta Smith said on Friday before the final injury report was released. “We hope for him to be out there. But we’ll have to adjust if that’s the case that he’s not out there. We’ll have to adjust, and everyone’s going to have to study a little harder. Guys are going to be moving around in different spots and things.”
Brett Toth likely will fill in at center for the injured Cam Jurgens against the Giants on Sunday.
With Jurgens ruled out, Brett Toth likely will take his place as the starting center, just as he did in spot duty against the Vikings. Toth, the 6-foot-6, 304-pound depth offensive lineman, filled in for Jurgens at center in practice on Thursday during individual drills with the rest of the starters on the offensive line.
Toth has started one game this season — the Week 6 matchup against the Giants, in which he took the place of the injured Landon Dickerson at left guard. He has taken 77 career regular-season snaps at center over the course of five seasons (four with the Eagles, one with the Carolina Panthers). The majority of his experience as a backup has come at guard (178 snaps at left guard, 27 at right) and right tackle (102 snaps).
“A big thing in between the different positions in controlling, setting the point [as a center],” Toth said Friday. “Everyone’s job relies on you putting everyone in the right position to do their job. A lot of communication at both spots. But at center, it all starts there. Conducting the band kind of deal.”
Meanwhile, even though Graham won’t return to action on Sunday, he was a full participant in practice all week. The 37-year-old defensive end came out of retirement on Tuesday. He said “everything’s going good right now,” even if he isn’t playing against the Giants.
“Just being able to go three, four plays without really feeling, like, dog tired and really pushing,” Graham said Friday. “But I’d just say just a credit to the work that you put in during the offseason, and then for me, just making sure that if I am sore, we’re communicating. I mean, I was sore the next day. It felt like training camp. But it wasn’t a bad sore. It was a good sore, that first day of school.”
Kelee Ringo is the next man up to start in place of the injured Jackson. He has started two games this season (seven games total) at the outside cornerback spot opposite Quinyon Mitchell, conceding 11 receptions for 172 yards, according to Pro Football Focus. He also has registered a pass breakup and 22 tackles.
Tight end Grant Calcaterra (oblique), Dickerson (ankle/back), tight end Dallas Goedert (calf), defensive tackle Moro Ojomo (shoulder), and linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (ankle) have been removed from the injury report and are available to play. This will be Calcaterra’s first game since Week 5 against the Denver Broncos.
As Christina Smith-Sylve watched last Sunday’s game Eagles against the Minnesota Vikings in the U.S. Bank Stadium stands, her seat might as well have been made out of pins and needles with the way nerves pricked her skin.
That sensation intensified when she saw three Vikings defenders tackle her 6-foot, 170-pound son, DeVonta Smith, on a 16-yard reception down the right sideline in the second quarter.
Dallas Goedert even seemed to clamor for a defenseless receiver penalty against Blake Cashman after the play. The inside linebacker’s rally to Smith came after Byron Murphy already had stopped the small-but-stubborn receiver’s forward progress.
Smith-Sylve felt those pins and needles again when the 26-year-old receiver absorbed a hit from Harrison Smith on a 19-yard cross over the middle of the field. But after both plays, Smith popped up with the ball in his hands as if he had been grazed by a butterfly and not tackled by men who likely can bicep curl his body weight.
“It’s hard seeing him,” Smith-Sylve said. “It’s rough. But I know he’s tough. He’s small in stature, but he plays big.”
Jahan Dotson is used to Smith’s toughness by now, two seasons into his Eagles tenure. In theory, Dotson is one of the players responsible for assuming Smith’s or A.J. Brown’s spot on the field if either star receiver gets banged up or needs a moment to recuperate on the sideline.
It usually plays out the same way every time, according to Dotson. After the hit over the middle against the Vikings, Smith came to the sideline, hands on his hips, trying to catch his breath. He insisted to wide receivers coach Aaron Moorehead that he could go back into the game, refusing to miss a play.
“He’s not the biggest guy,” Dotson said. “He takes the biggest hits. And he pops back up like he’s the biggest guy.”
Smith was one of the biggest reasons the Eagles snapped their two-game losing streak, too, leading the team with a career-high 183 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions in that game. His 79-yard touchdown catch came on a play he had advocated for at halftime, eager to exploit the Vikings’ decision to bring a safety into the box when the Eagles were under center in their jumbo package.
Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith celebrates his third-quarter touchdown against Minnesota on Oct. 19.
“It was a great feeling seeing that little thing run down there to the end zone, man,” said left tackle Jordan Mailata. “It was beautiful.”
Everyone is a little thing compared to Mailata, who is 6-foot-8 and 365 pounds. Still, Smith’s big plays are putting him on pace for a career-best 1,224 receiving yards. With big plays often come big hits from bigger defenders, especially at Smith’s second-percentile weight among draft-eligible wide receivers in 2021, when he was picked 10th overall.
How does Smith bounce back up, regardless of his smaller stature? He claims he knows no other way to operate.
