Can the Giants spoil Saquon’s return to the Meadowlands?
It’s finally here. The game pretty much everyone in New York and Philadelphia has had circled since March 11th.
The New York Giants will take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7 in Saquon Barkley’s return to MetLife Stadium. This has been a disappointing start to the season for both teams, with the Giants falling to 2-4 and the Eagles failing to meet sky-high expectations.
The Giants are once again underdogs at home and will have to play the remainder of the season without left tackle Andrew Thomas.
Can the Giants come away with the upset and ruin Barkley’s return to New York?
Tony DelGenio
I’m guilty of recency bias. Daniel Jones didn’t play well vs. Dallas so I picked Seattle. Wrong. Jones played well vs. Seattle so I picked the Giants to take another step vs. Cincinnati’s poor defense. Wrong. This logic says I should pick the Giants to beat Philly since Jones stunk vs. Cincinnati.
I just can’t do it, though. Jones processes poorly after the snap. This week he goes against a Vic Fangio defense, which is predicated on pre-snap 2-high safety looks that he rotates out of at the snap. Do I really expect Jones to figure it out and make the correct read? At left tackle, Josh Ezeudu will get the start against the Eagles’ edge defenders. Do I expect things to go better than when he had to keep Andrew Van Ginkel off Jones in Miami last year? (If he does do better, extend Carmen Bricillo’s contract NOW.) On defense, Kayvon Thibodeaux is out and Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns both did not practice on Wednesday though they plan to play. Yikes. Jalen Hurts will be able to sit in a rocking chair after the snap if they don’t play or can’t play at full speed. And it’s a shame, because Shane Bowen is proving to be a good defensive coordinator, and Joe Schoen has added talent to produce a solid defense.
The Eagles are no longer a great team. They can be had. Not this week, though.
Pick: Eagles
Chris Pflum
This is one of those games where I’d probably put down “¯_(ツ)_/¯” for my pick if I could.
Both teams will be without their left tackles, and while Andrew Thomas is a better player than Jordan Mailata, the Giants’ edge rush has been better — though the Eagles will still have their best lineman in Lane Johnson.
I suspect that the absence of Thomas will impact the Giants’ already-conservative offense more than missing Mailata will impact the Eagles’ offense. It seems likely right now that the Giants will get Malik Nabers back, but they may be forced to continue to rely on quick passes and yards after the catch.
The real challenge facing the Giants’ defense is preventing Saquon Barkley from taking over the game while also preventing A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith from producing big plays over the top.
I’m going to go with the Eagles here, and they should come out on top if they play a clean game. That said, I can absolutely see the Giants’ defensive front taking over the game.
Either way, this will probably be a nail-biter.
Pick: Eagles
Nick Falato
The highly-anticipated return of Saquon Barkley in green against a weaker-than-normal Eagles team seemed very much winnable before Week 6. The Giants still could win this football game against an Eagles team that hardly beat the Browns last week, yet picking the Giants after their offense’s putrid performance against the Bengals seems unwise.
Andrew Thomas’ foot injury significantly compounds their offensive struggles. The Eagles are a beatable team, but the Giants’ offense can’t create explosive plays, and they have scored ONE touchdown at home through three games. This could be a defensive, low-scoring battle; however, that is contingent on some of the Giants’ defensive injuries that we’ll monitor throughout the week. I’m choosing Philadelphia.
Pick: Eagles
David Hartman
I’m now 2-4 on my Giants picks, and they continue to be a confounding team. Their defense is legit and has kept them in every game since Week 1. Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns have been wrecking drives and hopefully they’re both good to go this Sunday. The problems have been the offense and the kicking game, which reared its ugly head again last week with two critical second half FG misses against the Bengals. This Giants team isn’t good enough to either leave FG points on the board or go for every fourth down in plus-territory.
This version of the Eagles isn’t so scary, even with Saquon Barkley making them harder to defend. They haven’t been the same team since the middle of last season. But I just can’t see the Giants pulling off the upset and especially without Andrew Thomas. Getting Malik Nabers back will help (fingers crossed), but I don’t see them scoring enough points to win. Philadelphia is beatable, but I have to go with my head here and not my heart.
Pick: Eagles
James Hickey
The Saquon Barkley Game has arrived. And I am really having a hard time getting all worked up about it. Don’t get me wrong, seeing him in an Eagles jersey at MetLife is going to be jarring. But the injury of Andrew Thomas and the uncertainty it brings due to the team replacing its most irreplaceable player has made any issues with Barkley leaving for a division rival seem pointless.
The worst part of this week is that I have seen this script before. The Giants truly have a chance against a division opponent that seems to need a therapist more than a playbook as they make the trek up the Turnpike. But the Giants have to prove that they can score in East Rutherford before picking them to win a home game.
Pick: Eagles
Valentine’s View
I have said for years that I stink at picking games, and I’m proving it this year. I haven’t gotten a Giants game right yet.
So, what the heck! Since I also hate weeks when all six BBV writers pick the game the same way I am going to swim against the tide.
Do I actually believe the Giants are going to defeat the Eagles on Sunday? I certainly believe they can. Then again, I thought the Giants could beat the Vikings, Commanders, Cowboys, and Bengals. And, they probably should have won a couple of those game. But, they won none of them.
The Eagles have a big reputation, but are not a great team. The Giants are 2-4, but are not a terrible team.
Can the Giants contain Saquon Barkley? Can they overcome the loss of Andrew Thomas? Can they force a couple of Philadelphia turnovers? Can Daniel Jones play well in front of Giants fans for a change? Can the Giants, 0-3 at MetLife Stadium, actually win a home game?
I don’t know the answer to any of these questions. I’m going out on a limb, anyway.
Pick: Giants
