Giants-Eagles Rivalry Among League's Top Annual Clashes

The New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles have one of the oldest rivalries in NFL history. The rivalry was recently also named as one of the all-time best in league history.

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

The New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles are two of the most storied and respected franchises in National Football League history.

They are two clubs that have historically been involved with memorable games throughout the years, such as “The Fumble,” which took place in a 1978 game played at the old Giants Stadium, and the “Miracle at the New Meadowlands,” played in 2010 at MetLife Stadium. 

Yet, in the opinion of Pro Football Network’s Dallas Robinson, the Giants-Eagles rivalry ranks as the sixth-best rivalry in league history, behind Dallas-San Francisco, New England-New York Jets, Dallas-Philadelphia, Baltimore-Pittsburgh, and Chicago-Green Bay. 

“The New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles have played each other twice per season every year since 1933,” Robinson said. “With passionate East Coast fanbases on both sides of the matchup, games between the Giants and Eagles can get intense.”

He’s not kidding. There’s no love lost between the fan bases, who get irked when their home turf is invaded by visitors sporting the enemy’s colors. And there have been not-so-friendly encounters when the Giants and Eagles have clashed.

The rivalry began in 1933 when the Eagles were introduced into the NFL fold, nine years after the Giants were founded in 1925. It is the second oldest rivalry in the NFC East, behind the Giants-Commanders rivalry. Both teams began to come into their own during the 1940s and 1950s. 

Yet, interestingly enough, they didn’t square off against each other in the postseason during the pre-Super Bowl era, their first postseason meeting coming on December 27, 1981, when the Giants topped the Eagles 27-21 in the Wild Card.

While the rivalry has been great historically, it has been mostly one-sided in recent years. The Giants are 4-17 against the Eagles since 2014. However, with former Giants running back Saquon Barkley joining the Eagles earlier this offseason, the rivalry between the two teams will likely be renewed this upcoming season. 

Barkley, a Pennsylvania native, left as the Giants' fourth-leading rusher all-time with 5,211 yards during his six seasons with the team. He finished his Giants career less than 100 yards away from finishing third. 

His departure to his home state and one of the Giants’ biggest rivals is expected to make both games between the two teams much more competitive than the last few seasons. 

As the Giants enter one of the most critical seasons in recent memory, the impact of losing Barkley will be on full display twice a season for the foreseeable future.

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