Eagles vs. Giants: 5 reasons to watch 'Thursday Night Football'

Thursday Night Football has actually been a lot of fun this year.

We saw the highest scoring first half of a Thursday night game in Week 2 with the Bengals and Ravens, the Browns' first win in 635 days cam in Week 3, there was a can't-miss Rams vs. Vikings matchup in Week 4, and Tom Brady entered the NFL record books again in Week 5.

So what will the Eagles vs. Giants NFC East rivalry matchup bring us in Week 6?

One thing to watch for is tight end Zach Ertz Eagles having the potential to reach an NFL milestone. Ertz can become the fifth player in NFL history to record at least 10 receptions and 100 receiving yards in three consecutive games after hitting those marks in both of the last two weeks.

Both of these teams enter Week 6 with losing records. The Giants are 1-4 while the defending Super Bowl Champions are 2-3. NFC East has no team in the division has a winning record. So, this matchup could really help the winner win ground in the division, especially if the Eagles win their first division game, while the Giants have already lost to the Cowboys. But, it also seems possible that no team finishes with a winning record.

The Eagles are 84-86-2 (.494) in the all-time series against the Giants, including a 6-2 (.750) record at MetLife Stadium. Philadelphia has won each of its last three games vs. New York, more than seven of the last eight overall (.875).

So, why watch a matchup between two teams with losing records?

1. Can I get off again?

The Eagles were without Carson Wentz for the first two weeks of the season, but he's back now and the offense is still struggling. Wentz has the highest completion percentage of his career at 67.2 percent played three games, and has thrown five touchdowns to just one interception. The issue is not so much as much as it's going on around him. Leading rusher Jay Ajayi tore his last week ACL, Alshon Jeffery missed three games and no wide receiver stepped up in his place, and Jake Elliott has missed his only two field goals that came from over 40 yards out.

In five games this year, Eli Manning has six touchdowns, three interceptions, and a 71.6 completion percentage. Manning has been sacked by 51 times this season. That pretty much explains the Giants' offensive issues. David Carr was sacked 76 times, it's not a good mark.

Giants head coach Pat Shurmur will be motivated to ensure coaching (2002-08), offensive coordinator (2013-15) and interim head coach (2015) ).

Here's a look at some of SB's Bill Connelly's advanced stats that show how these teams match up.

Giants defense vs. Eagles offense

Giants offense vs. Eagles defense

2. Drama with Odell Beckham Jr.

It's not often that a star player talks negatively about his team. Odell Beckham Jr. did just that in an interview with ESPN's Josina Anderson, in which he candidly discussed his thoughts on the Giants' issues.

"Oh, I gotta take a slant and go 60? Not to say it's not fun, but I want those easy touchdowns too, "Beckham said. "I watch everybody across the league, they should not be saying anything about it." "You can read the most interesting parts of the interview here.

The interview came out ahead of last weekend's Giants vs. Panthers game. But things have only been heated up in the days since. How will Beckham do this interview Lil Wayne (who was also in the interview with Anderson) to have some beef with Eli Manning?

So far this season, Beckham has 39 catches for 462 receiving yards and one touchdown.

3. Saquon Barkley is really fun to watch.

The Giants is not a great man, but Barkley was the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft and he's off to a hot start. He has 308 rushing yards and three rushing scores along with 274 receiving yards and two touchdowns through the air. One of those came from a Beckham 57-yard touchdown pass last week against the Panthers. If the Giants win tonight, it will be because Barkley has a big game.

The Eagles' run is right now, ranking second in the league with just 66.4 rushing yards allowed per game. They've also had two rushing touchdowns, which is tied for fifth best. Only eight teams have had two or more rushing touchdowns this year, so it will be interesting to see the Giants 'shiny, new weapon against the Eagles' impressive run defense.

4. Despite having the worst record in the division, the Giants have the most cumulative points scored in the NFC East.

The Giants have scored a total of 104 points and are averaging 20.8 points per game. Washington also has scored 20.8 points per game but they have played their game. Here's a look at the Giants vs. Eagles matchup via the numbers they're averaging through five weeks this season. Other than the rushing yards and rushing yards allowed, the numbers are not too far off.

5. Fan confidence is declining for both teams.

Eagles fans are losing confidence but they will win this matchup. SB Nation's FanPulse poling, which surveys fans of each NFL team on a weekly basis, found that 49 percent of Eagles fans are confident in their team's leadership. Week 6. Fans believe Philadelphia will win by five points (on average) when visiting New York. Meanwhile, 41 percent of Giants are in the lead of their team and their hopes for beating the Eagles are not high.

Big Blue View FanPulse: Giants will lose by 1
Bleeding Green Nation FanPulse: Eagles will win by 5
odds: Eagles -3