PHILADELPHIA -- The Eagles get a quick shot at payback Sunday when they host the New York Giants, just 17 days after a humbling 34-17 loss at MetLife Stadium that touched off a week of soul-searching in South Philly.
The Birds (5-2) steadied themselves with a rebound win last weekend with a 28-22 win against Minnesota, but they'll be without star wideout A.J. Brown, who has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Brown missed practice all week and was declared out on the team's final status report. Center Cam Jurgens (knee), cornerback Adoree' Jackson (concussion) and edge rusher Azeez Ojulari (hamstring) also landed on the inactive list.
The Birds elevated edge rusher Brandon Graham to the roster but listed him out as he builds conditioning off retirement. New York (2-5) entered the weekend with multiple defensive injuries, including safety Jevon Holland (doubtful) and big-time pass rusher Brian Burns (questionable), who leads the league with nine sacks.
The rematch comes on the heels of Jalen Hurts' sharpest outing of the season. He dismantled Minnesota last Sunday, going 19 of 23 for 326 yards and three touchdowns with a perfect 158.3 passer rating in a 28-22 win.
"We're not losers anymore," Hurts said afterward.
This week, he emphasized that the offensive explosion reflected weeks of pent-up frustration and a return to fundamentals. With Brown sidelined, Hurts will lean heavily on DeVonta Smith -- who erupted for a career-high 183 yards in that Minnesota win -- and oft-injured tight end Dallas Goedert.
Coach Nick Sirianni has kept the messaging blunt since the October loss to New York: "Just get up and keep fighting." He reiterated Friday that this will be a different game from the Thursday nighter in East Rutherford. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's unit, which was leaky in the first matchup, has tightened in the red zone since then -- including key stands at Minnesota.
New York's rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Cam Skattebo did most of the damage in the first meeting. Skattebo scored three rushing touchdowns, and Dart ran a balanced, tempo-heavy attack that flustered the Eagles. Limiting those explosives and getting into third-and-long will be key for Fangio's group, which could have Jalen Carter back to help up front.
Giants coach Brian Daboll said this week, "I've got a tremendous amount of respect for Vic Fangio ... he's a challenging coordinator to game plan against."
Offensively, the biggest tactical question for Philadelphia is how it replaces Brown's gravity. Without his shot-play presence, Smith likely steps fully into the WR1 role, while Goedert's usage over the middle -- already climbing -- figures to spike again. Rookie Darius Cooper could see more snaps, and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo hinted at more motion and layered concepts to help Hurts stay on schedule. It remains to be seen.
Here's how the teams match up heading into Sunday, based on health and how they've been playing recently. Performances will be evaluated postgame.
Eagles (5-2) at Giants (2-5), Sunday, 1 p.m., Lincoln Financial Field.
TV: FOX 29: Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi.
Radio/streaming: 94.1-FM WIP: Merrill Reese, Mike Quick and Devan Kaney. Tico: Rickie Ricardo, Oscar Budejen and David Gerhardt.