The Eagles come into Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field with a six-game losing streak hanging over them, while the Giants arrive at 4-2-1 and sitting atop the NFC East after a bye week. That setup alone gives Week 9 a sharp edge, and the matchup list is loaded with problems the Eagles have been dealing with all season.
The biggest one might be the Giants’ pressure package against Joe Milton, who is set to make his first career start. Milton, 26, is taking over in a game where the Eagles have already shown they struggle badly when defenses heat them up.
Philadelphia has faced 109 blitzes this season and has allowed 66 pressures, a 60.6% pressure rate that leads the NFL. They’ve also given up a free rusher more than any other team in the league.
That makes blitzing them less of a gamble and more of a blueprint, and the Giants already rank second in blitz rate in the NFL, according to NextGen Stats. Dennard Wilson, now the Giants’ defensive coordinator, was with the Eagles in 2021 and 2022 before the team went with Sean Desai for the job in 2023.
Wilson has since run defenses with the Titans and Giants.
On the other side of the ball, Saquon Barkley is still working through hamstring and back issues, but he’s expected to try to push through again against his former team. He played 22 snaps in Week 8 against the Commanders and finished with 13 carries for 30 yards and a touchdown, plus a 24-yard catch.
Even with the injuries, he remains the Eagles’ top option, and the team has already told him he is not being moved ahead of the trade deadline. That run game will be facing a Giants defense that ranks 26th against the run, allowing 128.1 yards per game.
New York held Houston to 84 rushing yards in overtime before the bye, but also gave up 175 to the Saints and 202 to the Commanders. The Giants are allowing 1.66 yards before contact per attempt, which ranks 27th, and the Eagles will have the same offensive line for the third straight game.
That line will have its hands full with a Giants front that has talent even if the sack total hasn’t followed. New York is tied with the Chiefs and Dolphins for the fewest sacks in the league with 9.0 in seven games, but Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux and rookie Arvell Reese can still stress a protection plan.
Add in Wilson’s willingness to blitz, and it becomes a real test for Jordan Mailata and rookie Markel Bell. Bell, the Miami product, struggled against the Commanders in Week 8 and has had uneven moments since replacing Lane Johnson.
The Eagles need a better read on what they have in him over the final nine games, and Sunday will be another useful evaluation.
The Eagles’ own run defense is another area that keeps showing up in these previews for the wrong reasons. The Giants are waiting to see whether Cam Skattebo can return from the hamstring injury he suffered late in their overtime win over the Texans before the bye.
If he can’t go, Devin Singletary and Gregory Desroisiers would be the top options. Skattebo leads the Giants with 418 rushing yards on 98 carries, averaging 4.3 per attempt, and has scored two touchdowns.
He’s also averaging 3.6 yards after contact per rush, which fits the bruising style he brings. The Eagles have had tackling issues, and they’ll need to finish plays better if he’s out there.
That’s especially true because Philadelphia’s run defense has been a problem all season. The Eagles rank 28th, allowing 131.9 rushing yards per game, and they’ve given up at least 100 rushing yards in every game this season.
That is their longest such streak to start a season since 1968. Jordan Davis is supposed to be the anchor in the middle, but a hand injury has slowed him down.
There’s also a major receiver matchup worth watching in Quinyon Mitchell against Malik Nabers. The Giants took Nabers with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 season, and he’s on pace for a huge 2026.
After a rookie year that included more than 1,200 yards and a torn ACL in Year 2, Nabers has come back strong. Through seven games, he has 48 catches on 70 targets for 605 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 86.4 yards per game.
He’s gone over 100 yards in each of his last four games and lines up some in the slot, though most of his work comes outside. The Eagles haven’t had Mitchell travel with top receivers yet this season, but this might be the week to try it.
Mitchell has been excellent overall, though he did allow a 53-yard catch to Treylon Burks in the third quarter. Even so, he has given up 27 catches on 50 targets for 293 yards, and his opponent passer rating is 69.8.
In Other News...
Eagles Suddenly Have A Bigger Week 9 Concern Than Fans Expected
The Eagles Week 9 prep took another turn Thursday when their second injury report of the week showed seven players sidelined from practice and several more working on a limited basis ahead of Sundays matchup with the Giants. The list only sharpened the sense that Philadelphia is heading into this one with more uncertainty than expected, even as the team continues to sort through absences at key spots on the roster.
Saquon Barkley was among the notable names to appear on the limited list, a small but important development after he did not practice Wednesday, while Tanner McKee also was limited. On the other side, the Giants had their own injury questions, with Malik Nabers missing practice but still expected to play and Cam Skattebo trending toward sitting out, leaving both teams to navigate a short week with a few of their biggest names in flux. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Foles Just Said What Eagles Fans Have Been Thinking
Nick Foles has stepped back into the conversation around the Eagles, and this time it is not as the quarterback who delivered the franchise its most famous moment. On recent podcast appearances, Foles openly criticized the organizations culture and the way the offense has been coached, saying his frustration comes from a place of wanting fans to understand what has gone wrong and why improvement has to start inside the building.
For Eagles supporters, the comments land with extra weight because they come from someone who knows the pressure of playing in Philadelphia and what it takes to survive there. Foles did not frame his remarks as a personal attack so much as a challenge to the teams standards, pointing to issues with the offensive approach and the way players have executed within it. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Make A QB Change With Offense Desperate For A Spark
The Eagles are turning to Joe Milton for their Week 9 meeting with the Giants, a notable shift as the offense looks for any kind of jolt. Nick Sirianni confirmed the move over Tanner McKee and said the decision came after conversations with general manager Howie Roseman and the offensive staff, with the final call resting with him.
Sirianni also made clear he would have preferred to keep the switch under wraps, hoping to preserve a competitive edge before kickoff, but the news leaked through ESPN. For a Philadelphia offense that has been searching for a spark, the quarterback decision now becomes part of the larger question of how the Eagles plan to steady things against a division opponent that knows them well. [Read more 🡒]