Jeff McLane’s keys to Eagles vs. Giants in Week 6: What you need to know and a prediction

The Eagles face the New York Giants in a Week 6 matchup at MetLife Stadium on Thursday (8:15 p.m., Prime Video, Fox29). Here’s what you need to know about the game:

The Eagles have a problem on offense, in case that hasn’t been clear. Actually, they have several problems, but No. 1 among them is that they can’t run the ball. It didn’t hurt them in the first half of the Denver Broncos game, based on how they were being defended.

» READ MORE: Eagles-Giants film preview: Containing Jaxson Dart, getting Saquon Barkley going, and protecting Jalen Hurts

Jalen Hurts aired it out, often to receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and with the return of the run-pass option game, the quarterback often made reads that resulted in the latter. But the inefficiency of the ground game caught up to the Eagles in the second half when they couldn’t salt the game away, despite a 17-3 lead.

This is new territory in the Nick Sirianni era. His offenses often could grind out yards even when defenses knew what was coming. But the Eagles can’t even establish the run early when there are more variables. Why? Left guard Landon Dickerson (out with another injury — an ankle sprain) and center Cam Jurgens (still recovering from offseason back surgery) haven’t been close to their usual selves.

The bigger issue seems to be that defenses often know when and where Saquon Barkley is rushing when he gets the handoff. The Eagles’ tendencies in call, formation, and personnel have tipped off opponents. And they’re snapping so late into the play clock that defenses have time to diagnose the plays. The Giants may offer the perfect opportunity to get Barkley back on track. They rank 29th in the NFL in expected points added per rush and have allowed 5.3 yards per carry.

Jurgens will have a tall task in containing Giants nose tackle Dexter Lawrence in run situations. Brett Toth held up for the most part when Dickerson went down on Sunday, but he will need help from Jurgens vs. the all-encompassing Lawrence in pass pro.

Lawrence hasn’t pressured quarterbacks as much as a rusher. He has a career-low 3.5% pressure rate, according to NextGen Stats. But he still draws attention, which has allowed the edge rushing trio of Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Kayvon Thibodeaux to often win one-on-one matchups.

Eagles tackles Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata are used to being on islands. Hurts was sacked six times against Denver, but his protection was very good, considering he dropped back 85% of the time. Picking up the blitz wasn’t the problem.

Hurts has gotten so much better when “hot.” But simulated pressures increasingly have rattled the quarterback, and the Eagles need to figure out how to counter defenses that feign the blitz and drop into zone coverages. That said, if offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo can cook up a game plan that gets the running game going while also keeping Hurts clean on the flanks, Brown and Smith should have a decided advantage against outside cornerbacks Paulson Adebo and Cor’Dale Flott and a banged-up safety corps.

Jaxson Dart will make his third career start on Thursday. The rookie quarterback has looked the part, but not without expected travails. Coach Brian Daboll’s offensive play calling has taken his youth into account with some quick game. There also have been gun-run elements that emphasize Dart’s mobility. There will be a plus-one component to the Giants’ running game, but the Eagles may also want to allocate a spy on pass plays. Dart’s a scrambler.

He may have to do a lot with his best receiver (Malik Nabers) out for the season. It’s quite a fall to the next receiver, Darius Slayton, and he’s out with a hamstring strain. It’s unlikely that Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio will expend cornerback Quinyon Mitchell on following the likes of Wan’Dale Robinson. I like Fangio vs. most quarterbacks, but this could be a lopsided matchup.

The Giants still haven’t adequately upgraded their offensive line. It has long plagued the functionality of their offense — just ask Barkley — and hasn’t done the young quarterback any good. Left tackle Andrew Thomas is their only top-tier blocker. Right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor is questionable. The Eagles have only seven total sacks — and just 1½ from their edge rushers — but Fangio has said he’s satisfied with the amount of pressure.

His increased blitz rate has suggested otherwise, but it also has been effective. Linebacker Zack Baun and slot cornerback Cooper DeJean have gotten home the most. Dart has been blitzed on 41.3% of his drops, according to Pro Football Focus, and has thrown two interceptions and been sacked three times on those plays.

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The Giants should want to run the ball against a defense that has allowed 4.7 yards per rush. The Eagles have been more stout the last two games, but they’ve yet to face a quarterback as involved in the running game. Dart could open space for running backs Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy, the latter of whom is healthy.

Extra point: Nick Sirianni has won his last four Thursday night games and is 3-1 on three days of rest. Daboll, whose seat may be as hot as ever, is 0-4 on Thursdays. He may be coaching for his job just six weeks into this season. Sirianni may be coaching for Patullo’s. That’s sort of a joke. Patullo has had his moments, particularly in the red zone. He deserves some time, especially after a 4-1 start. But it’s obvious that something is rotten in the state of the Eagles offense.

And it’s not as if Sirianni has never fired/demoted/whatever-you-want-to-call-it a coordinator midseason before (see: Sean Desai in 2023). Patullo is more than just a colleague. He’s one of Sirianni’s best friends and has been with him since Indianapolis. So I don’t envision a similar outcome, unless Jeffrey Lurie/Howie Roseman step in. Anyway, the Giants, whom the Eagles face in two of the next three, arrive at the perfect time — unless the offense still looks disjointed.

Either way, it’s unlikely Fangio’s unit succumbs against a weak offense, unless the Eagles play an entire game like they did in the fourth quarter vs. Denver.

Prediction: Eagles, 27-16

Join Eagles beat writers Olivia Reiner and Jeff McLane as they preview Thursday night’s game against the Giants on Gameday Central.