“If I can walk, I’ll be all right,” Smith said.
He “hopped right up”
Much to the chagrin of Smith-Sylve, Smith began playing little league football and basketball when he was 5 years old in his hometown of Amite City, La. She was particularly scared for her undersized son in his football pursuits. But all of his friends in their small town, with a population just over 4,000, were participating, and he wanted to play with them.
“I couldn’t crush his spirit,” Smith-Sylve said.
So she acquiesced. He quelled her fears, though, because even though “Tay” often was the smallest player on the field, he typically was the toughest.
He continued to cultivate his toughness at Butler Town Park, which is across the street from their home. Smith would hang around his older, bigger cousins and their friends, trying to join their basketball and football games. They allowed it, but they didn’t go easy on him. They roughed him up, Smith-Sylve said. As a result, Smith became well-acquainted with the surface of the basketball court.
“Plenty of times, I’d done hit that concrete,” Smith said.
Those scrapes and bruises formed calluses on Smith’s mental toughness. He applied that mindset to the football field at Amite High Magnet School as a freshman on the football team, where coach Alden Foster already knew plenty about Smith.
After all, Amite is a tiny town, and the football community is even tinier. Smith-Sylve is Foster’s cousin. His brother coached Smith in little league football. Foster’s nephew, Elijah Walker, was Smith’s teammate from little league through high school. Another cousin of Smith-Sylve’s, Dwayne Davis, was Foster’s defensive coordinator at Amite.
Football games practically were family reunions. So Foster had plenty of intel on his small-but-mighty receiver. He quickly found out that he still was learning how to read defensive coverages, too.
During Smith’s freshman year, Amite scrimmaged against Edna Karr, a perennial football powerhouse in New Orleans. Smith was running a route over the middle and didn’t remember to settle in the zone. A 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive end — who went on to play for LSU, Foster said — dropped into coverage in the area.
Eagles wide receiver Devonta Smith was 122 pounds as a freshman for the Amite High Magnet School football team.
“[Smith] ran across, and the quarterback threw it,” Foster said. “Oh, man. He knocked him out. That little sucker was 122 pounds then and hopped right up.”
Smith put the hit behind him. Later in the scrimmage, when the teams were working on goal-line situations, “that little freshman scored a touchdown against them people,” Foster said. The next year, Amite and Edna Karr played each other. Smith, then a sophomore, used that hit as ammo, fueling him to a three-touchdown performance, according to Foster.
“He said, ‘Coach, I got to get my revenge,’” Foster said.
“You’re not a quitter”
Despite his toughness, one hard fall in his sophomore year almost took Smith out of football for good.
On Thursdays, Foster sought to conclude their walk-throughs on a good play. The quarterback targeted Smith to end the practice, but he overthrew his receiver slightly.
Smith, ever the competitor, dove for the ball. He came down hard on the field. This time, he didn’t pop up.
Foster took Smith to the hospital, where Smith-Sylve met them. They learned that Smith broke his clavicle, which ended his season.
“The first thing he said: ‘That’s it for football. I quit. I’m not playing. I quit,’” Foster said.
Smith was a multisport athlete at the time, competing in track and field and basketball. Smith’s father, Kelvin Dickerson, was adamant that his son had a future in basketball. The injury nearly led to Smith dedicating himself to basketball, which both of his parents played.
Foster wasn’t having it. Smith had too much upside to waste as a football player. Smith was a good basketball player, Foster said, but he was different in football. Dickerson eventually came around to Foster’s pleas and had a conversation with Smith.
“‘You wanted to play football,’” Smith-Sylve said of Dickerson’s message to their son. “‘That’s what happens. That’s a part of the game. You tough. You’ll be all right. You know what you’ve got to do next time.’ I think both of them, just talking to him and letting him know, ‘You’re not a quitter. That’s one hit of many. So let’s just go.’”
That injury changed the way Smith approached the game, according to his family. He became more serious about hitting the weight room. Moorehead, the Eagles’ wide receivers coach, got to witness that work ethic in person when he traveled to Amite on a recruiting trip while serving in the same role for Texas A&M.
Nick Saban took a chance on an undersized DeVonta Smith, and he finished his Alabama career with two national championships and a Heisman Trophy.
The small weight room tucked beneath the football stadium looked like it hadn’t been updated in 25 to 30 years at the time, Moorehead said. Rust tarnished the weights. The air inside mimicked the sticky Louisiana heat outside, causing the 145-pound Smith and his teammates to drip with sweat. But Moorehead never heard a complaint.
“That was just what they knew,” Moorehead said. “They didn’t know anything else. Didn’t care. Just trying to get better.”
Smith grew stronger, but he didn’t bulk up with ease. Zephaniah Powell, Amite’s football coach beginning in Smith’s junior year, said his build was genetic. Powell claimed Smith looks just like his father, with a “thin build, not that big of a frame. But long arms, long legs, kind of put together like an antelope.”
