Eagles Bullied Way To Super Bowl, But They Were The Bullied Ones In New York

The Philadelphia Eagles werre not the most physical team on the field thursday night, or as one player put it: "We got punched in the mouth."

New York Giants defense lines up against the Philadelphia Eagles during a Thursday Night Football game between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Oct. 9, 2025. / Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Eagles are no longer the bullies of the NFC. They played that role to perfection last year on their way to a Lombardi Trophy, being more physical than anyone that stood in their way.

On Thursday night, in their 34-17 throttling by the New York Giants, they were the ones being bullied. Worse, they were bludgeoned by a 6-2, 215-pound battering ram named Cam Skattebo, who charged into the middle of the line from the very first play of the game to nearly the last.

“This team came out, punched us in the mouth,’ said Jordan Mailata. “We need to look at the film, and really hold ourselves accountable ... No one should walk away from this game, thinking that we should’ve won it.”

The Giants kept pounding away at the Eagles. Skattebo had nine carries for 31 yards, a 3.9 yards per carry average, in the first half. In the second half, he had 11 runs for 67 yards for a total of 19 carries for 98 yards, a 5.2-yard per carry average.

Skattebo had three touchdowns, one each in the second, third, and fourth to become the first running back to rush for three TDs against the Eagles since Arizona’s David Johnson in 2015. That’s 10 years ago.

It's Gut Check Time For Eagles

Oct 9, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni reacts during the fourth quarter of the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

“I don't think we played our brand the football or coached our brand of football,” said head coach Nick Sirianni. “Give them credit. You know, they did a good job. And so, again, have to look at the tape with how things kind of played out there.”

When a team can’t stop the run, it’s demoralizing for a defense, and the Eagles became bowling pins being knocked over by Skattebo and company.

“We talk about (being more physical than an opponent) all the time,” said Cooper DeJean, who had just two tackles after coming into the game averaging 6.6 per game. “We talk about it, but we have to go out there and be about it and do it on the field. They out-physical-ed us in moments and that’s just not us. That’s not our brand of football. We have to fix that.”

Say what you want about the offense, and it is still a mess, but the defense couldn’t stop from being beaten to a pulp and left on a New York City sidewalk. They couldn’t get off the field on third down, giving up 11 first downs in 16 tries.

“We need to figure out how to be physically dominant, how can we be physically tough, how can we be mentally strong,” said rookie linebacker Jihaad Campbell, who had seven tackles. “That’s what it comes down to.”

Look deeper and eight of  those 16 third downs required five or less yards to convert because the Eagles could not stop the run.

“We see them again in 2 weeks,’ said Mailata. “We have another opportunity at our home. It’s not a make-or-break. Now, is it a gut check for us? 100 percent. That’s not a make-or-break. It’s a gut-check to see how fast we can react.”

More NFL: Eagles Blasted In New York, 34-17, For Second Loss In Four Days