Reacts poll results: Giants fans want to see Evan Neal at right tackle

Also, most Giants fans say they’ll cheer Saquon Barkley

The New York Giants week 7 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles was always going to be a big game. After all, every rivalry in the NFC East is heated, and every game against the Eagles is a big game.

But this game is different.

First, former Giants’ star running back Saquon Barkley signed with the division rival Eagles in free agency. That upped the ante for the game, but then the Giants lost left tackle Andrew Thomas for the season less than a week before the big game.

We were already considering how Giants fans would welcome the running back they used to love back to MetLife stadium. But now the Giants need to figure out how to replace one of the best left tackles in the game.

The Giants have indicated that Joshua Ezeudu is the next man up at left tackle. That said, head coach Brian Daboll has said that right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor has taken snaps at left tackle while Evan Neal played right tackle. With that in mind, we asked Giants fans whether they would rather see Ezeudu step in, or the offensive line reshuffled with Eluemunor and Neal playing left and right tackle (respectively).

An overwhelming majority of Giants fans said that they want to see Evan Neal on the field.

This was, frankly, a surprising result.

Eluemunor has been a stalwart at right tackle, rarely giving up much (if any) pressure. And while right guard Greg Van Roten has struggled at times, the duo has generally been solid for the Giants. There’s no guarantee that Eluemunor could play to the same level at left tackle as he has right tackle.

Fans are obviously reticent to see Ezeudu at left tackle given how 2023 went, and are willing to risk both left and right tackle taking a step back if it means avoiding a disastrous performance at left tackle.

In another surprise, the majority of Giants fans think that Barkley should be cheered in his return to the Meadowlands.

Personally, I was expecting this to be more split down the middle or even flipped.

For his part, Barkley doesn’t think expect a warm welcome, but he also doesn’t think that he’ll be booed in his return, saying, “I don’t expect a great reaction. I don’t expect to be booed. I look at it like this, the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Football Giants probably played in over 200 games. This rivalry was there before me, and it’s going to be there after me.”

Barkley has a point regarding the rivalry. However, fans are seldom rational and can hold grudges. I suspect that if he has a good game at the Giants’ expense, he could get one of those famous Bronx Cheers by the end of the game.

Meanwhile, Giants’ fans have had their confidence shaken (a bit) by the team’s performance against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Fan confidence has dropped to 51 percent following the Giants’ loss to the Bengals, down from a season high of 78 percent following the win over the Seattle Seahawks.

Giants’ fan confidence has risen and fallen dramatically with the team’s fortunes over the season. That said, as we noted last week, there’s a definite positive trend hidden in the weekly roller coaster.

The overall positive grade in the trend line from Week 2 through Week 7 is likely due to the play of the Giants’ defense and rookie class. The Giants may not be where they want to be, but there’s evidence of a solid foundation upon which to build.

Finally, the Giants are 3-point underdogs at home for this game, per FanDuel Sportsbook. Just 29% of fans expect the Giants to cover, while 71% expect the Eagles (-3) to cover the spread.

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