His lack of size had nothing to do with his appetite. Foster would host seafood boils complete with crawfish and turkey necks in the yard. He said Smith loved to come by and eat with his cousins. But it didn’t seem to matter that Smith enjoyed seafood boils with his family or ate tablespoons of peanut butter to cram in extra calories, Foster explained.
“His DNA wouldn’t let him gain a whole lot of weight,” Foster said. “But you can’t measure his heart.”
Proving people wrong
Moorehead once questioned how Smith would fare in the SEC. He wasn’t the only one.
Some coaches at college football recruiting camps looked at the undersized receiver skeptically, Foster said. But he liked taking kids to Alabama’s camps because Nick Saban didn’t care how big they were. If they could play, Saban would give them a chance.
One Heisman Trophy and two national championship titles later, the chance Saban took on Smith paid dividends.
“All he’s done is prove people wrong,” Moorehead said.
That includes Jalen Hurts, his quarterback at Alabama for two seasons.
“I remember times asking, ‘Hey, man, how much [do] you weigh?’” Hurts said. “And I stopped asking him that as the years have gone on, because that’s no indication of what type of player he is. He’s a hell of a player, and he’s been making some big-time plays.”
The grittiness Smith once exhibited as a kid at Butler Town Park is still evident in his game in the NFL. In fact, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni could rattle off the specific plays over the past five seasons in which Smith exemplified the toughness that Sirianni so often preaches to the team.
There was the third-down play Smith made in Super Bowl LVII on a shallow crossing route, when Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid sent him flying out of bounds.
Nick Sirianni recalled a DeVonta Smith screen gain of 21 yards against the 49ers in 2023 as a display of the receiver’s toughness.
There was the 2022 win over the Arizona Cardinals, in which Smith caught a screen pass from Hurts then immediately took a hard hit from Murphy, a member of the Cardinals at the time.
There was the third-and-19 play against the San Francisco 49ers in 2023 when Smith caught a screen pass and broke three tackles before picking up 21 yards after the catch.
In true Smith fashion, he just kept going.
“We didn’t win that game, but it brought life to everybody,” Sirianni said. “I think that that’s what a big play can do, that’s what a great assist from a teammate can do, and that’s what great toughness shown on tape can do, because those are the things we talk about all the time that can just bring that energy to a football team.”
Perhaps no play in Smith’s NFL career can amount to the energy generated by his 46-yard touchdown in Super Bowl LIX, which has since been referred to as “The Dagger.” But Moorehead had been hesitant about the Eagles calling that play. Smith had been nursing a hamstring injury that week, and he was worried about the health of his receiver.
Moorehead said he asked Smith four times before that play if he was sure he wanted to run it, deep route and all. Smith, playing in front of his loved ones at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, had no hesitation.
“He finally looked at me and he said, ‘If you don’t get the F out of my face, I’m running this route,’” Moorehead said.
Smith wasn’t finished.
“‘They’re going to have to drag me off this field [in] the Super Bowl,’” Moorehead recalled Smith saying. “And he meant it. He was home. He wanted to win in that stadium. He wanted to play in front of his family and friends and score a touchdown in the Super Bowl and play well. And he did.”
Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith touchdown catch in the third quarter of Super Bowl LIX is now known as “The Dagger.”
NFL rules have evolved to better protect receivers. John Lynch and Ronnie Lott aren’t patrolling the middle of the field anymore. But receivers still get hit hard on occasion, a fate Smith seems to have accepted, according to Moorehead.
The receivers coach surmised that those hits energize Smith, too. Smith-Sylve has a different feeling, but she wards off those pins and needles when she remembers the 5-year-old who pleaded with her to let him play little league football.
“I know that’s what he loves to do,” Smith-Sylve said. “He has a love for the game. He’s small in stature. But he plays big, and he’s going to give it 100%.
After defeating the Minnesota Vikings on the road, the Eagles return home to host the New York Giants on Sunday. The teams last met in Week 6, when the Eagles suffered their second loss of the season, falling 34-17 to their division rivals.
The Eagles enter Sunday’s game as 7.5-point favorites after the Giants’ loss to the Denver Broncos last week. Will the Birds get a win over the Giants? Or will the Giants spoil the Eagles’ return to the Linc?
Here’s what experts in the local and national media are saying …
The Eagles and Giants should be pretty familiar with each other, having just played two weeks ago at MetLife Stadium.
It’s likely that game film is not something the Eagles want to see ever again. They got beat up in a 34-17 defeat, and that stinging loss to a team that entered with one win led to a self-evaluation during the mini-bye.
The Eagles looked like they learned some things during their Week 7 victory at Minnesota. How will their rematch with the Giants go? Here’s how our writers see it:
Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo gashed the Eagles for 98 yards rushing and three touchdowns in Week 6.
