Three Keys for NY Giants Week 8 Win vs. Philadelphia Eagles

For the second time in two weeks, the New York Giants will square off with arguably their biggest divisional rival in the Philadelphia Eagles, except this time on the road at Lincoln Financial Field.

While the Giants are coming off a brutal 33-32 loss to the Denver Broncos, they have to carry some good feelings about this next matchup based on how the first meeting went at MetLife Stadium in Week 6. 

The Giants trounced the Eagles 34-17 behind a dominant rushing performance and the benefit of key injuries along the Eagles’ roster, limiting them from dominating their opponents’ underdog group as they had in recent history. 

That said, the upset shouldn’t keep the Eagles down as they prepare for Round 2 of the NFC East series, especially as they get to be the home team this time in an environment where the Giants haven’t won in Philadelphia since the 2013 season and haven’t swept the Eagles since the 2007 campaign.

It’s always a tough place to play with a rabid fanbase that can get into the heads of opposing players easily, and the Giants have to navigate that with a rookie quarterback in Jaxson Dart, who has shown how confidently he can lead the charge. 

Nevertheless, the Eagles have displayed some signs of weakness this season, and a few should be capitalized on for the Giants to shock them for a second time this fall and get back in the winning column. 

How can the Giants complete a sweep? Here are our three keys.

Oct 19, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) passes the ball during the first half against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

It’s always one of the greatest helpers in the game of football when one side can force the opposing quarterback into making mistakes that put them in positions to score points and ultimately win the affair. 

The Giants have certainly not been all-world in that regard, as they finished last in the NFL in forced turnovers in 2024 and currently rank 27th with just five takeaways this season.

One of them —and arguably the most important —came against the Eagles two weeks ago in their primetime win over their division rivals. 

That was the interception by Giants cornerback Cor’Dale Flott in the early stages of the fourth quarter, which Flott returned 68 yards before being bounced out of bounds shy of the red zone.

It came at a pivotal point when Philadelphia tried to make a late run down 27-17 and helped the Giants set up their fifth touchdown of the night to seal the deal on the surprise win.

It was also Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts’ sole miscue this season, which is a sign of how well they protect the football (No. 2 in total offensive turnovers) to keep their high-powered offense on the field. The Giants were able to catch a rare mistake on Hurts’ part and must look to do that again on Sunday in Philadelphia. 

What has guided the Eagles’ trend of limiting turnovers has been the strength of their premier offensive line, which ranked sixth in pass block win rate last season. However, that line had seen some changes over the offseason with the retirement of former All-Pro center Jason Kelce and the departure of right guard Mekhi Becton in free agency. 

They’ve also been dealing with key injuries to those same positions: both guard Landon Dickerson, who missed the first game in Week 6 with an ankle ailment, and center Cam Jurgens (knee) have not been full participants in the Eagles’ practices leading into the game with the Giants. 

What will be interesting to see is if that offensive line can maintain its present form leading into Sunday’s matchup, as Hurts is a better passer when his starting unit fully protects him. He averages 2.74 seconds to throw in a clean pocket and completes more passes compared to 3.82 seconds when pressured, as he can flex some mobility despite his 223-pound frame. 

Hurts prefers to get the ball out quickly to his talented targets to be more efficient and make use of their speed and route-running. Still, if the Eagles have to resort to some reserve protectors, it could sway how long Hurts holds onto the ball and how smart he will be about testing the air. 

The Giants will likely pressure the Eagles’ interior heavy if that is the case, and force Hurts into making bad judgments with the ball while he tries to escape the different pass rushers on the defensive front. If that crew, led by Brian Burns, can get home often, it will disrupt their offensive game plan and potentially lead to the turnovers that can flip the game.  

At the same time, the Giants’ secondary must show they can hold their own while in coverage on any extended plays so they don’t get beaten by the opposing receivers for a surprise catch or commit a bad penalty that hurts their chances at halting the Eagles’ drives. 

That has been a big problem for the group this season, and it played out in the final seconds of their loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2 and last week’s loss to the Denver Broncos when they succumbed 60 yards in 35 seconds to allow the Broncos to set up a game-winning field goal in their come-from-behind effort.   

The Giants do not want to see that same fate repeat itself anymore this season, but they should love to see some more forced turnovers, which could be a reality if they put the heat on Hurts and don’t fold in the big moments when an opportunity to stack one arises.

Oct 9, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) carries the ball defended by New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke (58) and safety Tyler Nubin (27) during the first quarter of the game at MetLife Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Even when he was a member of their locker room, the Giants understood just how much of a threat running back Saquon Barkley could be in a game.

In their first meeting this year, New York limited him to very little production in the first contest at MetLife Stadium. 

Barkley, who has just 369 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 113 carries through seven games, got off to a hot start with two handoffs for 31 yards to open up the affair in his old stomping grounds. 

