The New York Giants are set to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in a crucial Week 6 matchup on Thursday night that could have a tremendous impact on how the rest of the season unfolds.
The Giants will have a major piece of the puzzle back in the mix for the contest with outside linebacker Olivier Vernon expected to make his season debut, according to Ian Rapoport of The NFL Network.
Injury updates: The #Giants ruled out TE Evan Engram (knee) and WR Russell Shepard (neck), while OLB Olivier Vernon (ankle) will make his debut. For the #Eagles, DT Haloti Ngata (calf), S Corey Graham (hamstring), and RB Darren Sproles (hamstring) are out.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 10, 2018
The return of Vernon should provide the Giants with a boost in their pass rush as he has proven to be one of their most reliable assets in that regard over the last two seasons as he has recorded 15.5 sacks. In his absence this season, New York has struggled mightily in that department ranking last in the league with just six sacks through the first five games played. In fact, rookie defensive tackle B.J. Hill leads the team with just 2.0 sacks. This only adds more pressure on the back end of their defense in the secondary to hold its own due to the lack of true ability to get to the opposing quarterback.
New York has a tough challenge ahead on Thursday night as the Eagles have a formidable offense led by Pro Bowl quarterback Carson Wentz, who with each passing week is looking more like himself. Although Philadelphia is coming off two consecutive losses, things could quickly head in the right direction with Wentz leading the charge as he has passed for more than 300 yards and a pair of touchdowns in each of the last two games played.
This all sets up what could be another highly entertaining Thursday night game between two NFC East rivals that are at a crucial point of the season in a matchup that could dictate how the rest of the season plays out.
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