Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …
Is Saquon Barkley reason Eagles’ run game has lost its way? Here’s what his teammates say – NJ.com
After rushing for 2,005 yards last season, Barkley is on pace to run for 896 yards this season. He had 17 runs of more than 20 yards last season. His longest run through seven games this year is 18 yards. Barkley shows his frustration at times on the field with his body language, but he maintains a calm demeanor whenever asked about the issues with the running game. “I know it’s going to turn,” he said. “It’s close.” Why the running game has struggled is best explained by offensive guard Landon Dickerson. “I don’t think that falls on Saquon at all,” the three-time Pro Bowl guard said. “I think it falls on offensive linemen because we’re the guys that block.” That’s what Dickerson sees when he watches the tape. There’s no concern that Barkley has lost a step or the ability to to get to the next level and break off big runs even though he hasn’t done that this season.
Eagles Opponent Film Review: Jaxson Dart – BGN
There’s a lot to like, but Dart still has predictable growing pains. His downfield mechanics are raw, and there are too many deep balls that die in the air. His situational awareness is an issue because he takes too many sacks instead of throwing the ball away. Lastly, his decision-making under pressure is a little shaky. You see flashes of Carson Wentz syndrome, trying to make the miracle play instead of taking the checkdown. However, I think Dart’s rookie film looks remarkably advanced for where he is. He’s processing well, throwing with anticipation, and creating outside structure. The supporting cast isn’t helping as the Giants’ receivers struggle to separate, and their offensive line has been shaky, but Dart’s play gives them a foundation to build around. Overall, Jaxson Dart’s tape is impressive. If I were a Giants fan, I would feel pretty good about his long-term future.
Eagles-Giants rematch: Five things to watch – PhillyVoice
However, I don’t think they played particularly well in pass pro. Despite putting themselves in favorable downs/distances all night with the run game, they still gave up a couple of sacks, one of which sent Jaxson Dart to the medical tent, and a whole slew of pressures. Per PFF, Runyan gave up 4 pressures, while Thomas, Van Roten, and Eluemunor each gave up 2 pressures. The Eagles’ pass rush was able to get to Jaxson Dart, but Dart was able to wriggle out of sacks all night and make off-schedule plays. The Eagles must finish when they get close. One big difference between this matchup and Week 6 is that Jalen Carter will play. He had his best game of the season in Minnesota last week, and his mere presence opens up so many opportunities for his D-line teammates because of all the added attention he attracts. It will be interesting to see if the Eagles’ pass rush has a prideful afternoon and makes plays, or if Dart is able to repeatedly slither away again.
Renewed Rivalry – Iggles Blitz
The Giants are 2-5 this season, the same record as a year ago after seven games. But the teams feel worlds different. Having a couple of foundational rookies gives you hope. The Giants should have won last week. They should be 3-4 and on a three-game winning streak. Young players sometimes have to learn how to win. There are going to be some growing pains. At least there is hope. That makes a real difference. Dart and Skattebo are already beloved in New York. And hated in Philly. What good is a rivalry if there isn’t some animosity? Dart and Skattebo celebrated like they won the Super Bowl after beating the Eagles. That ticked off plenty of Eagles fans. I’m sure it wasn’t lost on the Eagles players. They were going to be fired up for the rematch no matter what, but might have an extra bounce in their step. They will want to shut up the precocious rookies.
Perhaps no play in Smith’s NFL career can amount to the energy generated by his 46-yard touchdown in Super Bowl LIX, which has since been referred to as “The Dagger.” But Moorehead had been hesitant about the Eagles calling that play. Smith had been nursing a hamstring injury that week and he was worried about the health of his receiver. Moorehead said he asked Smith four times before that play if he was sure he wanted to run it, deep route and all. Smith, playing in front of his loved ones at the Superdome in New Orleans, had no hesitation.
