Giants vs Eagles: Rivals clash

The battle for I-95 commences in another NFC East clash, the third of the Giants young season.

Week 7 is already here, and the Giants already feel the pressure of Halloween, as the ghosts swirl and the skeletons of Giants past come knocking at the door. After a costly loss at home against the Bengals on Sunday Night Football in Week 6, where Daniel Jones regressed back to below the mean, Big Blue will be looking for answers this Sunday.

Here are a few things to watch for when the Giants and bitter rival the Philadelphia Eagles clash at MetLife. This might be a defining game for two teams heading in opposite directions.

Saquon Barkley's return to Broadway

Well, more like return to the swamp lands of East Rutherford, but you're picking up what I'm putting down.

The star running back makes his first appearance as an Eagle in MetLife today, and boy, he will not be greeted warmly by the New York faithful. Barkley decided to leave New York after the Giants did not offer him a contract extension he thought he deserved, which in all seriousness, is fair. Football is a business, and you can't knock someone for getting their money. The one problem with that is where he ended up. It was a gut-wrenching move for any Giants fan as a generational talent was lost to a bitter rival.

In five games played, Barkley has tallied 482 yards rushing for an average of 5.3 per rush, good for fourth and eleventh in the league, respectively. He has scored four times and protected the ball, making the loss that much tougher on the Giants as he is still a proven playmaker that hangs at the top of the league. The Giants rank 15th in the league in rushing yards allowed per game (116.3 per Covers.com), but have allowed both the Seahawks and Bengals to register over 100 yards rushing the past two weeks.

With Kayvon Thibodeaux sidelined for the foreseeable future, and Dexter Lawrence II and Brian Burns nursing injuries, the Eagles may take advantage early using Barkley and Jalen Hurts in the running game to open up the field. I'm interested to see the game plan Shane Bowen puts together this week, as corralling both Hurts and Barkley is never an easy task.

Nabers ready to go

The rook is back after a nasty concussion kept him out of the Giants lineup in their matchups against Seattle and Cincinnati. Today is perfect timing to return as he gets his first dose of what the Giants vs Eagles rivalry means to New York.

The Giants are 4-15 against the Eagles over the past 10 years, per Stat Muse. The rivalry hasn't flourished of late, but Nabers can be the spark that brings the Giants back to relevancy within the matchup. He will likely match up with Eagles rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, who has been a bright spot on their defense for the first six weeks of the season. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Mitchell has allowed just 14 receptions on 30 targets and 197 receiving yards allowed through six weeks. That is a 46% completion rate and roughly 33 receiving yards allowed per game. Those are really strong numbers for the rookie and Nabers will be tested in his first week back.

As we have seen early on, Nabers is the star of the future for this Giants team. He reminds me a lot of Odell Beckham Jr. in terms of his quickness, clean route running, and knack for catching the ball. I think this week will be a test, but one in which he can manage and turn into another signature moment. He has too much talent not to have the ball in his hands, and Mitchell can only do so much on his own. Through the four weeks that he played, Nabers was targeted an average of 13 times and hauled in close to nine receptions per game. He is the real deal, and a prime piece of Brian Daboll's offense. I love watching his game film, and just thinking about the touchdown below - Nabers motions over to the top of the video where he runs a corner route - in the Browns game and him replicating that against the Eagles has me salivating.

Giants X-Factor

How will the offensive line play with Andrew Thomas now out for the rest of the season with a foot injury? For the Giants to really step up and give the Eagles a run for their money they need to get serious, clean play from the big bodies up front on offense. The Eagles have a formidable front on defense, made up of guys like Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Brandon Graham, and Bryce Huff. Not to mention they have solid line backers led by Zack Baun.

The Giants will send Joshua Ezeudu out at left tackle to start this week's game, and he will certainly be on a short leash. If he is pulled, look for Jermaine Eleumunor to shift over and Evan Neal to slot in at right tackle.

Offensive line play continues to be so crucial for this team moving forward. Daniel Jones has had his ups and downs, but the strength of the line has diminished the downs more so than in years past. This week's matchup will be another litmus test on if the line is built to succeed together. Injuries can bring any positional unit down, so I'm really interested in seeing how they bounce back and fight through adversity against a strong Eagles defense.