THE New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles will face off in the first of two meetings this season when the Giants host Saquon Barkley at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Giants were four-point home underdogs when the line opened earlier this week.
The Eagles are not the powerhouse many expected at the start of the season. Last week, even though Philly ended up winning, they struggled mightily against the Cleveland Browns. Meanwhile, the Giants lost to the Cincinnati Bengals. Sunday Night Footballaccumulating only seven points on the evening.
The Giants will be shorthanded in the trenches this week. This will be their first game without left tackle Andrew Thomas (foot) and their second without edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux (IR).
Here are three reasons to be optimistic heading into Sunday’s game.
The return of Malik Nabers
After missing two games with a concussion, rookie sensation Malik Nabers is expected to return Sunday after clearing protocol Thursday night.
Nabers had proven in his first four matches that he could change the game. He has quickly become the team’s main weapon to run the offense and Daniel Jones appears to have the confidence to throw the ball in Nabers’ direction.
The Giants defensive front
The Giants defensive front took a major blow last week when they lost Kayvon Thibodeaux. Azeez Ojulari stepped up in Thibodeaux’s absence and the defensive line was on fire again.
With the offensive weapons the Eagles have on the field, the more pressure the Giants can put on Jalen Hurts, the better.
The Giants rushing attack
The Giants found a sparkplug in rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr. He has been quite talented, doing most of the work over the past two weeks with Devin Singletary absent.
The Eagles defense is ranked 25th in the league in yards per carry. That could be something the Giants could focus on Sunday.
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This article was originally published on Giants Wire: Giants vs Eagles: 3 reasons to be optimistic for Week 7
