The New York Giants host the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night in a game that both NFC East rivals are coming off losses. The Giants got off to a fast start against the New Orleans Saints, but the offense sputtered the rest of the way in the 26-14 loss.
The Eagles entered Week 5 undefeated, but blew a 14-point fourth quarter lead in the 21-17 loss to the Denver Broncos. One of the biggest talking points for the Eagles this year has been the usage of star receiver A.J. Brown, who isn’t having the type of season he had hoped for.
He had five catches for 43 yards in the loss to the Broncos, and that actually was his second best game of the season. Giants coach Brian Daboll has watched a lot of film preparing for the Eagles, and he says that Brown is still consistently open.
“You watch the tape, A.J. Brown is open a lot,” Daboll told reporters on Tuesday.
The offense has really struggled at times this season. In the win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jalen Hurts didn’t complete a single pass.
The connection of Hurts and Brown had been one of the best quarterback and receiver duos in the league. This season, they haven’t been on the same page. Outside of the second half against the Los Angeles Rams, Brown has been extremely quiet.
One of the issues on the offensive side of the ball for the Eagles has been a lack of identity and continuity. Against the Buccaneers, they relied heavily on the run with Barkley. Then, against the Broncos, Barkley got only six carries.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo is hearing his name talked about a lot, with Fox Sports host Colin Cowherd even putting a lot of the blame on Patullo.
Now, there could be some gamesmanship going on the part of Daboll. Him saying it is definitely going to find its way to Brown, and is something the receiver lets mess with his head.
Despite the frustrations of Brown and fellow receiver DeVonta Smith, the team has done a very good job of sticking together. However, it was easy cause the team was winning. Now that the team is coming off a loss, those frustrations the team were having may become much more noticeable.
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