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Storylines to follow in Giants vs. Eagles

DART-HURTS-STORYLINES

As we have come to learn over the years, you have to have a short memory in the National Football League.

The Giants are coming off a heartbreaking 33-32 loss to the Broncos. The NFL doesn't offer time to dwell on it, though. The Giants are back on the road this weekend for a divisional rematch against the Eagles, the second game between the two teams in 17 days.

The Eagles snapped a two-game losing streak last week when they traveled to Minnesota and defeated the Vikings, 28-22. While the Philadelphia offense matched its season-low in rushing yards in the win, Jalen Hurts and the passing game got on track, but more on that later.

Here are storylines to follow in the Week 8 matchup.

'You've got to get back on your horse'

The Giants were rolling through the first three quarters of their Week 7 matchup in Denver. But it takes 60 minutes to emerge with a victory, and the Giants failed to close out the Broncos in the final frame. Despite holding a three-possession lead in the fourth quarter, the Giants allowed the Broncos to score 33 points over the final 15 minutes, including a game-winning field goal as time expired to hand the Giants a 33-32 loss.

"Well, that's what you need to do," Daboll said Monday about turning the page to the next game, "but there are certainly a lot of guys that are hurting right now. Some physically. But they gave everything they had and we came up short. That was a tough one, make no mistake about it, but you've got to get back on your horse and get ready to play a very talented team that we just played two weeks ago. Look at the things that we didn't do quite as well and we'll get onto Philadelphia with the right mindset."

Another tough matchup lies ahead for the Giants this weekend as they head to Philadelphia for their second meeting in three weeks against the first-place Eagles. After picking up the win in Week 6, the Giants have an opportunity to sweep the season series against their division rival for the first time since 2007. It won't be easy though, as the Giants have not won in Philadelphia since 2013.

"If you want to be great, you can't let things linger," defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence said on Wednesday. "You've got to flush it and you've got to move on. The quicker you do that and the quicker you respond in a positive way, it's better for everybody."

See the top photos from practice as the Giants prepare for their Week 8 matchup against the Eagles.

Dart's next test

It wasn't a perfect performance, but what Jaxson Dart did on the road in a hostile environment this past weekend should be applauded.

The rookie quarterback completed just 45.5 percent of his passes in this game, and his fourth quarter interception quickly led to seven points for the Broncos. But overall, it was an impressive outing as the 22-year-old threw for three touchdowns and added a fourth on the ground against an elite defense that entered Week 7 having allowed just four passing touchdowns on the season. Moreso, Dart showed poise under pressure. Not only did he lead what could have been the game-winning scoring drive in the final minute, but he also completed eight of 14 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns when blitzed.

Dart has provided a massive spark to the offense since taking over as the starter. During this four-game stretch, the Giants are averaging 25.3 points per game, including consecutive outings with 30+ points against the Eagles and Broncos. Over those last two weeks, Dart ranks fourth in the NFL in EPA per play at +0.41, trailing only Patrick Mahomes, Drake Maye and Dak Prescott. He also became just the third rookie quarterback over the last 25 years to account for 10 total touchdowns across his first four starts

The rookie will face a new challenge in Week 8. For the first time in his young NFL career, he will go up against a team for the second time. While the Eagles have gotten mixed results on the defensive side of the ball this season, Vic Fangio is still one of the most respected defensive play-callers in the NFL. Additionally, cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, who left the Week 6 game early with a hamstring injury, and defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who missed the first meeting altogether due to a heel injury, both played this past weekend and should be on the field this Sunday. Defensive end Brandon Graham also came out of retirement and re-signed with the Eagles earlier this week, just in time for the divisional showdown.

"I've got a tremendous amount of respect for Vic," Daboll told reporters Wednesday. "He's done a great job in this league for a long time. I can't answer what he would do or what he wouldn't do. You watch your game, you see how they played you. Carter's back. Does that make a difference relative to the scheme and what they want to do? I don't know. I just know that Vic's a challenging coordinator to game plan against. Again, Jaxson's played a good amount of football in his career. These last four weeks, he's got a routine down, and we do everything we can do to get him ready to play."

"Especially this quick of a turnaround I don't think I've ever done that before," Dart said about facing the Eagles a second time. "Each team is going make a lot of adjustments on what we saw two weeks ago and it's just going to be a game of chess and we're going to have to figure out what they're doing early, they're going to have to figure out what we're doing early. It's just going to be a game of constant adjustments."

Overcoming injuries in the secondary

When the Broncos mounted their late comeback, two notable members of the Giants' secondary were not on the field. Safety Jevón Holland suffered a knee injury in the first half, while cornerback Paulson Adebo went down with a knee injury of his own early in the second half. Both veteran defensive backs were unable to return to the game, and neither one participated in the first practice of the week on Wednesday. Their status for Sunday's game in Philadelphia will be determined after Friday's practice.

