1. RIVALRY RENEWED
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Just like last year in Week 6, the Giants travel to Lincoln Financial Field on a three-game winning streak after a 0-2 start to the season. However, they will try to avoid the same result against the Eagles, who posted a 27-point shutout against the Giants in 2014 and have won three of the last four meetings in the series. The Giants (3-2) currently lead the NFC East heading into the "Monday Night Football" matchup as they look to create more separation in the race. Philadelphia, Dallas and Washington all sit at 2-3.
"It'll be loud, they'll be fired up, they're going to be rocking," quarterback Eli Manning said of returning to Philly. "We've got to do our job and we've got to go out there and play smart, handle the crowd noise, hopefully get off to a fast start and try to calm them down."
2. THE ENCORE
Week 5 was a wild one, and the Giants were in the middle of it. Eleven games were won by a team that trailed at some point in the contest, seven of which were down in the fourth quarter. That included Manning's 32nd game-winning drive, this one in which he threw a touchdown to tight end Larry Donnell with 21 seconds remaining to defeat San Francisco, 30-27.
3. PLAYERS OF THE WEEK COLLIDE
Including the late-game heroics, Manning completed a franchise-record 41 passes for 441 yards and three touchdowns against San Francisco to earn his third NFC Offensive Player of the Week Award (he received the previous two in victories over Philadelphia in 2006 and 2011). Meanwhile, Eagles defensive end Fletcher Cox is the reigning NFC Defensive Player of the Week after recording three sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and six tackles in a 39-17 win over New Orleans.
4. GIANTS INJURY REPORT
Cornerback Prince Amukamara has already been ruled out for two-to-four weeks with a partially torn pectoral muscle. WR Victor Cruz (Calf) and LB Devon Kennard (Hamstring) are also Out.
DE Robert Ayers (Hamstring), LB Jon Beason (Concussion), WR Odell Beckham (Hamstring), LB Jonathan Casillas (Calf), CB Trumaine McBride (Illness/Groin) are Questionable. While Guard Justin Pugh (Ankle), WR Rueben Randle (Hamstring) and DE George Selvie (Calf) are listed as Probable.
5. EAGLES INJURY REPORT
WR Nelson Agholor (Ankle), LB Kiko Alonso (Knee), DE Brandon Bair (Groin), and LB Mychal Kendricks (Hamstring) are Out. RB Ryan Mathews is Questionable.
6. GIANTS CONFIDENT IN HOSLEY AT CB
While Amukamara is out, fourth-year pro Jayron Hosley is set to start in his place. Hosley is no stranger to being in that situation. He made the 10th start of his career earlier in the season when he replaced the Giants' other starting cornerback, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who was out with a concussion in Week 3. The Giants defeated the Redskins, 32-21, that week to spark their current winning streak.
"I think Hosley is going to do great," Amukamara said. "Hosley did a great job for DRC against the Falcons and the Redskins. I feel like he's been playing great for us, and I feel like he's definitely ready." Amukamara added that Hosley is a more confident player now.
7. CHIP KELLY 3.0
This is Chip Kelly's third season as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, and opposing NFL defenses have seen his offense 38 times so far in live action. Kelly is 22-15 in the regular season and 0-1 in the postseason. He is 3-1 against the Giants with his offense averaging 26.0 points per game and 378.3 yards of total offense (138.8 on the ground). So is the Philly offense still that much different than the rest of the NFL?
"Way different," Rodgers-Cromartie said. "Just the fast pace and the little things they do in and out the backfield, using all the backs. They have three good backs and they do have receiver talent at the receiving level, so it's definitely different."
8. FOLES & MCCOY OUT, BRADFORD & MURRAY IN
Philadelphia filled up its transactions log this offseason, most notably acquiring quarterback and former No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford from St. Louis Rams in exchange for Nick Foles.
The Eagles then acquired linebacker Kiko Alonso from Buffalo in exchange for running back LeSean McCoy, the franchise's all-time leading rusher. To replace McCoy, Kelly signed former Cowboy DeMarco Murray, the 2014 NFL rushing champion. Bradford has completed 63.2 percent of his passes this year with eight touchdowns and six interceptions. In four games, Murray has 49 carries for 130 yards, 83 of which came last week alone.
9. ELUSIVE SPROLES
Eagles running back/return specialist Darren Sproles is the only player in NFL history with at least 25 receiving touchdowns, 15 rushing touchdowns and five punt return touchdowns.
"Great catch mechanics, he gets a head start, he's very elusive," special teams coordinator Tom Quinn said. "You see him on offense and what he can do there, he does the same thing in the return game. If you give him any space at all, he's real elusive, quick, explosive and he can finish. Legit."
10. PUNCH IT IN
In 19 trips to the "green" zone, the Giants have come away with just seven touchdowns, or 36.8 percent, which is 30th in the NFL. Conversely, the Eagles have the No. 8 red-zone defense, allowing a touchdown just 46.7 percent of the time.
"We need to make better decisions down there, we need to minimize mistakes, and certainly eliminate the penalties," offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo said. "That'd be a good start."
Keep an eye on these five players as the Giants face the Philadelphia Eagles this Monday Night
QB ELI MANNING Culminating with his 32nd game-winning drive, Eli Manning completed a franchise-record 41 passes for 441 yards and three touchdowns last week against the 49ers as the Giants picked up their third consecutive win. For his performance, Manning was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week, but the franchise quarterback has bigger plans for his NFC East-leading team. "I never really paid attention to what place you are in Week 6 of the season," Manning said. "There's a lot of football. We've got to handle our business. This is a big one and it's in the division, so we've got to get physically and mentally ready for it and go out there and play well."
CB JAYRON HOSLEY Starting right cornerback Prince Amukamara will be out two-to-four weeks due to a partially torn left pectoral muscle, meaning Jayron Hosley will be asked to step up once again. The fourth-year pro made his 10th career start in Week 3 when the Giants' starting left cornerback, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, missed the 32-21 victory over the Redskins because of a concussion. "We played a game and won a game with Hosley starting at corner," coach Tom Coughlin said. "He'll have to jump in there and do that, which I'm sure he's excited about. So we must continue on."
OL JUSTIN PUGH Everyone is at fault in a 27-point shutout loss like the one the Giants suffered at this time last season against the Eagles. But left guard Justin Pugh, then playing right tackle, put the onus on himself after his unit allowed eight sacks and accounted for a handful of penalties. However, he and the offensive line have changed and improved since then. "I think he's a much better player," Coughlin said of Pugh. "He's well, well-rounded now. He's had an outstanding offseason, he's studied. He's been able, obviously, to play more than one position for us, which is very, very good. And he's played well."
RB SHANE VEREEN With a banged-up receiving corps, running back Shane Vereen has been invaluable with his ability to catch passes as well as run the ball. Vereen, who is on pace for 64 receptions and 666 receiving yards in his first year as a Giant, hauled in eight passes for 86 yards and a touchdown last week. On the final drive alone, he caught three balls for 51 yards to help set up the game-winning score. "He is amazing," Coughlin said after the game. "In the short time he has been here, he has made a huge difference. He is a scrappy guy, too. I like him."
DE DAMONTRE MOOREThe third-year pro continues to carve out a role for himself as a pass-rusher as he is currently tied with veteran Cullen Jenkins for first on the team with 2.0 sacks. Both came last week for Moore, who took down Colin Kaepernick and forced him to fumble on the second-to-last play of the game. "The one thing I love about Damontre is on Sunday he's all energy," defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said. "He's got a high motor, he makes a lot of plays because of that. But he's kind of been a niche guy for us right now. His specialty and his skill is when we have a pretty good chance of them throwing the football."
