The Philadelphia Eagles (3-2) travel to East Rutherford to take on the New York Giants (2-4) in one of the most anticipated games of Week 7.
This game is highlighted by Saquon Barkley‘s return to MetLife Stadium as a member of the Eagles. Will Giants fans cheer, or will there be boos for their former star?
Aside from Barkley’s return, this is a must-win game for New York as they can ill-afford to lose ground on the rest of the division. Winning this game became a lot more challenging for Big Blue when it was announced that Andrew Thomas would be out for the remainder of the season after having foot surgery.
Despite the loss of their best offensive lineman, head coach Brian Daboll will have his team prepared to win their first home game of the season. But that’s not one of our five bold predictions for the Eagles vs Giants Week 7 matchup.
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New York Giants hold Saquon Barkley under 50 rushing yards
Although there’s no animosity between Barkley and his former teammates, you know that the Giants’ defense is excited about facing him. When Barkley was with the Giants, the defenders seldom put their hands on the former No. 2 pick during practice, but that won’t be the case on Sunday as they will look to shut down the 27-year-old star running back.
“I told him that whenever we play, it’s war and he knows that. Like I said, I’m just excited to play against him for a full game.”
Dexter Lawrence on facing Saquon Barkley
New York’s run defense ranks 15th in the league, allowing 116 yards per game on the ground. On Sunday, they’ll fare better, holding Barkley to under 50 yards rushing.
Related: See where the Eagles and Giants land in Sportsnaut’s NFL Defense Rankings
Saquon Barkley will score two one-yard touchdown runs
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni doesn’t shy away from trying to mock or rub people the wrong way. He knows the MetLife Stadium faithful, doesn’t want to see Barkley score against their team.
Typically, when the Eagles have the ball at their opponents’ goal line, they’ll do the tush push, where quarterback Jalen Hurts will try to score a touchdown. Against the Giants on Sunday, instead of having Hurts score on a sneak, Sirianni will call plays for his star running back, resulting in Barkley scoring on two one-yard runs.
Related: Philadelphia Eagles starter trashes the quality of MetLife Stadium ahead of New York Giants matchup
Malik Nabers has 150 receiving yards receiving and a touchdown
This week’s Giants injury report delivered good news with the announcement that Malik Nabers cleared concussion protocol on Thursday, meaning he’ll return against the Eagles.
Nabers hasn’t played since the team’s 20-15 loss to the Cowboys in Week 4, but the rookie receiver’s 35 receptions is seventh-best in the league. You can expect Daniel Jones to look Nabers’ way early and often against the Eagles’ 21st-ranked pass defense. Expect Nabers to pick up where he left off prior to his concussion, as he will have at least 150 receiving yards and a touchdown.
The Eagles will finally score in the first quarter
One of the most surprising statistics in the NFL season so far is that the Eagles have yet to score a point in the first quarter. Considering the Eagles have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL and a plethora of talented skill-position players, this stat is astounding.
When a team struggles this mightily to start a game, that means the coach does not have his team prepared. With his team playing their first divisional game of the season, Sirianni will have the offense in rhythm in the first quarter, resulting in either a Saquon Barkley touchdown run or an A.J. Brown touchdown reception.
Related: 4 New York Giants trade candidates ahead of Nov. 5 deadline, including a recent first-round pick
Tyler Nubin and Dru Phillips record first career interception
The one thing you can knock the Giants’ defense for is that they only have one interception, which occurred in Week 1 by rookie sixth-round pick Darius Muasau.
Jalen Hurts has thrown four interceptions this season but hasn’t thrown one in the last two games. Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen will find ways to force the 26-year-old quarterback into making mistakes on Sunday. This will result in second-round pick Tyler Nubin and third-round pick Dru Phillips recording their first career interceptions on Sunday.
Prediction: The raucous crowd at MetLife Stadium should give the Giants the edge in a matchup with two evenly matched teams. But we’ve seen the Giants find ways to lose games they should have won. Expect the team to suffer another head-scratching defeat.