Jeff Neiburg
The lasting image from Week 6 was the sequence where Cam Skattebo lowered his shoulder and plowed over Zack Baun and then scored on the next play. While Jaxson Dart waited for an official to make a signal, he offered a playful high-five. A few moments later, after the touchdown was confirmed, Skattebo did a backflip.
The Eagles were tormented by two rookies at MetLife Stadium two games ago. How much will those memories impact Sunday? Maybe a little, or maybe not at all.
What we know is that the Giants have been a much different offense since they handed the reins to Dart and Skattebo. The Eagles struggle with scrambling quarterbacks, and few this season have had as much success as Dart has when he’s on the move. The Eagles are struggling to make tackles, and only Christian McCaffrey has caused more missed tackles since Week 3 than Skattebo.
Contain those players, which is easier said than done, and you’ll likely win the game.
The Broncos and Eagles tried to blitz Dart over the last two weeks, but he was a blitz-beater. What the Eagles could learn from the Denver tape is how often Dart was held under wraps when the Broncos sent four or fewer rushers.
They’d be wise to make the rookie win with his arm and not let him move the pocket and get things going with his feet. They have the athletes to spy on him and move around.
On the other side of the ball, there were plenty of moments from Week 6, especially in the first half, that showed the Eagles could move the ball at will against a defense that gives up the fourth-most yards per game (376). The Eagles showed some new looks Sunday in Minneapolis, and we’ll see if the offense continues to look more dynamic moving forward.
There are reasons to worry about the Eagles’ front line given the injury to Cam Jurgens, and A.J. Brown missed his second consecutive practice Thursday. Brown is expected to play, and the Eagles have enough talent to move to 6-2 before their bye.
Prediction: Eagles 30, Giants 18
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles will try to go into the bye on a two-game win streak.
Olivia Reiner
Who would’ve thought that the second meeting between the Eagles and the Giants would be so highly anticipated?
Certainly not me when the schedule came out back in May, when I predicted that the Eagles would easily roll their NFC East foes twice within a span of just more than two weeks. That wasn’t the case. The Giants upset the Eagles on Thursday night in Week 6, extending Philadelphia’s losing streak at the time to two games.
It seems unlikely that the Eagles will lose to the Giants twice. While their offensive issues are by no means fixed after one game, the Eagles showed some encouraging signs of evolution against the Vikings with their uptick in under-center runs and the play-action passes that were set up off them.
The Eagles will also be healthier in the rematch than they were two weeks ago. Jalen Carter and Landon Dickerson are back. Nakobe Dean took his first defensive snaps last week, which should help keep Dart and Skattebo from running all over them.
But the offensive line will likely be down Jurgens as he deals with a knee injury. Still, the Eagles are the team with the better talent and better coaches.
Start spreading the news: The Eagles will go into the bye week on a two-game win streak.
Prediction: Eagles 31, Giants 24
Matt Breen
Jalen Hurts was excellent last week, but it’s hard to feel good about the Eagles when they continue to have trouble running the football. Saquon Barkley said he’ll take the blame for the Birds’ run troubles, but he’s getting hardly any room to run.
Barkley’s average of 1.8 yards before contact ranks 31st in the NFL and 2 yards less than last season’s mark of 3.8 Yes, Barkley was electric in 2024, but he was also powered by an offensive line regarded as the NFL’s top unit. That’s not the case in 2025.
The line has been banged up but needs to tighten up if the Eagles are going to move the way they did in the second half of last season. Maybe that starts Sunday at home against a defense that allows the fourth-highest rushing yards per attempt.
The Giants limited Barkley two weeks ago to 58 rushing yards, but it’s hard to see them doing it again. The Eagles finally figured out their passing attack last week. This week is a chance to get their running-game right. A big-game for Barkley would be the perfect way to enter the bye week.
Vic Fangio labeled his evaluation of Jakorian Bennett as “incomplete” earlier this week.
The Eagles have not had a stable counterpart to Quinyon Mitchell because of injury and poor play. But Bennett, the player they acquired in early August in exchange for rotational defensive tackle Thomas Booker, hasn’t really had his chance.
He was eased into Fangio’s defensive scheme after getting a late start in training camp and found himself behind Adoree’ Jackson on the depth chart when the season began. Bennett, 25, spelled Jackson in all three of the Eagles’ first three games, a total of 24 defensive snaps. But a torn pectoral muscle landed him on injured reserve after the team’s Week 3 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Incomplete? Bennett said he agreed with Fangio.
“I really haven’t showed everything I can do,” Bennett said. “It’s time for me to just go out there and put on for a whole game and show him, show the players, the rest of the coaches, everybody who I am. Show them that they didn’t bring me here for no reason.”
Eagles cornerback Jakorian Bennett played in three games this season before being injured.
The Eagles opened Bennett’s practice window this week. He was listed as a limited participant in practice Wednesday and was upgraded to a full participant Thursday. He likely will be activated for Sunday’s game vs. the New York Giants. His role remains to be seen. Jackson remained sidelined from practice Thursday because of a concussion and is trending toward being unavailable for the game.
