Divisional rivalries are a part of the regular season that increase drama and allow bad blood to resurface. Last season, the Eagles played the Giants on Sunday night in October, going with the first ever blackout and coming away with a shutout win.
Along the way, the Giants lost Victor Cruz for the season with an ACL injury. He still has not returned to game action yet.
But that doesn't have the Giants slowing down. They are the only team with a plus-.500 record at 3-2. With the Eagles sitting at 2-3, first place will be on the line on Monday night.
Here are Monday's six keys to the game in our Monday Six Pack.
Recent success against Giants – Since the start of the 2010 season, the Eagles are 7-3 against the Giants, including being the only team in the NFC East the Eagles swept last season. The Eagles are already 0-2 against NFC East opponents. There isn't more of a must-win game than this.
Blackout – So speaking of a must-win game and first place in the division being on the line, when the Eagles need a win, they usually pull out all the stops. So the blackout returns. Last season, the Eagles rolled past the Giants with a 27-0 win in the first ever blackout.
Defensive success continues – Even at 2-3, what has been really encouraging this season has been the improvement on defense for the Eagles. This is another challenge for the Eagles defense, getting a quarterback like Eli Manning and an offense that could have some weapons. It is a crucial game for the Eagles defense to prove that they are for real.
Can offense keep rolling? – Last Sunday, the Eagles offense turned in their best performance this season. With a little momentum in their favor, the Eagles need to turn that into a second-straight solid game. But…
Injuries – Defensively, the Eagles have been a battered bunch and still succeeded. But now, add a couple of offensive names to the injury report. Nelson Agholor is out and Ryan Mathews is questionable. It's going to force more attention to Jordan Matthews and DeMarco Murray. That said, Cruz is still out and the Giants have 11 players on the injury report — including three out and five listed as questionable.
Odell Beckham Jr. – Beckham is one of the questionable players for the Giants. There's a great chance he plays, but his effectiveness remains to be seen. Regardless of his status, the Eagles need to treat him as if he is fully healthy. This is a game-changing player. If Manning has his best weapon at full strength, he is lethal. As long as they give him the proper attention, they can contain Beckham and force Manning to use other weapons.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
