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Storylines to follow in Week 7 NFC East matchup

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The New York Giants will look to get back in the win column when they host the division rival Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in Week 7.

The Giants took on the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football this past weekend. Despite a strong performance from the defense, they ended up falling 17-7 to drop their record to 2-4 on the season. Fresh off their bye, the Eagles welcomed the Cleveland Browns to Philly and picked up a 20-16 victory to improve to 3-2.

This will be the third divisional matchup for the Giants this season and their first game against the Eagles. For Philadelphia, Sunday's game will be their first against the NFC East.

Here are five storylines to follow in the Week 7 divisional matchup.

Thomas sidelined; next man up on O-line

Coach Brian Daboll confirmed that starting left tackle Andrew Thomas underwent surgery to repair a foot injury Wednesday morning and will miss the remainder of the season. Thomas suffered the injury during last week's loss to the Bengals.

"You can't replace an Andrew Thomas," the head coach said. "I feel terrible for him. I was able to text with him today. He had his surgery this morning, everything was successful. He's a leader, he's a captain, he's great in the locker room, he's a very good football player."

Thomas being sidelined is a tough blow to a Giants offensive line that saw its five starters play every single snap together over the first six games of the season, the only one in the NFL to do so. But similar to what we've seen at other positions over the last few weeks, it's next man up to fill the void left by Thomas.

Daboll said the Giants will take the week to decide their options at the tackle positions. Third-year pro Joshua Ezeudu could slot in at left tackle. The 25-year-old has only been on the field for three snaps this season, all of which were run plays. But Ezeudu did fill in at left tackle last year when Thomas missed time due to a hamstring injury, playing in six games with five starts.

Another option could involve some shuffling along the O-line. Veteran Jermaine Eluemunor, who has played every snap at right tackle this season and has yet to surrender a sack, could shift to the left side, where he has played 421 snaps over his NFL career. If this were to occur, Evan Neal could then start at right tackle. Neal has not played a snap yet this season. Daboll also said that Neal could take some snaps at left tackle during practice this week.

"Everyone's on this team for a reason," Daboll said about the team's injuries. "They're all working to improve. They're not here just to hold the space. They're working to improve. So when they get their opportunity, they go out there and they do as good of a job as they can do and be themselves and trust their fundamentals, their techniques. That's why they work so hard and are involved in the meetings and get the reps, because you have to develop those guys that are backups throughout the season. Because inevitably, you'll have some type of injury, regardless of the spot it is."

"It's next guy up and that group's played well this year," Daniel Jones added after practice. "I think obviously it's a tough blow to lose Andrew. He's a tremendous player, a tremendous leader for us. But I'm confident guys will step up and I think more than anything, it's about that group playing well together as a unit, communicating, getting on the same page, and helping each other. And so far, they've done a really good job with that. "

Divisional matchup

Sunday's game undoubtedly has some extra meaning. For starters, it serves as an opportunity for the Giants to pick up their first NFC East win of the season. The Giants fell to the Commanders, 21-18, in Week 2, and to the Cowboys, 20-15, in Week 4. Additionally, the Giants would like to break their recent trend against the Eagles, as the division rivals have won 17 of the last 21 meetings.

Of course, this week's game has another key storyline. When the Eagles come to MetLife Stadium this weekend, it will be running back Saquon Barkley's first game back against his former team. The long-time captain spent his first six seasons with the Giants and finds himself among the franchise leaders in most rushing categories.

"I know that the people that have been around him have a great deal of respect for Saquon," Daboll said. "Our job is going to be to do what we need to do. He's a tough player to defend and we're going to have our hands full."

"He's a great teammate, a great friend, and obviously a really good player," Jones told reporters. "Spent a lot of time together on and off the field, and someone who helped me out a ton as I was getting into the league and through my first few years. So, I have a ton of respect and appreciation for who he is as a person."

"I appreciate what he did for this organization and who he was as a teammate and a person to me, most importantly," Dexter Lawrence added. "But, Sunday is war and he knows that."

Reinforcements on the way?

While the Giants will be without their starting left tackle on Sunday, reinforcements could be on the way. Wide receiver Malik Nabers has missed the previous two games due to the concussion he suffered against the Cowboys in Week 4. While the rookie wideout is still currently in the concussion protocol, he has taken some positive steps towards a potential return this weekend and was a limited participant (non-contact) in Wednesday's practice.

"Malik has made progress," Daboll said. "Good progress where he's able to come out here today and practice. He'll have a red jersey on, but he passed some of the steps that he needed to do. He's better, which is a good thing. So, we'll see. We'll go through today. I'm optimistic, but I'm not going to push anything. That type of injury you want to be smart with. But he is doing much better and it'll be good to have him out here at practice today."

In addition to the 21-year-old receiver, the Giants could also be getting running back Devin Singletary back this week. The veteran back suffered a groin injury in the Cowboys game and has also missed the last two contests. However, he was able to get on the practice field as a limited participant in all three of the team's practices last week, and was once again back out on the practice field on Wednesday.