The Eagles have had a bit of a revolving door over the last few weeks at the position. Jackson missed Week 4 with a groin injury, allowing Kelee Ringo to start for the first time. Ringo then stayed in the starting spot for Week 5 even after Jackson returned. He again got the call for Week 6, but was yanked in favor of Jackson early in the game, only to return after Mitchell was hurt. Jackson started Sunday vs. Minnesota, but Ringo came in for him after the concussion.
Meanwhile, Bennett could only watch while a potential opportunity to make a difference passed.
“That was probably the toughest part,” Bennett said. “I got traded here for a reason, to try to help the team win and be part of that. For me to just kind of watch that was tough. You’re watching the game, and you just kind of visualize yourself making plays and doing whatever to help the team win. I’m a competitor. I’m a team player. I’m just trying to go out there and help the guys.”
Eagles cornerback Jakorian Bennett has only played 24 defensive snaps this season and hasn’t been available since Week 3.
Bennett said he wasn’t sure what his role would be for Sunday. Fangio said he thinks Ringo “can eventually be better than he’s been. His opportunities will keep coming, probably, and hopefully he’ll turn the corner.”
Regarding his “incomplete” evaluation of Bennett, Fangio said, “I just never felt like I had a good handle on what he is and what he isn’t. I just don’t think he played enough to answer that with definitive conviction.”
Bennett said he feels like he has the defense down and is ready to contribute. He sees opportunity, too, given what has transpired at the position over the past several weeks.
“I’m a competitor and I know the type of player I am,” he said.
Bennett’s most recent play with the Eagles was exciting. Jordan Davis may have never scored after his game-sealing field goal block in Week 3 if not for Bennett, who leveled Rams punter and holder Ethan Evans as he tried to recover the football. His pectoral injury had already happened, Bennett said a few weeks ago after he hit injured reserve.
In Bennett’s locker stall Thursday at the NovaCare Complex was a bottle of Caymus Vineyards wine.
A welcome back present? No, Bennett said, it was a gift from assistant special teams coordinator Joe Pannunzio, who treated the field goal block unit to a bottle of the Napa Valley wine.
The welcome back present is just playing football again.
“It feels good to be healthy, good to be back on the field, just play ball,” Bennett said. “I got tired of sitting around and healing up.”
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (hamstring) was absent from practice for the second consecutive day on Thursday.
Injury report
A.J. Brown (hamstring) was absent from practice for the second consecutive day on Thursday. The Eagles also were without Cam Jurgens (knee), Azeez Ojulari (hamstring), and Jackson.
Four players were limited: Grant Calcaterra (oblique), Landon Dickerson (ankle/back), Moro Ojomo (shoulder), and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (ankle).
Dallas Goedert (calf) was upgraded to a full participant.
The Eagles also opened Darius Cooper’s practice window Thursday. The rookie wide receiver, who is on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, was a full participant.
Tune in Sunday at 11:30 as The Inquirer’s Olivia Reiner and Jeff McLane preview the Eagles’ rematch with the New York Giants.
The Eagles suffered their worst loss of the season at MetLife Stadium against the Giants just two weeks ago. One week later, the Giants suffered their worst loss of the season, a fourth-quarter collapse against Denver.
New York is winless on the road in 2025, and headed into the NFL’s most hostile environment with a rookie quarterback. Can the Birds get their revenge?
Here’s what the national media is saying about Sunday’s game …
How good are the Eagles?
The Giants’ star rookies gained a confidence boost after blowing out the Eagles two weeks ago. But a total collapse in Denver may have stalled that progress, NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky said on Get Up, so he still expects an Eagles win.
Though the Eagles might win, Orlovsky isn’t bullish on the Birds’ chances in the long term, although he’s “intrigued” by what Jalen Hurts showed in the passing game against Minnesota.
“This team can’t win a Super Bowl the way they’re running the football,” Orlovsky said. “They can win games, they can beat good teams, but they can’t run the football. My question is, is what we saw offensively last week going to be who you’re going to be for the rest of the season?”
Can the Giants rebound?
The Giants’ collapse against Denver is the type of loss that can cause a team to emotionally spiral. But Manti Te’o said on NFL Network that he doesn’t expect that to linger for New York on Sunday.
“When I see a team fall off like that, that’s just situational,” Te’o said. “Let’s be honest, I don’t think the Giants even anticipated they would be up that much. There’s a way to play the game, and there’s so much youth there that it may have slipped by them. I am buying that they will respond and build off of it.”
Manti Te'o thinks the Giants will bounce back this week from their tough loss against the Broncos. pic.twitter.com/RiHpSyQUmZ
Even after Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, and A.J. Brown dominated in the passing game in Sunday’s win, there’s still drama with Brown’s social media posts.
On Instagram following Sunday’s game, Brown posted a photo with the caption, “using me but not using me.” Brown caught two touchdowns on four catches for 121 yards, his best game of the season. So what exactly does he mean by that caption? On First Take, Orlovsky said he believes Brown is indicating he still wants to be traded.
