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Storylines to follow ahead of NFC East battle

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Fresh off the bye, the Giants are preparing for back-to-back matchups against the NFC East over the next two weeks, beginning Sunday in Philadelphia.

The last time we saw the Giants was in Week 7, when they traveled to Houston and defeated the Texans 27-21 in overtime. J.J. McCarthy made his first start with the Giants, the rushing attack had its best game of the season, and the defense stood strong as the team picked up its fourth win of the season.

Sunday will be the Eagles' third consecutive game against a divisional opponent, with losses coming at the hands of the Cowboys in Week 7 and Commanders in Week 8. In fact, after winning the first two games of the season, Philadelphia has now dropped six straight to fall to 2-6 on the season.

Despite what the records might show, playing at Lincoln Financial Field is never an easy task. The Giants will look to snap their 13-game losing streak at the Linc this Sunday.

Here are storylines to follow in the Week 9 matchup.

McCarthy's second start

McCarthy looked impressive in his first start with the Giants back in Week 7. Going up against a tough Texans defense, McCarthy completed 20 of 28 passes (71.4 percent) for 252 yards, which earned him a passer rating of 99.1. At just 23 years old, not only is McCarthy the NFL's youngest starting quarterback, but this performance in Houston also made him the youngest Giants QB since 1954 to throw for 250+ yards and complete 70+ percent of his passes.

Since stepping onto the field in the fourth quarter against the Saints, McCarthy has shown no hesitation to take shots downfield. The 23-year-old completed five passes of 20+ yards against the Texans, which matched his career-high for downfield completions that he sent in that fourth quarter against the Saints a week earlier. His 10 completions of 20+ yards between Weeks 6 and 7 were the second-most in the NFL, and he did this after playing only 11 minutes against the Saints.

With another few weeks in the system now under his belt, McCarthy will look to continue his strong play this weekend. The Eagles rank 24th in passing yards and 20th in passing touchdowns allowed this season. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels completed 16 of 29 passes for 217 yards and one touchdown against the Eagles this past Sunday night, which came less than a week after Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw for 212 yards and three touchdowns against them. Philadelphia enters Week 9 with just three interceptions on the season, with the last one coming in Week 5.

Winning in Philly

Following some time off, the Giants will return to the field this weekend in search of their second consecutive victory on the road. A win in Philadelphia on Sunday would keep the Giants undefeated in divisional play with another NFC East matchup on the horizon. But more than that, it would give the organization something it has not done in over 13 years – a victory in Philadelphia.

The franchise's recent struggles at Lincoln Financial Field has no bearing on Sunday's matchup, coach John Harbaugh told the media Monday. Nor does the Eagles' current six-game losing streak, as the Giants know they are still preparing to face the defending back-to-back NFC East champions.

"Rival in the division, longtime rival," Harbaugh said about the Eagles. "Was a part of this way back as an assistant coach in Philadelphia and now to be on the other side of it, playing the vaunted Giants against the vaunted Eagles, it's really exciting and we're looking forward to it. A lot of respect for that team, that organization, everything about them. We understand, defending champs in the division, recent world champs, all those kinds of things. We're looking forward to our opportunity."

View photos of the New York Giants' 2026 roster as it currently stands.

Controlling the run game

With McCarthy under center in Houston, the Giants had their best rushing performance of the season. One week after registering zero touches against the Saints, Cam Skattebo ran for a career-high 124 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, good for an average of 7.3 yards per carry. Skattebo was one of four Giants to score a rushing touchdown against a stingy Texans run defense. Tyrone Tracy Jr. found the end zone before he left the game with a hamstring injury, while Devin Singletary scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime on a 30-yard run. Jameis Winston added one on a QB sneak from the one-yard line.

As a team, the Giants recorded 34 rush attempts for 188 yards (5.5 avg.) and the four scores. It was the first time the Giants had four different players score a rushing touchdown in the same game since 1950, and it came against a Texans defense that had allowed five rushing touchdowns combined in the first six games of the season. But the backfield could look different when the Giants take the field in Philadelphia this weekend. For starters, Tracy has since been placed on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury he suffered in the win. Skattebo is nursing an injury of his own that he suffered late in the win, while Eric Gray was brought back to the practice squad on Monday. Whoever is active on Sunday will have a great opportunity to keep it rolling against an Eagles defense that ranks 28th in rushing yards and 23rd in rushing touchdowns allowed. Philadelphia is the only team in the NFL to allow 100+ rushing yards in all eight games to start the season.

On the other side of the ball, the Giants will be tasked with slowing down a familiar face. After being held without a touchdown in his first three games of the season, Saquon Barkley suffered a hamstring injury in Week 4 that sidelined him for the next two weeks. Barkley has been limited over the last two games since returning, but even at less than 100 percent, he has still registered 20 rush attempts for 92 yards (4.6 avg.) and two touchdowns with three receptions for another 33 yards. In three games against the Giants over the last two seasons, Barkley has averaged nearly 9.0 yards per carry with a total of 384 yards and two touchdowns on the ground along with another touchdown through the air.

In addition to having their best performance running the ball against the Texans, the Giants also had one of their best outings stopping the run. Woody Marks was held to 66 yards on 19 carries (3.5 avg.), and as a team, the Texans gained just 84 yards on 25 rush attempts, finishing with an average of 3.4 yards per carry. In his first start since taking over for the injured Tremaine Edmunds, Micah McFadden finished with a game-high 10 solo tackles, including two tackles for loss.

Roster & injury updates

The bye week is known across the NFL to be a good time for teams to work on contract extensions with players on the roster. That is exactly what the Giants did this past week as they signed cornerback Greg Newsome II to a three-year extension that will keep him with the team through the 2029 campaign.

Newsome has started six games this season and has registered 25 tackles (17 solo), one interception and six passes defensed. The veteran cornerback missed the game in Houston due to a concussion, but prior to Week 7, his 46.7 percent tight window rate (less than 1 yard of separation when targeted) was the third-highest in the league, according to Next Gen Stats. Meanwhile, his 133.3 seconds in tight coverage led the NFL through the first six games of the season.

At the start of the week, the Giants brought a familiar face back to the practice squad when they signed running back Eric Gray. The 27-year-old played in 34 games over his first three seasons with the Giants and totaled 31 rushing attempts for 79 yards (2.5), 16 catches for 104 yards (6.5), 27 kickoff returns for 653 yards (24.2), and seven punt returns for 28 yards (4.0). Gray was released during the 53-man roster reductions at the end of August and then joined the Browns' practice squad, where he was released last month.

Cam Skattebo did not participate in Wednesday's practice due to a hamstring injury suffered at the end of the win in Houston. Harbaugh labeled the second-year running back as "day-to-day" as he works his way back. Outside linebacker Abdul Carter also did not practice because of an illness.

Everyone else on the active roster practiced in some capacity. Offensive tackles Andrew Thomas (groin) and Jermaine Eluemunor (calf) were both limited, along with linebacker Malik Harrison (groin), cornerback Colton Hood (illness) and wide receiver Charlie Jones (hand).

Tight end Theo Johnson (neck), offensive tackle Marcus Mbow (knee) and defensive lineman DJ Reader (knee) were all full participants.

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

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