In their absence, safety Dane Belton and cornerback Deonte Banks saw extended action in Denver. Belton finished with a team-high 10 total tackles (six solo) and was credited with allowing three receptions for 29 yards. Meanwhile, Next Gen Stats had Banks down for three receptions allowed on five targets for 40 yards and a touchdown, although the score came on a tipped pass in the end zone that was not intended for Troy Franklin (the wide receiver Banks was covering).

"He'll do everything he can to be as ready as he can be," the head coach said about Banks. "Coaches will work with him. Again, all those decisions, who can go, who can't go, I'm saying it on Wednesday, that'll be decided on Friday. So, Tae is working hard, doing everything he can."

Regardless of which players suit up in Week 8, the Giants will have their hands full going up against an Eagles passing attack that finally seemed to get going this past weekend. Jalen Hurts completed 19 of 23 passes (82.6 percent) for 326 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a perfect passer rating of 158.3. Wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith combined for 304 of those yards and all three touchdowns, with each receiver finding the end zone from 45+ yards. This was easily Philadelphia's best passing performance of the season, and it came against a tough Vikings pass defense.

Stopping the run

While the Eagles' passing game had its best performance of the season in Minnesota, the run game had its worst. Saquon Barkley carried the ball 18 times for just 44 yards (2.4), including 19 yards on his final 13 carries. Hurts didn't contribute on the ground either, totaling a loss of 10 yards on four rush attempts, while Tank Bigsby added 11 yards on one carry. The 45 total rushing yards matched the Eagles' season-low and marked the sixth consecutive game in which the unit failed to reach 90 yards on the ground.

One year after his historic campaign, Barkley is averaging just 3.3 yards per carry through seven games. But a significant reason for that has been injuries to the big guys up front. The Eagles' offensive line has dealt with numerous injuries this season, with the latest coming to center Cam Jurgens, who suffered a knee injury against the Vikings that forced him to depart the game early. While Jurgens' status for Sunday is unclear, the Eagles did add a familiar face, signing Sua Opeta, who played in 38 games across four seasons for them from 2020-23, to the practice squad. Philadelphia also got guard Landon Dickerson back last week after the veteran missed the first meeting between the two teams with an ankle injury.

"He's definitely the same threat if you watch the tape," Lawrence said about Barkley. "I think you get lost in highlights and stuff like that, but a down to down play, a down to down running back, he's still playing really well. Numbers don't always show that, but the tape does."

In Week 6, Barkley averaged 4.8 yards per carry, although he finished with just 12 carries and 58 yards. The 73 yards allowed in that game is the lowest mark of the season for the Giants run defense, which came one week after limiting Alvin Kamara and the Saints' rushing attack to 88 yards. However, the Broncos were able to run for 142 yards this past weekend, led by 81 yards on 14 carries (5.8 avg.) from J.K. Dobbins and 48 yards on five attempts (9.6 avg.) from Bo Nix. The Giants don't want to be the team that lets the Eagles run game get going, so the defense will have to keep a close eye on both Barkley and Hurts.

"I see him as one of the most talented backs in the league, explosive, dynamic," Daboll said. "I think he's a hell of a player."

Other injury updates; Gano returns to practice

Adebo and Holland weren't the only defensive players to sit out Wednesday's practice. Outside linebacker Brian Burns (hip) and defensive lineman Chauncey Golston (neck) also did not participate, although Burns told the media "I'm good" when asked about his status for Sunday.

The Giants received some positive news on the injury front Wednesday. Prior to practice, Daboll announced that kicker Graham Gano was designated to return and would practice. Gano injured his groin before kickoff of the Week 3 matchup against the Chiefs and was placed on injured reserve after the game. Gano was a full participant at Wednesday's practice.

"If Graham's ready to go, Graham will be the kicker," Daboll said. "He is progressing in the right direction. So we'll see in a couple days here how it goes, and then make a decision, what we need to do."

Additionally, wide receiver Darius Slayton was on the practice field for the first time since injuring his hamstring against the Saints in Week 5. The veteran wideout said he's "optimistic" about his chances of suiting up on Sunday, but his status won't be determined until after Friday's practice. Slayton was limited on Wednesday.

"I feel good," Slayton said after practice. "Going to try to do what I need to do to get myself ready to play and go."

Center John Michael Schmitz has also made progress as he works his way through the concussion protocol. Schmitz was upgraded to a limited participant (non-contact) in Wednesday's practice, the first time he's taken the field since suffering the concussion in the last meeting against the Eagles.

The following players were also listed as limited participants on Wednesday – tight end Daniel Bellinger (neck), linebacker Swayze Bozeman (ankle), defensive lineman D.J. Davidson (ankle), tackle Jermaine Eluemunor (knee), and linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (hamstring).

Meanwhile, quarterback Jaxson Dart (ankle) was a full participant.

View rare photos of the historic rivalry between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles.

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