“I believe A.J. Brown prefers to be traded,” Orlovsky said. ”There’s been this consistent disconnect, whether it’s the lack of production, they don’t throw the ball enough, or they go on the road, he has [four catches for 121 yards], the game-sealer, and he’s still tweeting that out. I’m not trying to read too much into it, this is a Super Bowl-contending team, but for that to continuously happen, I do think there’s parts of A.J. Brown that would prefer to be traded.”
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown stiff arms Minnesota’s Isaiah Rodgers during Sunday’s game.
Ryan Clark didn’t go that far, but said that Brown was opening himself up to those rumors with his actions.
“He also has to understand the consequences of his actions,” Clark said. “When you tweet out ”using me but not using me,” read books on the sidelines, said certain things you’ve said in postgame interviews, people are going to try to connect the tea leaves and come to their own conclusions. It could honestly be, finally in this game they used me.”
For all the attention on Brown, Smith also had his best game of the year against the Vikings, with a 79-yard touchdown as the highlight among his nine catches for 183 yards.
“Because of all the attention on A.J. Brown, because of the drama, DeVonta’s kind of being overlooked as a top-10 receiver in the NFL,” Mina Kimes said. “I think he’s capable of that.”
Coming off a big win over the Minnesota Vikings, the Eagles (5-2) will return to Lincoln Financial Field to host the New York Giants (2-5) on Sunday. As both teams prepare for their second matchup of the season, here are updated odds and interesting prop bets from two of the biggest sportsbooks…
Eagles vs. Giants updated odds
The Eagles and the Giants are meeting for the second time in two weeks, following a 34-17 Eagles loss to New York at MetLife Stadium in Week 6.
Earlier in the week, both sportsbooks had the Eagles listed as 7.5-point favorites. Since then, the odds haven’t changed as they enter Week 8.
JalenHurts is coming off an excellent performance in which he threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns to earn a perfect passer rating, making this the third consecutive week the quarterback has thrown for over 270 yards.
Jaxson Dart is coming off a Giants’ loss to the Broncos where he threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns. Dart has thrown for over 200 yards in two of his last four games.
For this week’s matchup, both sportsbooks have Hurts’ over/under set at around 205 passing yards, and Dart’s over/under is set at just under 200 passing yards.
Hurts has thrown for eight touchdowns in his last four games, while Dart has thrown for seven. In their last matchup, both quarterbacks recorded one passing touchdown. For this week’s matchup, both sportsbooks have Hurts’ over/under set at 1.5 passing touchdowns and Dart’s over/under set at 0.5.
In six of seven games, Saquon Barkley has rushed for under 70 yards. Last year’s NFL Offensive Player of the Year is coming off a game that saw him rush for 44 yards in the Birds’ win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Giants’ running back Cam Skattebo is coming off a game that saw him rush for 60 yards against the Denver Broncos.
A.J. Brown missed practice on Wednesday due to a hamstring injury. The receiver played 46 offensive snaps against the Vikings, recording four receptions for 121 yards. Meanwhile, DeVonta Smith also stood out with nine receptions for 183 yards.
However, neither sportsbook has player props listed at the moment. Instead, they have the odds for Dallas Goedert and Barkley’s over/under in receiving yards. In the team’s last game against the Giants, Goedert finished with nine receptions for 110 yards and one touchdown. Barkley had two receptions for 9 yards.
For the Giants, Wan’Dale Johnson is coming off a game that saw him finish with six receptions for 95 yards. Giants tight end Theo Johnson added to that with three receptions for 66 yards.
In Week 7, Smith and Brown scored for the Eagles. For the Giants, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Dart, Daniel Bellinger, Johnson, and Skattebo found the end zone.
In their last meeting, Hurts and Goedert scored for the Eagles. Skattebo dominated on the ground, rushing for three touchdowns. Dart and Robinson also made their way into the end zone.
Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart has quickly become a fan favorite in New York, leading the Giants to a 34-17 win over the Eagles in Week 6 and flashing potential for the future.
But he will get his first experience with the environment in Philadelphia on Sunday. Here’s what the Giants are saying about their second matchup in three weeks with the Birds:
Dart and the Giants are 2-1 at home, including that win over the Eagles, but haven’t won a road game this season (0-4).
Lincoln Financial Field is one of the toughest stadiums for a road team to play at in the NFL — especially for division rivals.
“It’s going to be intense, for sure,” said Dart, a first-round pick out of Mississippi. “I can’t wait to go out there and compete and feel the hostility in the air and the rivalry between the two organizations. I kind of compare it to an SEC rivalry.”
Former Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart is anticipating the environment at Lincoln Financial Field being similar to an SEC rivalry game.
‘Stick close to your brothers’
Dart’s teammates are trying to prepare him for the environment at the Linc. Eagles fans certainly will be out to give Dart and fellow rookie Cam Skattebo a warm Philly welcome.
