The Eagles keep finding new ways to look the same.
They’ve been steady in the wrong direction all season, and the numbers tell the story. After last Sunday’s 27-10 loss at Washington, Philadelphia remains the NFL’s worst offense at 2,122 total yards, a season-low 265.3 yards per game.
The defense hasn’t been much kinder to the cause, ranking 27th in the league at 367.3 yards allowed per game. Against the run, the Eagles sit 30th, giving up 1,055 rushing yards for an average of 131.9 a game, which places them 28th overall.
That’s the backdrop as they head into Sunday’s 1 p.m. matchup with the Giants, a team that suddenly has plenty to play for. New York is chasing a playoff spot for the first time since 2022 and its first NFC East title since 2011, when it went 9-7 and won the Super Bowl.
The Giants are also getting more comfortable with J.J. McCarthy, who is fresh off a bye week and has had more time to absorb the offense.
For Philadelphia, that means facing a quarterback trying to make his second NFL chance count while the Eagles are mired in a six-game losing streak - their worst since Andy Reid’s final season in Philadelphia, when they dropped eight straight. The longest skid in franchise history is 14 games, set across the 1936 and 1937 seasons, and the longest in the Super Bowl era is 11, from the 1968 team that lost its first 11 games.
There’s still a lot of losing left if this keeps up, and the Eagles are inching toward that territory with four games after Sunday if they fall to New York.
The Giants, meanwhile, have their own reasons to care. They haven’t beaten the Eagles in Philadelphia since October 27, 2013, when they won 15-7. McCarthy was 10 then, “tossing touchdowns to fifth graders.”
Vic Fangio didn’t downplay what he’s seeing from the Giants’ quarterback or the offense around him. Asked this week how different New York has looked with McCarthy, the Eagles’ defensive coordinator said, “Good.
They’ve got a really good offense. They’ve got skill at the receiving position.
They did a nice job raiding the Ravens, not only for [New York Giants Head Coach] John [Harbaugh], but for [New York Giants TE Isaiah] Likely and [New York Giants FB Patrick] Ricard. They’ve got a lot of the Ravens type offense that they had when [New York Giants Senior Offensive Assistant] Greg [Roman] was there, and they’ve intermixed Kansas City type passing in there with [New York Giants Offensive Coordinator] Matt [Nagy].
They’ve got it going right now. They’ve got good wideouts, good tight ends, two good backs.
The quarterback has come in, in a short period of time and really done a nice job, for them to get him for a sixth-round pick is a steal.”
And if that wasn’t enough, there’s Malik Nabers to deal with. The Giants receiver is ninth in the NFL with 605 receiving yards, seventh with 48 catches and 11th with 27 receiving first downs.
“He’s tough. He’s fast, he’s quick, he’s athletic, good hands,” Fangio said about Nabers. “I mean, he’s double tough.”
If the Eagles keep playing the way they have, the Giants’ 13-game losing streak at Lincoln Financial Field could finally come to an end, and Philadelphia would move one step closer to that unsettling 12-loss mark. The consistency, at least, would remain intact.
In Other News...
Nolan Smith Jr. Suddenly Holds The Key To Eagles Season
With the Eagles sitting at 2-6 and staring at a pivotal Week 9 meeting with the Giants, the defense has spent most of the season searching for answers. One of the few constants has been Nolan Smith Jr., who has emerged as the most productive player on that side of the ball and a rare source of disruption for a unit that has otherwise struggled to make life difficult for opposing quarterbacks.
Philadelphia does not need to reinvent everything to stay alive in this one, but it does need its best pass rusher to keep setting the tone. The Giants have given up plenty of sacks this season, which makes Smiths presence even more important as the Eagles try to steal a win and keep their season from slipping further away. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Still Have One Big Question About Drew Mukuba
Drew Mukuba has already given the Eagles a few reasons to like the rookie safety, and the coaching staff has not been shy about saying so. Nick Sirianni and Vic Fangio have both pointed to his upside this season, with Mukuba flashing the kind of playmaking ability that can change a game, including an interception and a forced fumble through nine weeks.
The bigger issue is whether that production can come with steadier work in the run game and in coverage. Mukuba has had his moments, but the missed tackles and uneven coverage have kept him from looking fully settled, which leaves Philadelphia still sorting out how quickly he can become a dependable piece on the back end. Meanwhile, Jalen Hurts has returned to the facility for meetings as he continues recovering from blood clots in his lungs, though he will miss the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Quinyon Mitchell Is Making One Eagles Debate Impossible To Ignore
Quinyon Mitchell has been one of the few bright spots on a Philadelphia defense that has had a hard time finding its footing this season. While the unit has lagged in several major categories, Mitchells individual work at cornerback has kept him in the middle of a conversation the Eagles probably hoped to avoid this early, because his play has been steady enough to stand out even when the rest of the defense has not.
The contrast is what makes his year so notable: Mitchell has brought production in the form of tackles, pass breakups and an interception, and he has done it while the defense around him continues to search for answers. Even so, one rough moment against Washington served as a reminder that the margin for error is thin, and it has only sharpened the debate over how much of Philadelphias defensive future should already be built around him. [Read more 🡒]