Giants 2024 Opponent Report: Philadelphia Eagles, Weeks 7 & 18

The New York Giants will face old friend Saquon Barkley in the latest editions of their long-standing rivalry with the Philadelphia Eagles.

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) heads to the goal line in the second quarter past Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nolan Smith (3) on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024. / Kevin R. Wexler/USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK

The why is self-explanatory, and you're well-versed in the where and when at this point in time. With the NFL calendar engaged in rare doldrums and most moves made and archived, it's time to consider the who from a New York Giants perspective.

New York Giants On SI continues its look at the Giants' upcoming adversaries in the 2024 season. Catch up with each team's moves, where they stand, and, most importantly, how to beat them.

Nov 20, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; A general view of a Philadelphia Eagles helmet against the Kansas City Chiefs prior to a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Who: Philadelphia Eagles
When: Week 7, Sunday, Oct. 20 (1 p.m. ET, Fox)/Week 18, Saturday, Jan. 4 or Sunday, Jan. 5 (TBD)
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ/Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
Series History: PHI leads 93-88-2 (Last: 27-10 NYG, 1/2024)

New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke (58) goes after Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) just before sacking him in the second quarter, Sunday, January 7, 2024. / Kevin R. Wexler / USA TODAY NETWORK

What's the Deal With the Eagles?

The next stages of the Giants-Eagles rivalry will be partly defined by a Big Blue cornerstone gone green—receiver Parris Campbell, of course.

Of course, one of the headline moves of the entire NFL offseason remains Saquon Barkley's transfer, one that Giants fans have had time to get over thanks to the passage of time and the signing's status as a subplot on the offseason edition of "Hard Knocks."

Even if Giants fans are at peace with Barkley's departure, however, the Eagles created all kinds of new headaches in an effort to atone for last season's rapid fall from glory: the careers of Fletcher Cox and Jason Kelce ended on a sour note, as did Philadelphia's NFC title defense, which suffered six losses over the final seven.

The dire stretch ended with an embarrassing 32-9 defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round, which came just over a week after the Giants ended their division title hopes with a rare three-possession win at MetLife Stadium.

Philadelphia did what anyone getting over some tough times would do: shop. As Dallas stood pat and the Giants and Commanders rebuilt, the Eagles recharged their Super Bowl case by writing big checks to Barkley, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Bryce Huff, as well as incumbents like AJ Brown, Landon Dickerson, Jake Elliott, Jordan Mailata, and DeVonta Smith.

A pair of new coordinators are also in tow to help cool head coach Nick Sirianni's seat: former division rival Kellen Moore will oversee the offense led by quarterback Jalen Hurts while Vic Fangio paces the defense.

Even the draft board favored Philly this time around. With Gardner-Johnson returning, the Eagles took mid-major standout Quinyon Mitchell with the 22nd overall pick before Cooper DeJean, often regarded as one of the top athletes of the selections before injuries caused him to tumble.

Other de facto acquisitions include Avonte Maddox, a nickel man who missed most of last season with a pec injury, and Isaiah Rodgers, who is back on the field after serving a year's suspension for gambling.

Dec 11, 2022; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) carries the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. / Tom Horak-USA TODAY Sports

Who's In: RB Saquon Barkley (FA-NYG), LB Zack Baun (FA-NO), OT Mekhi Becton (FA-NYJ), WR Parris Campbell (FA-NYG), CB Cooper DeJean (D2-40), S CJ Gardner-Johnson (FA-DET), C/G Matt Hennessy (FA-ATL), DE Bryce Huff (FA-NYJ), LB Jalyx Hunt (D3-94), CB Quinyon Mitchell (D1-22), QB Kenny Pickett (Trade-PIT), RB Will Shipley (D4-127), LB Devin White (FA-TB)

Who's Out: S Kevin Byard (FA-CHI), DE Fletcher Cox (retired), C Jason Kelce (retired), QB Marcu Mariota (FA-WAS), LB Nicholas Morrow (FA-BUF), LB Haason Reddick (Trade-NYJ), RB Boston Scott (FA-LAR), RB D'Andre Swift (FA-CHI), WR Quez Watkins (FA-PIT), WR Olamide Zaccheaus (FA-WAS)

Dec 09, 2007; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress (17) evades Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown (24) on his way to scoring a touchdown in the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. The Giants defeated the Eagles 16-13. / Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Remember When ...

Giants fans need little reminder of just how green the tide has turned in their long-standing rivalry with the Eagles: even with last season's Week 18 reprieve, Philadelphia has gone 26-8 in the get-togethers staged since 2008, with two of those triumphs coming in the NFC playoffs. Needless to say, there haven't been any blue sweeps in quite some time, so let's flashback to 2007, when the Giants earned a pair of victories en route to Super Bowl XLII.

The first, which partly avenged a Wild Card loss from the postseason prior, was a famous Sunday night defensive struggle, one that saw the Giants defense sack Donovan McNabb an NFL-record-tying dozen times in a 16-3 victory. 

A nine-yard touchdown toss to Plaxico Burress proved to be the only offense the Giants needed, but Kawika Mitchell added a little more for good measure when he took a McNabb fumble back 17 yards for six.

In the December rematch, Philadelphia got into the end zone, but Brian Westbrook's 18-yard scoring grab from McNabb proved to be their only visit. The Giants held Philadelphia to only David Akers field goals from there on out. 

Another Burress touchdown proved to be key once again, part of a 136-yard day on seven catches. The Eagles had a chance to force overtime on an Akers deep-ball but his 57-yard triple fell short. Conversely, three short tries for Lawrence Tynes created the final margin of 16-13.

How to Beat Them

Don't Run With the Hype

One of the most shocking developments of the Giants' schedule release was that neither of their upcoming showdowns with Philadelphia got the immediate primetime treatment (the possibility lingers for the latter meeting in Week 18). 

Despite the relatively muted 1 p.m. start time, MetLife will likely reserve its worst jeers for Barkley's return, but the Giants themselves can't get lost in the hype surrounding it.

With that in mind, getting on the inaugural offseason edition of "Hard Knocks" was perhaps the best thing that could've happened to the Giants, as it was a chance to more or less get ahead of the story before it infiltrated training camp or divisional play. 

It further helped that the Giants, in the grand scheme of things, came out looking better for it, especially considering the front office had a chance to explain itself behind the scenes.

All that should alleviate some pressure off the Giants, so they would be wise to embrace it, especially considering the issues they had in run defense last season.

Go Long

The Eagles' downfall was defined by a sudden inability to contain big plays, as they let up at least one passing touchdown in each of their final 13 games. While the Eagles restocked with old and new friends alike ... the latter coming through welcome surprises in the draft ... the fact remains that things will be relatively new in a secondary that already had its share of issues last year.

Thus, it'll be crucial for the Giants' receivers to use their speed and athleticism to combat an Eagle group trying to figure things out in more ways than one. Winning in a shootout is still a questionable metropolitan strategy at this point in time, but a few weeks of Malik Nabers and Jalin Hyatt working together should at least have them decently prepared.

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• Minnesota Vikings
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• Dallas Cowboys
• Seattle Seahawks
• Cincinnati Bengals

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