“He finally looked at me and he said, ‘If you don’t get the F out of my face, I’m running this route,’” Moorehead said. Smith wasn’t finished. “‘They’re going to have to drag me off this field [in] the Super Bowl,’” Moorehead recalled Smith saying. “And he meant it. He was home. He wanted to win in that stadium. He wanted to play in front of his family and friends and score a touchdown in the Super Bowl and play well. And he did.”
Jakorian Bennett eager to help Vic Fangio complete his evaluation – NBCSP
Earlier this week, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said his evaluation of cornerback Jakorian Bennett is “incomplete” because he just hasn’t seen him enough yet. Bennett understands that. “I agree with him,” Bennett said on Thursday. “I really haven’t been able to show everything I can do. It’s time for me to go out there and put on for a whole game and show him, show the players, the rest of the coaches, everybody, who I am. Show them that they didn’t bring me here for no reason.” He might finally get that chance this weekend. Earlier this week, the Eagles opened Bennett’s 21-day practice window from Injured Reserve. And after being limited on Wednesday with his pectoral injury, Bennett was a full participant on Thursday. With Jackson in the NFL’s concussion protocol and after watching Kelee Ringo struggle some this year, there’s a chance the Eagles turn to Bennett in Week 8 against the Giants.
The Best NFL Bets for Week 8 – The Ringer
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles (–7). The Eagles were a 7.5-point road favorite against the Giants two weeks ago without their most important defensive player (Jalen Carter), so there has been a significant market adjustment toward New York for this line to now be Philly –7 at home. The Eagles’ total inability to run the ball this season is one of the most surprising developments of the first seven weeks. Even against bad run defenses like the Giants and Vikings, Philly wasn’t able to reliably keep the chains moving on the ground. As a result, the Eagles went hunting for big plays against Minnesota on Sunday. It worked, as Jalen Hurts had one of his best games of his career, and the Eagles got a pick-six against Carson Wentz to help seal the win. When you zoom out, though, let’s take stock of where these two offenses are thus far. I’m only going to use the Jaxson Dart data for the Giants (Weeks 4-7). […] It’s a small sample, and I’m not saying the Giants are a better offense than the Eagles, but the Eagles offense certainly has real issues to sort out. The first game between these two was a bit weird because Quinyon Mitchell went down early with an injury, and the Giants converted 11 of 16 on third down. Verdict: Pass.
NFL Week 8 picks, predictions, schedule, odds, fantasy tips – ESPN
Stat to know: The Eagles co-lead the league with a 100% goal-to-go TD percentage and have a league-high 82.4% red zone TD percentage. But they also lead the league in three-and-out drives resulting in a punt (25) and have 31 drives without a first down (tied for second most behind Tennessee).
Spadaro: How the Eagles are approaching their rematch with the Giants – PE.com
It was, to say the least, an unpleasant bus trip down the Jersey Turnpike from MetLife Stadium two Thursdays ago. The Eagles had taken it on the chin against the New York Giants, 34-17, and it just didn’t feel good at all. “A bad taste in my mouth, to say the least,” safety Reed Blankenship said. “It was not a good feeling at all, especially after we lost just a few days before (at Lincoln Financial Field against Denver). That loss kind of compounded the feeling.” “They beat us, we didn’t play well, and they deserved to win, and it sure was disappointing,” edge player Joshua Uche said. “Lousy, lousy night for us, and give credit to the Giants,” left tackle Jordan Mailata said. “It sucked. I didn’t do my job. I let us down. It was a crappy feeling coming home. It’s personal for me. I hate that I played like [crap]. When I don’t live up to my expectations for myself, that’s when I get that feeling. It’s more of a personal game for me.”
