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Eagles-Giants: Can the Birds win the turnover battle? Pregame stats to know | Paul Domowitch

Eli Manning threw for 800 yards and six touchdowns in 3- and 5-point losses to the Eagles last season.

Carson Wentz throws as Jason Kelce tries to keep the Vikings' Jaleel Johnson away during Sunday's loss.
Carson Wentz throws as Jason Kelce tries to keep the Vikings' Jaleel Johnson away during Sunday's loss.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer

The Eagles haven't scored more than 23 points in a game this season. The last time they went six games without putting up 24 or more points? That would be 2012. Andy Reid's last season. Lost 12 games.

A by-the-numbers look at tonight's important game against the Giants:

Special-teams play

• Cam Johnston leads the NFL in punting with a 50.7-yard gross average. He's third in net average (43.5). The highest single-season gross average by an Eagles punter is 47.3, by Joe Muha in 1948. The franchise record for single-season net average is 41.6, by Donnie Jones in 2015.

• Nine of Johnston's 24 punts have been 55 yards or longer, including four 60-plus-yard kicks.

• Not including the fourth-quarter onside kick last week against the Vikings, Jake Elliott has 19 touchbacks on 22 kickoffs in the first five games. His 86.4 touchback percentage is the highest in the league. The Eagles' three opponent kickoff returns are the fewest in the league.

• The Eagles are 26th in the league in average drive start after opponent kickoffs (23.5). They have started just one drive after a kickoff at their 30-yard line or better (the 31 vs. Falcons in Week 1).

Give and take

• The Eagles are tied for 28th in turnover differential through five weeks (minus-4). They finished fourth last year (plus-11).

• They have not won a turnover battle yet this season.

• Through five games, they have just five takeaways. Only San Francisco (3) and Dallas (4) have fewer. Last year, the Eagles finished fourth in takeaways with 31 (19 interceptions, 12 fumble recoveries).

• The Eagles defense has just three interceptions so far, and only one in the last three games (by Avonte Maddox against Titans).

• The Eagles already have lost a league-high seven fumbles in their first five games. They lost 11 all of last season.

• Three of those lost fumbles have been by Carson Wentz. He had three last year in 13 starts, and three as a rookie in 2016 in 16 starts.

• Wentz has thrown just one interception in his three starts. He has an interception-less streak of 100 attempts.

Third-down/red-zone offense

• The Eagles, who had the league's top red-zone offense last season (65.5 touchdown percentage), are 18th through five games (52.6). They've converted 10 of 19 red-zone opportunities into touchdowns, but are just 5-for-13 in their last three games.

• Nick Foles completed eight of 18 red-zone passes with two TDs, no interceptions, and a sack in his two starts. Wentz is 10-for-21 in the red zone, with four TDs, no interceptions and a sack. Last year, Wentz led the NFL in red-zone passing (116.0 rating). He completed 64.9 percent of his passes in the red zone, with 23 touchdowns and no interceptions in 57 attempts.

• Eagles quarterbacks already have been sacked two more times in the red zone than they were all last season (zero).

• The Eagles are 23rd in third-down offense (37.7). They converted just two of nine third-down opportunities against the Vikings and are 7-for-24 on third down in their last two games.

• Wentz is 12-for-27 for 148 yards with one TD, no interceptions, four sacks, and just nine passing first downs on third down. Last year, Wentz led the NFL in third-down passing (123.6 rating). Fourteen of his 33 touchdown passes came on third down. Sixty-two of his 124 third-down attempts last year (50.0 percent) resulted in first downs. He was sacked just seven times on third down all season.

• The Eagles have converted just two of 26 third downs of nine yards or more in the first five games. Last year, they converted a league-best 24 of 78 third downs of nine-plus yards (30.8 percent),

Third-down/red-zone defense

• The Eagles are fourth in third-down defense (29.7 percent). But they have just two sacks and one interception on third down. Last year on third down, they had 10 sacks and nine interceptions. Their nine third-down picks were the second most in the league in 2017.

• The Eagles are tied for fifth in red-zone defense. Opponents have converted just eight of 20 red-zone opportunities (40.0 percent) into touchdowns. But only two teams have faced more red-zone challenges: Cleveland and Atlanta (both with 21).

• The last two quarterbacks the Eagles have faced, the Vikings' Kirk Cousins and the Titans' Marcus Mariota, completed nine of 15 attempts in the red zone for three touchdowns and no sacks.

Slow-starting Birds

• Last year, the Eagles outscored opponents in the first quarter, 106-48. Only the Rams scored more first-quarter points than the Eagles, and no one had a better first-quarter point differential. Through the first five games this season, the Eagles have been outscored, 23-7, in the first quarter.

• The Eagles have scored just once on their first possession this season (a touchdown against the Colts), and have yet to score any points on their second possession. They have averaged just 3.8 yards per play on their first possession, and 2.7 on their second possession.

• Last year, the Eagles scored on their first possession seven times in 16 regular-season games, and eight times on their second possession. They failed to score on at least one of their first two possessions just four times in the regular season and only once in the postseason (vs. Falcons in divisional round). They averaged 6.4 yards per play on their first possession last year, and 4.5 on their second possession.

• Eagles opponents have scored twice on their first possession and twice on their second possession in the first five games. The defense has allowed 7.7 yards per play on their opponents' first possession and 4.3 on their second. The Eagles have given up 15 first downs on their opponents' first two possessions.

This and that

• The Eagles defense has done a pretty good job of neutralizing running backs in the passing game this season. RBs have averaged just 6.5 yards on 30 receptions, with no touchdowns. But the Eagles will get their biggest challenge Thursday night when they go up against Saquon Barkley. The rookie out of Penn State is second on the Giants in receptions with 31 and is averaging 8.8 yards per catch. He has two touchdown catches.

• The Eagles won both meetings against the Giants last season, but by only three and five points. Eli Manning threw for 800 yards and six touchdowns against the Eagles in those two games.

• Manning has been sacked 16 times in the Giants' first five games. But the Eagles haven't had a lot of luck in that department against him lately. In their last four games against him, the Eagles have sacked Manning twice in 205 pass plays.

• Barkley is averaging 4.3 yards per carry, but just 3.3 on first down. The Eagles, who are second in the league in run defense (66.4 yards per game) and second in opponent rush average (3.4), have held their last four opponents to 2.6 yards per carry on first down.

• The Eagles have used "12'' personnel (1 RB, 2 TEs) 38.3 percent of the time in their first five games. It's mainly a passing formation for them. They've run the ball on just 39 of 133 plays when they've used 12 personnel.

• Eagles tight end Zach Ertz is third in the league in receptions with 41. But just six of them have been on third down.

• Eagles quarterbacks have attempted just 20 passes of 20 or more yards in the first five games. In his three starts, Wentz is 5-for-12 for 197 yards and one touchdown on throws of 20-plus yards. Nick Foles was 2-for-8 for 64 yards and no TDs on 20-plus-yard throws in his two starts. Last season, Eagles QBs completed 24 of 77 attempts of 20 or more yards. Wentz was 22-for-65 for 828 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions on 20-plus-yard throws.

• The Eagles have given up 18 pass plays of 20 yards or more. That's the 10th most in the NFL.