“I mean, if he didn’t have any haters, he’ll find out where they all live,” Giants receiver Darius Slayton said Wednesday. “He’s about to get introduced to all of them.”
“You’ve got to stick close to your brothers in the locker room, just stay tight as one group, because that team and that fan base, they’re going to get a little gritty on the sidelines,” tight end Daniel Bellinger told the New York Post. “I would tell him, ‘Listen, focus on you, focus on the team, and stick together and not worry about the outside noise.’”
Facing Dart again
The Eagles and Giants played just two weeks ago. Before that Thursday night showdown, Dart had started just two games, so the Birds had minimal NFL tape on which to evaluate him.
The Eagles and Vic Fangio now have firsthand experience. Dart said this is the first time in his career that he’s played the same team twice in such a small window of time. How will the Giants respond to that challenge?
“[Fangio’s] done a great job in this league for a long time,” Giants coach Brian Daboll said. “I can’t answer what he would do or what he wouldn’t do. You watch your game, you see how they played you. [Jalen] Carter’s back. Does that make a difference relative to the scheme and what they want to do? I don’t know.
“I just know that Vic’s a challenging coordinator to game plan against. Again, Jaxson’s played a good amount of football in his career. These last four weeks, he’s got a routine down, and we do everything we can do to get him ready to play.”
Breaking tendencies on offense for the Eagles played a big role in their Week 7 win over the Minnesota Vikings. With a rematch looming with the New York Giants on Sunday, that formula will likely be put to good use again.
Jalen Hurts finished the Vikings game with a perfect passer rating (158.3) and continued his trend of exploiting zone coverage for a second straight game. But the influx of under-center play-action and connecting on his deep shots with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith made all the difference.
Can the offense carry that momentum against the Giants, while figuring out its running-game issues? Here’s what we learned from the film ahead of Sunday’s rematch between the division foes:
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts thrived passing from under center against the Vikings in Week 7.
More under-center play-action
Of Hurts’ 326 passing yards against Minnesota, 121 of them came on play-action, under-center throws downfield. Entering that game, the Eagles averaged just 0.8 yards from under center, which ranked 30th in the NFL, according to Fantasy Points Data.
Hurts completed all four of those pass attempts, including the 79-yard touchdown strike to Smith. The play-action also opened up the middle, allowing the Eagles offense to attack an area of the field it has often neglected.
Jalen Hurts and the #Eagles utilizing under center play-action on Sunday will be important going forward and should open more opportunities to attack the intermediate middle of the field throws.
The Giants, according to Next Gen Stats, are giving up the eighth-highest total of passing yards on throws traveling 10 to 19 air yards, yielding 71.9 yards per game. Hurts has completed four of six passes in that range of the field in each of his last two games.
There are also examples of the Giants defense giving up explosive plays off play-action passes from under center. New York yielded a 33-yard gain to CeeDee Lamb during a matchup with Dallas in Week 2, and surrendered an 87-yard touchdown connection from Spencer Rattler to Rashid Shaheed in Week 5 against New Orleans.
Two of the longer throws the #Giants have given up this season came off under center play-action. Spencer Rattler hit Rashid Shaheed for an 87-yard TD and Dak Prescott found CeeDee Lamb for a deep crosser for about 40 yards. Opportunities for big plays off play-action will be… https://t.co/m7NsicRJr9pic.twitter.com/iTqTv6yjuk
In their Week 6 matchup, Hurts, who has typically thrived against man coverage in his career, completed just six of 12 passes against New York’s man looks on defense, according to Next Gen Stats. And he threw his lone interception of the season, which all but ended the game.
Hurts’ early touchdown pass to Brown against Minnesota was proof of his improvement as a passer, making plays with his arm rather than taking off and scrambling. According to Next Gen Stats, Hurts had his first game with a positive expected points added (which measures team performance on a play-by-play basis) per drop back on scrambles without actually taking off and running.
If Hurts can continue that trend, the Eagles should be in for another big passing day — the Giants are giving up the seventh-highest total of passing yards per game in the NFL (245.3) and the second-most passing yards on throws that travel 20 or more air yards (62.9), according to Next Gen Stats.
Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo rushed for 98 yards and three touchdowns against the Eagles in Week 6.
Keeping Dart and Skattebo in check
In Week 6, rookies Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo ran wild over the Eagles defense, which was without defensive tackle Jalen Carter and cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, who left the game with a hamstring strain. And the pairing hasn’t slowed down after accounting for 156 of the Giants’ 172 rushing yards in that game.
Skattebo was a little more subdued against Denver, rushing for 60 yards on 3.1 yards per carry. But Dart continued to make plays downfield and on the move, hurting the Broncos defense with his arm. Dart is coming off his best passing day, throwing for 283 yards and three scores.
His connection with wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson continues to grow. When he escapes the pocket and extends plays, Dart has consistently found Robinson outside the numbers or over the middle of the field for big gains — first against the Eagles in Week 6, then Denver last week.
