Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Renewed Rivalry

Posted October 23rd, 2025 | 3 Comments »

The Eagles and Giants rivalry has been hot and cold. Each team has had a good run where they had control of things, with the Eagles being on a dominant run for a while. Beyond just losing, the Giants have seemed hopeless for many of the games. Even when the teams met in the 2022 playoffs, the game wasn’t competitive. That game was 28-0 at halftime.

Not much of a rivalry for the last 15 or so years, especially in Philly.

Things may  have changed. The Giants not only beat the Eagles two weeks ago, they won 34-17. That wasn’t a bad bounce or a wild play. The Giants out-played the Eagles. That was a legit win. And it happened for a reason. A couple of reasons, actually. Rookies Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo.

The Giants are 2-5 this season, the same record as a year ago after seven games. But the teams feel worlds different. Having a couple of foundational rookies gives you hope. The Giants should have won last week. They should be 3-4 and on a three-game winning streak. Young players sometimes have to learn how to win. There are going to be some growing pains. At least there is hope. That makes a real difference.

Dart and Skattebo are already beloved in New York. And hated in Philly. What good is a rivalry if there isn’t some animosity? Dart and Skattebo celebrated like they won the Super Bowl after beating the Eagles. That ticked off plenty of Eagles fans. I’m sure it wasn’t lost on the Eagles players. They were going to be fired up for the rematch no matter what, but might have an extra bounce in their step. They will want to shut up the precocious rookies.

This rivalry has lacked juice for a while. You want a compelling matchup. Randall vs Simms. Runyan vs Strahan. McNabb vs Eli. Tommy Cutlets against Jalen Hurts didn’t have the same vibe. That’s changed. Hurts vs Dart could be a good battle for a while. That’s good. As much fun as it can be to watch the hapless Giants, you want the rivalry to have some meaning. That means the Giants need to be good, compelling or both. We’ll get a better feel for where they are on Sunday when they visit The Linc.

There were some times in the recent past where you worried about the Eagles possibly overlooking the Giants. That won’t happen this week, and probably not for a year or two, assuming Dart and Skattebo stay healthy. This is back to being a real rivalry.

*****

The Eagles defense has had some issues this season, but is probably better than we give them credit for.

The Eagles have struggled against the run at times. Mobile QBs have given them fits. But this unit has made timely plays and helped the team to win games. Red zone defense has made a real difference. Vic Fangio’s unit is third in the league in that area. Teams move the ball on the Eagles, but struggle to score TDs.

The defense can get better with the return of Nakobe Dean, Brandon Graham and Nolan Smith. Jakorian Bennett is healthy, but it is hard to say if he’ll make much of a difference. He at least makes them deeper.

*****

Some news.

Opeta started 6 games for the Eagles in 2023. He’s got 10 starts over the course of his career. He gives them good depth on the inside.

Cooper played in three games earlier this season, but didn’t catch any passes. He is a physical player who can help on STs and showed good promise as a blocker. It would be good to add him to the mix.

*****

Carson Wentz took some big shots in the loss to the Eagles. He started for the Vikings in Thursday’s loss to the Chargers and took a real beating. His left arm had a heavy bandage and proved to be a source of pain all game long. It was hard to watch him get hit repeatedly, especially late when his team was out of the game. His backup was a rookie, but at some point you have to put the healthy guy in there.

_