5 things to watch as Giants Face Eagles In Week 9 Of 2026 Nfl Season

The Giants haven’t won in Philadelphia since 2013, but this could be their big chance as the Eagles are having a rough year. They are 2-6 and reeling after quarterback Jalen Hurts was ruled out for the rest of the season due to blood clots. On Sunday, they’ll be looking to avoid a seventh straight loss.

Let’s review the top storylines to watch as the Giants continue their quest for the NFC East crown...

Joe Milton’s first career start

With Hurts out, the Giants probably expected to face Tanner McKee, a player who beat them in the 2024 season finale when he passed for 269 yards and two scores. 

McKee was the subject of trade buzz during the offseason, with the suggestion being that some teams were looking at him as a potential starter. However, once he got his shot with the Eagles, he underwhelmed, losing three starts in a row and failing to exceed 215 passing yards in any of them.

Philadelphia has opted to make a change and give Milton a shot after acquiring the strong-armed former Patriots and Cowboys passer a few weeks ago. Although he has never started a game, Milton passed for 241 yards off the bench in last year’s season finale with New England, so the Giants at least have some pro film of him to get a sense of what he brings to the table.

A running game in flux

New York’s running backs came up big in their last game, the overtime win against the Texans in Houston. Four different players rushed for a touchdown, including Devin Singletary’s walk-off game winner. However, as rumors of potential interest in a trade for Colts running back Jonathan Taylor circulate, the running game situation is unclear.

The Giants recently released Najee Harris and may wish they hadn’t, because Tyrone Tracy Jr. has since landed on IR. In addition, Cam Skattebo, who rushed for over 100 yards against the Texans, is dealing with a hamstring issue and could be a game-time decision. This would leave Singletary under pressure to deliver, with some inexperienced players behind him on the bench.

Deonte Banks continues to prove himself

Considered by many a long-shot to even make the roster this season, Banks is finally living up to his draft position.

Banks, who won an NFL Defensive Player of the Week Award last month, furthered his renewed reputation in the Texans game by impressively holding Nico Collins to just two catches for six yards.

New York just signed Greg Newsome II to a three-year extension, and Banks reportedly rejected a similar deal at the same time. He will no doubt want to prove he’s worth more than Newsome and should have a good chance to do that.

With A.J. Brown now in New England and DeVonta Smith nursing a hamstring injury, rookie Makai Lemon leads the Eagles with 31 receptions, but he’s only averaging 8.1 yards per catch.

What does Saquon Barkley have left in the tank?

Barkley has been dealing with some injury issues of his own, which have seen him limited in recent weeks. He has rushed for just 100 yards total since Week 3 and hasn’t been a weapon in the passing game all year, with just seven catches for 41 yards.

New York shouldn’t overlook him, though. Barkley is still averaging almost five yards per carry and is usually motivated to do well against his former team, with 150 and 176 yard games on the ground against them over the past two seasons.

Can Dominic Zvada repay John Harbaugh's confidence in him?

Harbaugh stated that he has full confidence in Zvada this week, despite the fact that Zvada has missed five field goals in his past three games.

Zvada, who was undrafted out of Michigan, started the season well by making all 14 of his kicks in the first four games. However, he’s been regularly missing field goals in close games since then and will be feeling the pressure on Sunday.