I sat down at this here keyboard intending to caution that Brandon Graham isn’t magic, especially at age 37, that the Eagles aren’t going to suddenly start playing consistently like the team that won Super Bowl LIX just because BG’s cackling laugh once again rings across the practice field. Then I listened to the interviews Wednesday evening from the Eagles’ locker room, and hey, I might be wrong. Specifically, I listened to left tackle Jordan Mailata. First, Mailata was asked about Graham saying he’d wanted to chirp at Mailata, in BG’s first practice after returning. “In the (pre-practice) stretch, he was already talking smack,” Mailata said. “He was the only one talking. It was quiet. What you heard was music, and then you just hear BG: ‘Yeah, I can hear you breathin’ heavy already. Yeah, fat boy! Aha-ha-ha!’ ”
NFL Week 8 picks: Upset and score predictions, matchup analysis for every game – NFL.com
Why Dan picked the Eagles: I believe the reigning Super Bowl champions have too much pride to allow a division rival to eat their lunch for the second time in three weeks, especially with this game at the Linc, where they’re 28-6 since the start of the 2022 season (including playoffs). That doesn’t mean the Giants won’t put up a fight. They must be eager to remove the awful taste of last week’s epic collapse in Denver from their mouths, and perhaps any wavering confidence is mitigated by the fact they so soundly defeated Philly two weeks ago. The Eagles are going to have to take care of the ball and perform better on third downs — on both sides of the ball — than they did in the Week 6 loss to New York to avoid heading into the bye on the heels of being swept by the G-Men for the first time since 2007. Don’t let the 5-2 record fool you into thinking Philadelphia doesn’t have its issues. Nick Sirianni’s squad has a -436 yards margin, which is the worst by a team 5-2 or better through the first seven games since the 2000 Lions, per NFL Research. I expect a good battle.
NFL Expert Picks for Week 8 of 2025 – SB Nation
The NFL is so much dang fun this season. Sports’ king of parity, from week-to-week it’s impossible to guess which teams will turn up, and who will be terrible. The only certain thing in the league right now is the Colts, which is absolutely wild — and the Jets being terrible.
Informally? The debate surrounding one of football’s most controversial plays continues as the 2025 NFL season approaches the halfway mark, with a growing expectation that a vote to ban the tush push will again reach the tables of NFL team owners come spring. Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones said he expects a vote to be held in the spring. “Only my opinion, but I think yes, it will be,” Jones told Yahoo Sports. “And it has to do with, while the merits of it have really been the merits of the play and the concerns have been addressed, you still see that it’s one that probably has enough criticism that it will come up again. “I think it probably will come up for a vote.”
Cowboys injuries: Diggs DNP, Beebe & Overshown still limited – Blogging The Boys
As for the players on the active roster, no sign of Trevon Diggs after missing last week’s game with a concussion, he logs another DNP this week. Donovan Wilson (elbow/shoulder) was also a DNP today. Tyler Smith (knee) and Kenny Cark (elbow) were both again limited on Thursday. Meanwhile, Jonathan Mingo (knee), Kenneth Murray (ankle), and Caelen Carson (hamstring) were full participants for the second day in a row. Tyler Guyton was added to the report today and was limited with a glute injury.
FanDuel currently has the Chiefs favored by 11.5 points, which seems pretty outrageous to me. Washington has struggled a bit more that Kansas City this season — especially in Week 7 — but the gap between the two teams simply isn’t that wide. The over/under of 47.5 points seems quite low to me. Chiefs games would have gone over that number in 3 of their 4 most recent games; Washington would have gone over in 5 of their last 6 games. The Commanders have painted themselves into a corner with losses against the Bears and Cowboys in the past two weeks. They really need the win this week to get back to .500 and re-ignite the momentum they seemed to have following the Week 5 road win over the Chargers, but which slipped away when a water-slicked ball went through Jayden Daniels’ hands with 3 minutes left in the Bears game. The Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium offer the perfect opportunity to get the season back on track. LFG!
Giants-Eagles, Week 8 Q&A: Philly won’t be surprised this time – Big Blue View
It is Eagles week — again — for the New York Giants. Just 17 days after a stunning 34-17 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium that got the attention of the football world, the Giants and Eagles are set to do it again. This time, the Giants will trek down the New Jersey Turnpike to the not-so-friendly confines of Lincoln Financial Field. With the teams set for a rematch that is more interesting than many thought it might be, we again turn to Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation, SB Nation’s always well-mannered Eagles website, for Round 2 of our ‘5 questions’ series.
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