The New York Giants are beating the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, and there shouldn’t be a debate.

This matchup is an easy opportunity for the Giants to dominate a bitter NFC East rival, do it confidently, and turn it into a momentum-building performance. Philadelphia is in a brutal spot after a wave of injuries and is clearly undermanned for a matchup like this.

The Eagles are an utter mess

Philadelphia has lost six straight games. The last three, against the Panthers, Cowboys, and Commanders, made it clear where this team sits. Losing those two division games was the nail in the coffin for the Eagles’ season.

Against an awful Cowboys defense, the Eagles put together a decent first half until Saquon Barkley left the game. After that, they couldn’t move the ball. The only player doing anything was Makai Lemon.

The Commanders game, on the other hand, was a total joke. It was completely noncompetitive, even though Washington found every way possible to avoid running away with it. That game is a good preview of how I expect Sunday to play out, even if it isn’t a perfectly clean blowout.

The injury list is long. Jalen Hurts is out because of a blood clot. DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks missed the last two games with hamstring issues, and Jihaad Campbell sat out against Washington. 

Barkley has been playing, but he’s been hobbled and hasn’t had the same impact. A strong possibility exists that he rips off a couple of big plays early and then fails to finish the game, because that’s what has happened lately. He isn’t the same player we saw two years ago. 

No Giants fan should be threatened by Joe Milton

The Eagles are now turning to Joe Milton after Tanner McKee was unimpactful filling in for Hurts. Milton has bounced around the league without a consistent home, despite a narrative that he could become the sneaky backup who develops into a starter.

He’s always been the same guy. Milton throws the ball 100 miles per hour, and he’s big, fast, and strong. However, he has zero touch and zero feel for the field. His misfires show up over and over again.

If he connects on a big deep ball or two, don’t be shocked. He has a huge arm. Still, there will be chances for turnovers, and there will be moments when he holds the ball too long for Abdul Carter or Kayvon Thibodeaux to tee off for a strip-sack. Turning to Milton says plenty about the state of this team.

Statistically, Philadelphia is atrocious. On offense, it ranks 31st in EPA per play, 28th in EPA per pass, and 25th in EPA per rush. On defense, it ranks 25th in EPA per play allowed, 25th in EPA per pass allowed, and 28th in EPA per rush allowed.

The offensive line has also struggled, allowing 24 sacks. Meanwhile, the Eagles’ defense has produced only 10 sacks, which is shocking considering how dominant it has been under Vic Fangio. Against a mediocre quarterback behind a leaky line, this sets up as a three-sack game. The Giants’ pass rush has had its ups and downs, but sending heat at a quarterback who was never expected to start is the clear path to success.

Anything less than a two-score win is a red flag

This can’t be a game where the Giants toy around with a division opponent because they overlooked them. It can’t be a touchdown win or a one-score game. It has to be a two-score victory or more.

The Giants are coming off the Houston win and the bye week, so this is the perfect confidence builder. When the schedule came out, splitting with the Eagles looked like a serious challenge. Now New York has a chance to sweep, which matters if the Cowboys or Commanders make an unlikely late surge. More importantly, the Giants finally get to rub it in after all the times Philadelphia did the same when New York was bad and banged up.

One thing to monitor is the Giants’ own running back health. Cam Skattebo has been day-to-day with a hamstring issue, and Tyrone Tracy Jr. is on injured reserve. New York has been tied to the possibility of adding a running back, but I can’t imagine anyone new arriving in time to handle significant carries. The Giants have succeeded despite injuries across the board, but the run game could sputter if Devin Singletary has to be the primary option.

The Giants should treat this like the statement game it is, because a wounded Eagles team won’t hand them a better chance to prove how far they’ve come.