Giants’ offensive linemen refuse to underestimate Eagles’ defensive line despite Philly woes: ‘I’m not falling for that’

Tyre Phillips spent six weeks with the Philadelphia Eagles this season before the Giants re-signed him off their rival’s practice squad to play right tackle.

So Phillips knows better than to underestimate Philly’s pass rush despite their lack of production and three-game losing streak entering Monday’s Christmas Day game at Lincoln Financial Field.

“If you go in thinking it’s not the same guys, it’s not the same as last year, you’re gonna get your a– beat,” Phillips said with a laugh on Wednesday. “They’re still a great front. I still see B.G. (Brandon Graham) as B.G. I still see Josh Sweat as Josh Sweat. It only takes one game for them to beat your a–, so no, I’m not falling for that.”

Phillips is smart not to take the bait, especially with the Giants’ O-line coming off a seven-sack, 24-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints. But it’s still a fact that the Eagles’ defense is reeling.

They demoted defensive coordinator Sean Desai last week, replaced him with Matt Patricia as DC and play-caller, and still lost to Drew Lock and the Seattle Seahawks. And the Eagles’ lack of a pass rush compared to previous seasons is a major reason their coverage on the back end is being exposed.

Last season, when Nick Sirianni’s team represented the NFC in the Super Bowl, the Eagles’ defense finished first in the NFL in sacks (70), first in sack percentage (10.6%) and fifth in quarterback pressure percentage (37.9%), per NFL NextGen Stats.

This year, Philly is only 14th in sacks (39), 23rd in sack percentage (6.3%) and 13th in quarterback pressure percentage (35.9%).

They drafted promising defensive tackle Jalen Carter (five sacks) at the No. 9 overall spot in April, but they lost veteran Javon Hargrave (11 sacks last season) to the San Francisco 49ers in free agency.

Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas smirked at the suggestion that the Eagles might not be as big of a threat, either, however. The former Georgia standout knows what fellow ex-Bulldogs Jordan Davis, Carter and Nolan Smith (April’s No. 30 overall pick) can do for the Eagles’ front.

“All they did was add more talent,” Thomas said of the Eagles’ offseason. “They drafted guys in the first round. I know most of those guys playing at Georgia. They’re one of the most talented groups in the NFL. I don’t care about stats or production. If you watch the film you still see the flashes of talent, what their front seven brings. It’s a challenge for our offense.”

Quarterback Tommy DeVito said Wednesday that the Giants can simultaneously respect Philly’s front and not be intimidated.

“They’re good. They’re a good team,” DeVito said. “They’ve got a good defensive line, but at the same time, not everybody’s Superman. So go out and handle business.”

But Thomas and many other Giants wear the scars of losing their past four games to the Eagles by a combined score of 142-55, including a 38-7 butt-whooping in the playoffs last January.

That game got away from Brian Daboll and his team immediately. And that could happen again Monday if the Giants aren’t careful as 12-point underdogs as of Wednesday afternoon.

“Every time we play Philly, a division opponent, it means more,” Thomas said. “We’ve got to rally together and start fast, because the last few times we played them we didn’t. And that’s what happens: They start really fast and the lead increases, and we’re in drop-back [passing] and they have great pass rushers.”

Daboll added of the Eagles: “I’d say they’re tough to block. They have a lot of good players. They’ve added some pieces. Jalen is one heck of a player, dominant at times. They’re certainly one of the better D-lines in the league.”

The Giants offense also is the league’s worst this season at protecting the quarterback, and DeVito has only exacerbated the problem.

The Giants’ offense has allowed an NFL-high 76 sacks, according to NFL NextGen Stats, 15 more than the second-place Jets (61). That includes 27 sacks in DeVito’s five starts: five by the Dallas Cowboys, nine by the Washington Commanders, six by the New England Patriots, none by the Green Bay Packers and seven by the Saints.

Thomas said the New Orleans game got away from them for a similar reason to that Philadelphia playoff loss last season: The Giants were in too many obvious passing downs with no other weapon for the opposing defense to concern itself with.

“I think it starts with early-down success,” Thomas said. “We had a lot of penalties on first down and runs for zero yards or negative [in New Orleans], and it puts you in a situation where it’s obvious you’re passing the ball.

“Obviously on third downs everyone knows because of down and distance,” he added. “But if we’re running the ball successfully, they have to play the run. They have to honor it. If we’re in a situation where we’re not running the ball well, those guys get paid too and they know it’s a pass, it’s not easy to pick up.”

Nothing has been easy for the Giants against the Eagles. The matchup up front, though, will determine whether Daboll’s team can hang or suffers another embarrassing blowout.