Giants at Eagles Week 8 preview: 3 things to watch

What a difference a couple of weeks makes for the New York Giants.

Big Blue was flying high after trouncing the defending Super Bowl-champion and division-rival Philadelphia Flyers 34-17 in Week 6 and was less than six minutes away from moving to within one game under .500 last Sunday in Denver against the Broncos.

From leads of 19-0 and 26-8, to losing 33-32, the Giants are licking their wounds as they head to Philadelphia for another matchup against an Eagles team that will be keen on righting the wrongs from two Thursdays ago.

Here are three things to watch:

Jaxson Dart isn’t sneaking up on the Eagles anymore

The rookie quarterback almost willed his team to a win in Denver despite the horrendous coaching that surrounded him.

Dart is continuing to come into his own, having passed for 478 yards with six total touchdowns compared to one turnover over his last two games.

The dual threat has already won the praises of Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who was quick to point out that the rest of the league missed out on a special talent.

“One lesson is learned, and the teams that need quarterbacks that bypass them, they’re going to regret that,” Fangio said. “Obviously, he’s very athletic, an elite scrambler. I think their coaches have done a great job with him. They’ve developed the offense around him, throws the ball very well, intermediate and deep, and he’s a good player.”

Dart now has 10 total touchdowns across his first four career starts, which has only been done by Deshaun Watson and Justin Herbert since 2000. He also should be 3-1 as the Giants’ starting quarterback, but will have to settle for 2-2.

Will Shane Bowen learn his lesson?

Giants coordinator Shane Bowen has now overseen two spectacular last-minute collapses, first in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys, before Sunday’s debacle in Denver.

He drew the ire of his players, specifically Brian Burns, when he dropped eight men back in coverage with three pass rushers on the first play of the Broncos’ final drive with 33 seconds left, allowing quarterback Bo Nix to hit Denzel Mims for a 29-yard reception to get into field-goal range.

The prevent defense has been the bane of the Giants’ existence, and there should be no reality in which Dexter Lawrence and Abdul Carter are on the sidelines in crunch time like they were in Week 7.

Head coach Brian Daboll defended Bowen tooth and nail this week as shouts for his job intensified.

“We all have to do a better job, and it starts with me,” Daboll said. “There are plenty of opportunities to finish that game the way we wanted to and didn’t get the job done.”

Brandon Graham returns

The Eagles are getting an old friend back in their ranks as defensive end Brandon Graham has unretired to re-join the team he spent 15 years with.

Philadelphia has found a pressing need to bolster its pass-rushing options after Za’Darius Smith retired mid-season.

“It felt so right at the time. It did,” Graham said on his podcast. “It felt too good to pass up. But I was still like, ‘Hey, I don’t care about all that.’ It was like I didn’t want to mess up this storybook ending. But then reality set in.”