Philadelphia's Backup QB Is Coming to Town, and the Giants Need to Take the Gift

Jalen Hurts is headed to injured reserve, which means the Giants will see Philadelphia's backup quarterback in Week 9 rather than one of the NFC's most dangerous starters. For a team that has struggled to manufacture wins against healthy, full-strength opponents, that is a meaningful shift in the matchup.

The Giants enter the game with their own injury questions. Abdul Carter and Andrew Thomas are both listed as questionable, and Theo Johnson remains out — a cluster of absences that complicates both sides of the ball. J.J. McCarthy is the starter under center, working through a mid-season transition that has not been seamless. The reprieve Philadelphia's situation provides is real, but it does not erase New York's own limitations.

Still, a divisional game against a backup quarterback is exactly the kind of opportunity a 2026 Giants team needs to bank. The 2025 version went 1–6 in games decided by seven points or fewer — a record that reflects how often close situations slipped away. A favorable matchup does not guarantee anything for a group still finding its footing, but it at least puts the margin of error in a more manageable place.