#Giants QB Jaxson Dart has found a lot of comfort in finding Wan'Dale Robinson outside the numbers on Sail concepts and when he's scrambling around in the backfield in the intermediate areas of the field.
Tight ends continue to be among Dart’s favorite targets. He threw two more to that position group Sunday in Denver, finding Daniel Bellinger (44 yards) and Theo Johnson (41 yards) for touchdowns.
Of Dart’s seven touchdown passes, five have gone to tight ends, and Johnson has four of them. Because of the high tight end usage, the Giants could look to attack downfield and utilize double moves against the Eagles’ secondary to spring Johnson or Bellinger.
Against Minnesota, a double move from Jordan Addison created a 32-yard completion between Mitchell and Drew Mukuba in zone coverage. The Giants completed a pass on similar action to Bellinger, albeit against man coverage.
The #Giants hit a double move to TE Daniel Bellinger on Sunday for a big gain and the #Eagles gave up a similar double move to Jordan Addison on Sunday against the Vikings. Expect New York to try and again take some vertical shots against the Eagles defense. pic.twitter.com/N2x0BdWG4Z
But the most important thing the Eagles need to do to prevent New York from taking shots downfield is to stop the run. The Birds defense has allowed 26 runs of 10 or more yards, tied for the seventh-most in the NFL, and it particularly struggles on outside runs.
The Giants made the Eagles pay in their previous matchup, with three of the five rushes that went 10 yards or more coming from runs outside the tackles, according to Next Gen Stats. The running-back toss play to Skattebo has been effective over their last two games.
#Giants went back to the RB toss play to Cam Skattebo out of shotgun against the Broncos, but did it out of pistol against the #Eagles twice 2 weeks ago. #Eagles defense will need to find answers to slowing the play down this upcoming Sunday. pic.twitter.com/YwnkRIOE85
Although his status for Sunday’s game is in question, defensive end Brandon Graham, now back with the Eagles, could provide a huge boost in the run defending department. Graham’s reps before his first triceps injury last season showed a promising trend of setting a firm edge and knifing through offensive lines.
He would be a major boost to a run defense that ranks 22nd in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game (127.9).
I think the biggest value Brandon Graham can bring back to the #Eagles by un-retiring is how well he set a firm edge in the run game and how consistently he beat TEs on base and kick out blocks.
For the last two games, Eagles opponents entered the game struggling to defend the run but were still able to hold Saquon Barkley to 58 and 44 total rushing yards. Looking beyond the numbers, though, tells a different story.
The Eagles are trying to get Barkley out in space and last week’s game that featured under-center play-action passing showcased an evolved plan for the running game. After finding some success earlier in the season on Barkley pitch plays to the left side of the offensive line, the Eagles called four outside toss plays against the Vikings that yielded 14 yards. It also provided some new run scheme looks from under center that can be paired with play-action passes.
The #Eagles ran an outside plays 4 times against the #Vikings for Saquon Barkley — twice out of 21 personnel with Cam Latu leading, once each out of 11 and 12 personnel. Netted 14 yards but gave Barkley much more space to operate with. pic.twitter.com/WUQ7NRJ0Ew
Denver ran a similar play that popped a big gain against the Giants’ defense in Week 7, with J.K. Dobbins rumbling for a 32-yard gain. Expect the Eagles to keep the toss play as a run scheme option for Barkley on Sunday.
In addition to the toss play, the Eagles have found success in getting Barkley some daylight on split-zone runs against the Giants and Vikings that created 18-, 8-, and 9-yard gains. The action allows a backside tight end (Dallas Goedert) or motioning receiver across the formation to keep a defensive end or edge rusher from crashing down the play for a loss.
One run scheme that has been pretty effective for Saquon Barkley and the #Eagles offense over the last 2 games has been split zone runs out of 11 personnel. Barkley popped an 18-yard run against New York a couple weeks ago and had carries of 9 and 8 yards against the Vikings on… pic.twitter.com/tGksOgLrPO
Barkley’s rushing numbers could be even worse if not for his elusiveness in the backfield. Twice last week he had to force someone to miss right after he got the handoff to turn a potential negative play into a positive one.
Even with #Eagles RB Saquon Barkley averaging just 3.3 yards per carry, there are a handful of times a game he legitimately turns a no gain run turn into positive yards. This play against the Vikings is a great example, turns a potential no gain run into 7 yards. pic.twitter.com/l5fUok9yEK
With center Cam Jurgens’ status for Sunday in question, the Eagles must continue to find ways to give Barkley room to run. Mixing in variations of run schemes should help aid a potential breakout performance.
![Giants prepare Jaxson Dart for playing in Philly: ‘He’s about to get introduced to all [of his haters]’](https://wp-brooklyn.enclave.vn/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/JDTVBQ4N5VBIXEOQTH54736UGE-675x450.jpg)
