Giants-sized improvement since 1-point loss to Eagles

A lot can change in three weeks. