Eagles-giants Matchups To Watch In Week 9

Eagles-Giants matchups to watch in Week 9 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles (2-6) host the Giants (4-2-1) on Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field.

While the Eagles are on a six-game losing streak, the Giants are in first place in the NFC East and coming off a bye week.

Here are some key matchups to watch:

Joe Milton vs. Dennard Wilson’s blitzes

The Eagles have been having a tough time with blitzes all year and they’re probably going to see a lot of them this week against the Giants and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson. Maybe Joe Milton will be able to avoid them better than Tanner McKee.

Milton, 26, will make his first-career start on Sunday. While he isn’t exactly a dual-threat QB, Milton has more ability to avoid pressure.

This season, the Eagles have faced 109 blitzes this season and have given up 66 pressures — a pressure rate of 60.6%, which is the highest in the NFL. They have also allowed a free rusher more than any other team in the league. So it would be crazy for teams to not blitz them at this point. And the Giants already blitz at the second highest rate in the NFL, per NextGen Stats. And the Vikings barely count because Brian Flores is playing a different sport right now:

1. Vikings: 71.0%
2. Giants: 40.3%
3. Buccaneers: 40.2%
4. Patriots: 40.1%
5. Panthers: 39.6%

Wilson was with the Eagles in 2021 and 2022 and was passed over for the defensive coordinator job in 2023, when the Eagles went with Sean Desai. He has since served as DC with the Titans and now Giants.

Saquon Barkley vs. Iffy run defense

We’ve watched Saquon Barkley (hamstring/back) try to gut it out for the last two games and with the bye week coming up, he’ll probably try to do it again against his former team on Sunday afternoon. Barkley managed to play 22 snaps against the Commanders in Week 8 and wasn’t very productive. He had 13 carries for just 30 yards and a touchdown, as well as a 24-yard catch. But Barkley is still obviously the Eagles’ best option. Even playing through these injuries, Barkley has shown how good he still is. And the Eagles have already told him they’re not moving him ahead of the trade deadline.

The Giants this season have the No. 26-ranked run defense, giving up 128.1 yards per game. Before their bye week, the Giants held the Texans to just 84 rushing yards in an overtime game but gave up 175 to the Saints and 202 to the Commanders. So they might still be susceptible on the ground. The Giants are giving up 1.66 yards before contact per attempt, which ranks 27th in the league. The Eagles will have the same OL again this week for the third straight game.

Offensive line vs. Giants edge rushers

The Giants have some very good edge rushers but the team hasn’t gotten many sacks this season. They are tied with the Chiefs and Dolphins at the bottom of the league with 9.0 in seven games. (The Eagles have just 10 in eight games.)

But the Giants still have Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux and rookie Arvell Reese to bring the pressure. And then they have a DC who is always willing to add more pressure by blitzing. This won’t be an easy game for Jordan Mailata and Markel Bell. Bell, the rookie from Miami, had a rough game against the Commanders in Week 8 and has had some ups and downs since taking over for Lane Johnson. But the Eagles need to really figure out what they have in him over the final nine games of the season. This will be a good test on Sunday.

Eagles run defense vs. Cam Skattebo?

The Giants are coming off the bye week but it’s unclear if that time off was enough to get Cam Skattebo back from a hamstring injury. The Giants’ starting running back hurt his hammy in a run late in the Giants’ overtime win over the Texans before the bye. If Skattebo is unavailable, the Giants would have Devin Singletary and Gregory Desroisiers as their top backs.

Skattebo this season leads the Giants in rushing with 418 yards on 98 carries (4.3) and 2 touchdowns. Skattebo is a battering ram, who is averaging 3.6 yards after contact per rush. The Eagles have had some tackling issues this season, so they’ll need to get him to the ground.

Much has been made about the Eagles’ inability to rush the passer this year, and that’s true. But it starts because they’re unable to stop the run. Jordan Davis is supposed to be their run-stuffing anchor but he has been dealing with a hand injury that has slowed him down. The Eagles are 28th in run defense this season, allowing 131.9 yards per game. The Eagles have given up 100+ rushing yards in every single game this season. That’s their longest such streak to start a season since 1968.

Quinyon Mitchell vs. Malik Nabers

The Giants used the No. 6 overall pick to draft Nabers out of LSU in the 2024 season and he’s on pace to have a career year in 2026. As a rookie, Nabers went for over 1,200 yards but tore his ACL in Year 2 and missed most of the season. Nabers has come back from that ACL tear better than ever this season. Through seven games, he has 48 catches on 70 targets for 605 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’s averaging 86.4 yards per game and has had over 100 yards in each of his last four games. Nabers lines up a bit in the slot but is mostly outside. The Eagles haven’t used Quinyon Mitchell to travel with top receivers yet this season but it might be a good week to try it.

Mitchell has been excellent this season but proved he’s human when he gave up a 53-yard pass to Treylon Burks in the third quarter. But Mitchell has been excellent all season. He has given up 27 catches on 50 targets for 293 yards. So 18% of the yards he has given up this season have come on one play. He has an opponent passer rating of 69.8 this year.

Jalen Carter vs. Francis Mauigoa

Through eight games this season, Jalen Carter already has four sacks and is on pace to have a career-high in 2026. But that obviously doesn’t tell the whole story. At times, Carter looks dominant, but he hasn’t been consistent enough. Even Vic Fangio has admitted that this season. But if the Eagles’ defense is going to figure things out in 2026, then Carter has to be the motor behind it.

In this game, Carter will get some matchups against Giants first-round pick Francis Mauigoa. The Giants used the No. 10 overall pick on the offensive lineman out of Miami. But because they didn’t have a spot at offensive tackle, the Giants have moved him inside the right guard for his rookie season. While Mauigoa has had some ups and downs this season, he has flashed some real potential.