Whenever Singletary is able to return to game action for the Giants, it remains to be seen how touches will be split. With the veteran out the last two games, Tyrone Tracy Jr. stepped up in a big way for the offense. The rookie running back averaged over seven yards per carry and ran for 129 yards against the Seahawks in Week 5. He followed that up by totaling 107 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown against the Bengals last week, earning back-to-back nominations for the Rookie of the Week.

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

Defense's hot start

The Giants' defense is coming off perhaps its most impressive performance of the season. The Bengals entered Sunday Night Football with at least 33 points and 23 first downs in each of their previous three games, along with an average of 417 total yards of offense during that stretch. Cincinnati also ranked as a top 5 unit in both third down and red zone offense. Well, the Giants held the Bengals to just 17 points, 304 total yards of offense, and 13 first downs, all of which were their lowest totals since their Week 1 loss to the Patriots. The defense also held them to four conversions on 11 third down attempts, and kept them out of the end zone in their lone trip inside the 20-yard line.

While last week's game was a strong showing by the defense, the unit has performed at a high level all season. Heading into Week 7, the Giants rank ninth in points and 10th in yards allowed on the season. The defense has not surrendered more than 21 points in any game this year, despite matchups against some of the league's most potent offenses. The unit also ranks 11th in both third and fourth down defense, while their 41.7 percent red zone defense ranks as the seventh-best in the NFL.

A big reason for the defense's success has been the pass rush. The Giants have registered 26 sacks through the first six games, four more than any other team. Leading the way is defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence, who is off to the best start of his NFL career. Lawrence has already picked up seven sacks this year, which has him tied for the second-most and just a half-sack shy of the league-lead. With 11 games to go, the 26-year-old needs one full sack to top his previous career-high of 7.5 sacks set in 2022. However, Daboll announced that Lawrence would not practice Wednesday due to a hip injury and is "day to day."

Lawrence isn't the only defensive lineman getting after the quarterback with success. Brian Burns recorded a sack of Joe Burrow last week, marking his third sack in the last four games. He also has six total quarterback hits during that span. Burns also did not practice Wednesday because of a groin injury and falls under the same "day to day" category as Lawrence. Meanwhile, Azeez Ojulari stepped into the starting lineup with Kayvon Thibodeaux placed on injured reserve and had one of the best games of his NFL career last week. Ojulari had two sacks of Burrow and finished with six total pressures on 26 pass rushes. This was his highest pressure rate generated in a game since Week 18 of 2021.

Scouting the Eagles

It's been an up and down start to the season for the Eagles, who have alternated between wins and losses since their season-opening victory over the Packers in Brazil. After scoring 34 points in that Week 1 win, Philadelphia has failed to top 21 points in each of their last four games (they also had a Week 5 bye). The Eagles' offense enters this matchup ranking 18th in points scored but 10th in yards gained.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts has completed 67.5 percent of his passes on the season for 1,194 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions for a 92.2 passer rating. He has also registered 56 rushing attempts for 196 yards (3.5 avg.) and an additional two touchdowns, but has fumbled the ball five times through five games. Since the start of the 2023 campaign, Hurts leads the NFL with 27 total turnovers (19 interceptions, eight fumbles).

The combination of Hurts and Barkley has helped the Eagles rushing attack rank sixth in the league with 146.2 yards per game. Barkley's 96.4 rushing yards per game is currently the third-highest in the NFL, while his 482 rushing yards rank fourth. He is averaging an impressive 5.3 yards per carry with four touchdowns on the ground, while adding 14 receptions for 92 yards and one additional score.

After both players missed time earlier in the year, wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith both returned for the team's Week 6 victory over Cleveland. Brown led the team with six receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown, while Smith caught three passes for 64 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Dallas Goedert left the game early due to a hamstring injury and did not participate in Wednesday's practice. In last week's game, Grant Calcaterra filled in for Goedert and caught four passes for 67 yards. Elsewhere on the offense, the Eagles will be without starting left tackle Jordan Mailata after he also injured his hamstring in last week's win. Coach Nick Sirianni told reporters Monday that they expect the left tackle "to be out a couple of weeks."

Moving over to the defense, the Eagles currently rank 14th in points and 20th in yards allowed. Similar to the Giants, the unit has performed well in the red zone, allowing a touchdown on just seven of 17 trips inside their 20-yard line. This 41.2 percent red zone defense ranks sixth in the NFL. Philadelphia's 11 sacks are currently tied for the 24th-most, while their two turnovers forced match the Las Vegas Raiders for the fewest in the league.

Both of the Eagles' turnovers have come in the form of Reed Blankenship interceptions. Meanwhile, linebacker Zack Baun and outside linebacker Josh Sweat are tied for the team-lead with two sacks apiece. Baun also has registered a team-high 51 total tackles, while rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell leads the team with six passes defensed. Fellow rookie defensive back Cooper DeJean started his first game for the Eagles this past Sunday and notched six total tackles (three solo) and a quarterback hit. Philadelphia also boasts a talented group of defensive tackles in Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Milton Williams, who have combined for eight tackles for loss on the year.

View photos of the New York Giants' 2024 active roster as it currently stands.

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