John Harbaugh isn’t interested in treating the Giants’ long run of misery against the Eagles like some inherited family curse.
He’d rather turn it into a turning point.
The Giants have been stuck in Philadelphia’s shadow for years, going 4-16 in their last 20 meetings with the Eagles, 2-8 in their last 10 and 1-3 in the last four. They’ve also lost 12 straight at Lincoln Financial Field dating back to 2013.
But Harbaugh sees Sunday as more than just another division game. Beat the Eagles, and the Giants can keep pushing toward the top of the NFC East with real momentum heading into Tuesday’s trade deadline and Thursday night’s home matchup with the Washington Commanders.
“We’re trying to win the division first. That’s our first goal here,” Harbaugh said.
“This game will go a long way toward that. That’s why it’s so important.
Division games are big. Division games on the road are really big.
Those are big wins if you can get them. They’re tough to get.
It’s a big challenge. We’re excited about the opportunity, but we understand it’s a daunting challenge.”
The Eagles are not the same team they were, and Harbaugh knows it. They’re 2-6, in last place, and dealing with a pile of problems.
A.J. Brown is gone after being traded to the New England Patriots in the offseason.
Jalen Hurts is out with blood clots. DeVonta Smith is sidelined by a hamstring injury.
Lane Johnson retired midseason. Cam Jurgens was traded to the Ravens.
Even with Saquon Barkley, Jalen Carter and Quinyon Mitchell still in the mix, the Eagles are thin in key spots. Vic Fangio’s defense lacks size.
The pass rush isn’t as deep. And with Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni running out of runway, this feels like a season teetering toward more change.
This week’s decision to bench Tanner McKee for Joe Milton III only added to that sense of urgency.
Harbaugh, 64, knows the rivalry from the other side, too. He spent years on Andy Reid’s staff in Philadelphia, serving as special teams coordinator from 1998 through 2006 and coaching defensive backs in 2007 before taking over as the Ravens’ head coach.
He also knows the broader picture in the NFC East. The Giants haven’t won the division since their 2011 Super Bowl season.
Since then, the Eagles have claimed six division titles, Dallas has won five and Washington three. New York has finished third or last in the division 11 times in those 14 seasons and has made the playoffs only twice.
The Giants have also finished third or last in five straight seasons, and they’ve been outscored by Philadelphia 254-167 over their last nine head-to-head meetings.
Still, the Giants aren’t leaning on injury excuses. They’re missing Jaxson Dart with a torn MCL and meniscus, Brian Burns with the same injury and likely Cam Skattebo because of a hamstring issue, among others.
But they’ve already made a quarterback switch, moving from Jameis Winston to trade acquisition J.J. McCarthy, and they’re coming off a road win over the Houston Texans and a bye week.
“It’s all about us and how we execute the football plays,” McCarthy said approaching his second Giants start. “Obviously, it gets very loud, but the preparation throughout the week, the nonverbal communication is just a huge key in any environment, but especially on the road in loud crowd environments. It’s just about executing those ball plays and not worrying about anything else … It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
The Giants’ next move might not just happen on the field, either. Harbaugh is already pushing hard for help before the deadline, with the team actively chasing a running back and a defensive tackle. Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts is the top target for several teams around the league.
A win over Philadelphia could strengthen Harbaugh’s hand even more, potentially nudging the Giants to raise their offer for a player like Taylor. ESPN reported that Ravens running back Derrick Henry is not expected to be traded, with Baltimore not acting like a seller.
For Harbaugh, the standings matter less than the work in front of him. New York has moved to -150 to win the NFC East, ahead of Dallas at +245, Washington at +500 and Philadelphia at +3300, but he brushed off the numbers.
“To me, it’s all kind of meaningless,” Harbaugh said. “I mean, if you’re betting it’s important.
But it doesn’t matter to us, because there’s still 10 games left to play. And I’m quite sure every one of the teams in the division believes that in 10 games, they can make up ground.
“I’ve had experience with that in my coaching career,” he added. “Players know that it’s what you do.
It’s not what anybody says about you or where you get ranked or anything like that. It’s just about what you do.
You’ve got to go win games.”
He said there’s no need to warn his locker room against getting caught up in the numbers.
“No. They’re locked in,” he said.
“They’re getting ready to play this game, and they know. In this league, to even think for one second that something’s not going to be a challenge or that you might get complacent or that it might not, what would even be on your mind if you thought that?
I believe that, when you get asked that, if you’re the right kind of team, it’s just like, really, you’re asking me that? Shame on us if we would think that way, and we’re not thinking that way.”
The Giants are aiming high, but they’re not acting like they’ve arrived yet. Sunday is about beating the Eagles, Monday or Tuesday is about adding more firepower, Thursday is about Washington, and after that comes the chance to see how far this run can really go.
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