Keys to Victory: ‘Hats to the party’ & capitalizing in red zone

Injuries dominated the news this week at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.

The 2-4 Giants will move forward without Andrew Thomas for the rest of the season after the left tackle underwent foot surgery, but rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers is on track to return from a two-game absence when they take on the 3-2 Eagles. With that as the backdrop, here are three keys for the Giants on Sunday:

Saquon Barkley has averaged 103.5 scrimmage yards in 28 career games against NFC East opponents. Before Sunday, that list included just the Commanders, Cowboys, and Eagles. Not anymore.

“I think we’ve got to stop Saquon from getting going,” said defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence, who served alongside Barkley as co-captains and had the running back as a guest at his wedding over the offseason. “We’ve got to clog the holes. We’ve got to get a lot of guys on him, a lot of bodies on him. He’s good at finding the second lane, third lane type of thing. We’ve got to stop his feet before he gets going because then he’s explosive. Elite back. We’ve got to stop his feet. We’ve got to beat the guys in front of us on the offensive line and make sure Saquon doesn’t get started.”

“You give him space, he finds it,” defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said. “He’s made teams pay already this season on that. Got the ability to make the home run, hit the home run every time he has the ball in his hands. So, we’ve got to be disciplined. We’ve got to do a good job. We’ve got to get hats to the party. It’s going to be tough bringing him down with one guy. Big challenge for us.”

NFL teams are 28-7 when they have a running back or quarterback rush for 100 yards this season. The Eagles are 2-0 in such games (both Barkley) while the Giants are 1-0 (rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr.). Don’t forget about the quarterback dimension in this matchup. Daniel Jones and Jalen Hurts are part of the 2,000-yard quarterback rush club, which has only 40 members. Hurts also boasts 43 career rushing touchdowns, tied with Steve Young for third in NFL history among quarterbacks.

While the Giants have lamented their lack of explosive plays – getting back Nabers can only help – the ground game could decide the winner on Sunday because both teams have needed to grind out points this season. The Giants (10.05 plays) and Eagles (9.44) are first and second in average length of scoring drives entering Week 7.

The division rivals are virtually equal when it comes to the red zone on both sides of the ball. Offensively, they are tied for 25^th in the NFL, scoring touchdowns on 44.4 percent of their trips inside the 20. Each team has also turned the ball over three times in the red zone, tied for second-most in the NFL behind Dallas.

Defensively, they are both stout, with the Eagles ranking fifth (41.2 percent) and the Giants right behind them at sixth (41.7).

Outside of their 17-point loss to Tampa Bay in Week 4, the Eagles’ four other games were decided by five, one, three, and four points. The margins have also been thin for the Giants, who have dealt with injuries at kicker and punter this season. All points count when they are at a premium.

The Eagles are the only team in the NFL with zero first-quarter points in 2024. It’s the first time they have failed to score in the first quarter through their first five games of a season since the franchise’s first two seasons of existence in 1933 and 1934.

Entering Week 7, the Giants’ league-leading 26 sacks is their highest total through six games since they had 30 in 1985. The Giants are on pace to finish the season with 73 sacks, which would easily break the franchise record of 68, set in 1985. The NFL single-season record is 72, set by the 1984 Chicago Bears.

In his first two career starts, rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. totaled 237 rushing and receiving yards. He is the second Giants rookie – and first running back – with 237+ scrimmage yards in his first two career starts in the Super Bowl era. Wide receiver Mike Friede had 245 in 1980.

This is the 184th all-time meeting between the Giants and Eagles, including postseason. The series began with a 56-0 victory by the Giants on Oct. 15, 1933.

Entering Week 7, the Giants are the only NFL team with two players with 35+ catches (Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson).

Daniel Jones has a 67.3 completion percentage and 108.3 passer rating when targeting Nabers.