The Eagles (2-3) are trying to claw back to a .500 record and can do it with a win over the Giants (1-4) at MetLife Stadium.
This is the first division matchup for the Eagles and if they take care of their division games, they can still rebound from a slow start and make it to the playoffs. From there, anything can happen. But it starts on Thursday night.
Here are five matchups to watch:
Odell Beckham Jr. vs. Jalen Mills
Mills has been the target of ire from Eagles fans throughout this disappointing 2-3 start. Some of that is warranted, some of it isn’t. It’s just that Mills’ mistakes stick out so much. He’s giving up huge plays to receivers running past him. You can argue he needs more help over the top, but he’s a starting corner in this league; he needs to be able to cover better. The area Mills has excelled is in the red zone, which is actually where Beckham beat him twice for two touchdowns in that first meeting last year.
OBJ is one of the best receivers in the NFL. He might be a knucklehead and might do stupid interviews with Lil Wayne awkwardly sitting next to him, but there’s no denying his talent. In seven games against the Eagles, he has more catches (50), yards (603) and touchdowns (6) than any other team. And he had his best game of the season a few days ago.
Sterling Shepard vs. Sidney Jones
I was really tempted to make this matchup “Sterling Shepard vs. inanimate objects.”
That’s great. Despite Shepard’s disdain for things that can’t feel, he’s a really good slot receiver. He’s the Giants’ second-best receiver and is a tough matchup in the slot. He absolutely killed the Eagles last season.
First matchup: 7 catches, 133 yards, 1 touchdown
NFL
Second matchup: 11 catches, 139 yards, 1 touchdown
Shepard has four-career 100-yard games and half of them have come against the Eagles.
Jones has had an up-and-down season, but he’s been more up than down. And he clearly has elite talent. I’m excited to see how Jones handles Shepard on Thursday. Eventually, I’m excited to see Jones against OBJ, but we’ll take Shepard for now.
Saquon Barkley vs. Eagles’ linebackers
If you just look at Barkley’s rushing numbers, you’d be underwhelmed because he’s averaging 61.6 yards per game, but he’s also averaging 54.8 receiving per game. Here’s a rookie who has had over 100-plus yards from scrimmage in each of his first five NFL games. That’s pretty damn impressive, especially considering the Giants’ offensive line isn’t giving him much help. Barkley has created a lot of those yards on his own.
Running backs like Barkley are so hard to defend because they’re true dual-threats. He can hurt teams with his receiving ability just as much as he can — maybe even more — than his ability to run between the tackles.
The Eagles’ linebackers have been solid this season, but they also haven’t made any big plays. That has been the hallmark of Jordan Hicks’ career; he seems to make big plays. None of them have done it so far this year. This might not necessarily be a chance for interceptions or forced fumbles, but if they can slow down Barkley, they can definitely have a huge positive impact on the game.
Lane Johnson vs. Connor Barwin
Johnson has given up a few sacks this season and is coming off another performance that doesn’t quite match his All-Pro season a year ago. Here’s a really good chance for him to get back to being dominant. It’ll come against old friend Barwin, who has been thrust into a starting role with the Giants thanks to the absence of Olivier Vernon. Barwin’s best days are clearly behind him and he’s more suited to a rotational role at this point. These two know each other well, so not sure how that changes things. But if Johnson can’t handle him … uh oh.
Corey Clement vs. Giants’ run defense
In the wake of Jay Ajayi’s tearing his ACL, the good news is that Clement is set to return from a quad injury that kept him out the last two games. I expect Clement and Wendell Smallwood to split snaps and carries in this game against the Giants, who have allowed 124 yards per game on the ground. They’re certainly susceptible to giving up chunks on the ground. You might look at them and think they’re down big in games and teams are running, but three of their losses were by one score; the only blowout was to the Saints.
Doug Pederson has to commit to the run early in this game. I’m not saying he has to act like it’s 1985 and grind out that type of win, but a little more balance would certainly help. Here’s a good chance to make that happen.