The rest of the way, however, the Giants’ run defense clamped down, holding their former teammate to an average of 3.3 yards per attempt and 58 yards by the end of the game. That made the Eagles’ offense very one-dimensional, as they only managed 73 yards on the ground that night. 

While the total was one of Barkley’s better rushing performances this season, it was a stark contrast to the whopping 176 yards he amassed in his first return home to East Rutherford wearing the Eagles green in 2024. 

He has yet to cross the 100-yard marker this season, and there is no doubt he will be looking to finally do that against New York as he seeks to avenge his last outing against them. 

The Eagles’ rushing attack could be even more important in deciding the second game, as their receiving corps is a little banged up and will be without one of its top targets, A.J. Brown, due to a hamstring injury.

Philadelphia knows it’ll need Barkley’s talents to stay in a matchup where they’ve seen the Giants dominate the clock with their own crew of ball carriers. 

Like the last game against them, the Giants’ defense simply has to repeat one tactic to slow down Barkley: not allowing him to do what he does best—get to the outside and flash his speed and shiftiness to burst beyond the second and third levels.

The Giants’ front lines, with their upgraded group of run stuffers led by Dexter Lawrence II and Roy Robertson-Harris, did a stellar job of keeping Barkley running within his offensive tackles, and it afforded him little room to churn yards.

He often found himself going right into a wall of defenders and barely earning a couple of yards past the line of scrimmage to put the Eagles in less favorable late-down positions.

If Barkley can gain the edge on outside zone looks, he has the talent to take off and make incredible plays happen in open space.

The Giants are well aware of that, and it’s a tough proposition to rely on their secondary to make the game-saving plays when they struggle with tackling at times, and Barkley isn’t the smallest running back they have faced this season. 

So, the Giants just have to keep him inside and let their front seven do their work in clogging the rushing lanes and forcing the Eagles into long passing situations, where maybe the mistakes of our first key could come to fruition with New York’s very active pass rush.  

Before Week 8, the Giants ranked in the bottom third of the league in major opponent rushing metrics, meaning they haven’t been world-beaters in the trenches. 

Still, they figured it out against their biggest rivals, who are 1-2 on the season when they rush for less than 75 yards, and they’ll need an encore to help them on Sunday. 

New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo (44) screams after winning a Thursday Night Football game between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Oct. 9, 2025. / Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In contrast to key No. 2, the Giants should look to set the tone and establish control of their second duel with the Eagles through their own budding backfield that was dominant two weeks ago in New York’s primetime stunner. 

Despite the earlier shoulder injury to Tyrone Tracy Jr, who began the year as the team’s starter, the Giants have had a pleasant surprise with rookie running back Cam Skattebo.

The fourth-round pick has injected a new sense of energy and relentless effort into the franchise’s ground game, all while teaming up with quarterback Jaxson Dart to change the entire culture.

Skattebo’s welcomed and somewhat unique presence was felt strongly in the Giants’ 34-17 win over the Eagles in Week 6, when he galloped for nearly 100 yards on 19 carries, averaging 5.2 yards per attempt, while punching in three of the Giants’ five touchdowns. 

Skattebo and the Giants took advantage of the Eagles’ defensive interior, missing a couple of key weapons, including their stud gap stuffer in Jalen Carter.

However, Philadelphia still couldn’t muster up many answers for the 5-foot-11, 215-pound running back who isn’t afraid to use his small yet husky frame to barrel over defenders and earn as many yards as he can get. 

That’s exactly what he did as he made several big-time hits on daring challengers such as Eagles linebacker Zack Baun and followed that up with some more against the Denver Broncos last Sunday when he finished with 16 carries for 60 yards in the grueling loss. 

It wasn’t just the rookie ball carrier’s efforts that made the difference, as the Giants have also been gaining significant production from Dart, who sits second on the team leaderboard with 178 yards, three rushing touchdowns, and an average rush of 4.8 yards to his name. 

With Dart, a confident player who wants to take off with the ball when there is an opportunity, the Giants have a two-headed rushing monster that the Eagles didn’t prove they could stop in the first meeting.

The expectation should be for them to fall back on those players again and test Philadelphia’s resolve throughout the contest. 

As long as the Giants can continue to churn yards on the ground and advance their drives down the field, they’ll help themselves control the game clock and eat up the amount of time that their rivals have to execute with their offense. 

They might have only won the time of possession by 1:58 out of the total 60 minutes, but had four drives go beyond nine plays and 4:10 of game clock in Week 6. Meanwhile, the Eagles generated only two possessions with those same numbers, resulting in one of their smallest scoring totals of the season. 

It’s a formula that will both tire out the Eagles’ defense and lead to more opportunities to score the points that dictate the outcome. Philadelphia might get some of its missing pieces, like Carter back for Sunday’s fight, but they can still be caught in the trenches as they rank 21st or worse in the major opponent rushing metrics and struggle to get teams off the field. 

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