For one step forward, there was a gigantic step backward.

For the first time all season, the Eagles showcased a running game Thursday night that was both efficient and explosive. Saquon Barkley opened with his longest run of the season on the first play from scrimmage, then ripped off another double-digit yardage run on the very next play and found more lanes and yards against his old team throughout the first half.

Of course, the breakout of the Eagles' run game coincided with a surprisingly disappointing effort in run defense that looked porous and – dare we say – soft?

The Eagles were without their best interior lineman, Jalen Carter, but to suggest that Carter's absence alone should result in the rest of the defensive front getting steamrolled by the Giants' ground game would be rid

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