2025 NFL Picks – Week 8: Giants at Eagles

The Matchup. Edge: Eagles.

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PHILADELPHIA OFFENSE: The Eagles had a pathetic performance a couple of Thursday nights ago, to say the least. They could barely move the ball against a bottom-10 defense. Jalen Hurts looked like he was playing in slow motion, as he inexplicably ran just one time in the second half. Philadelphia mailed in that game entirely.

Hurts responded brilliantly against the Vikings. He had one of the best passing performances of his career, routinely connecting with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith for big gains. This was shocking, to say the least, given that the Eagles couldn’t run the ball at all versus Minnesota’s poor ground defense. Saquon Barkley had a very appealing matchup heading into that game, yet he couldn’t muster anything on the ground.

This wasn’t anything new, of course, as Philadelphia has had issues run blocking all year. Barkley would love to stick it to his old team in this matchup, especially after failing to even reach 60 rushing yards in the Week 6 matchup. However, despite the Giants’ struggles against the run, it doesn’t seem likely that Barkley will be able to overcome his team’s poor blocking.

NEW YORK OFFENSE: While Barkley failed to run on the Giants, New York had two players who matched or exceeded Barkley’s rushing total. The obvious one was Cam Skattebo, who has exceeded everyone’s expectations after being a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Skattebo pummeled through Philadelphia’s defense for 98 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

It’s fair to expect the Eagles to play better against Skattebo this time. They rank sixth against the run, after all. They likely struggled against Skattebo in the prior matchup due to a lack of focus, so they’ll have a better chance of limiting him in the rematch.

Then again, the Eagles also have to worry about the other player to match or exceed Barkley’s rushing yardage, which would be Jaxson Dart. The rookie quarterback has been tremendous since taking over for the anemic Russell Wilson. Dart even thrived at Mile High in one of the toughest matchups he’ll see all year. The Eagles have a strong defense, but Dart’s excellent play means that the Giants will have a decent chance of moving the chains throughout this contest.

RECAP: My contrarian handicapping brain wants to pick the Eagles. At some point, this Dart nonsense has to end, right? There’s no way he can continue to play this well, given that he has no viable No. 1 receiving threat, right?

I don’t know. Dart’s performances give me Tim Tebow vibes from 2011. I’m not saying Dart is going to be a one-hit wonder like Tebow, but the energy he brings to the team is infectious, and everyone on the Giants believe that they can win any game. This is what Tebow did for the Broncos in 2011 until he ran into Bill Belichick in the playoffs.

I backed off the Giants last week, but won’t do it again. I like them to cover the seven and potentially win this game. Besides, who are the Eagles to be laying seven points when they haven’t won a single game this year by more than seven points? They have no running game, so even if they go ahead by double digits, the back door will be wide open for the Giants, just like it was for the Buccaneers, Broncos, and Vikings versus Philadelphia in those fourth quarters.

THURSDAY THOUGHTS: A.J. Brown and Brian Burns missed Wednesday’s practice for their respective teams. We’ll be monitoring these situations, of course.

The Motivation. Edge: None.

No edge found.

The Spread. Edge: None.

WalterFootball.com Calculated Spread: Eagles -8.5.

Westgate Advance Point Spread: Eagles -7.5.

Computer Model: Eagles -6.5.

The Vegas. Edge: Eagles.

Equal action.

Percentage of money on New York: 58% (18,000 bets)

The Trends. Edge: Eagles.

History: Eagles have won 29 the last 36 meetings.

Opening Line: Eagles -7.

Opening Total: 40.5.

Weather: .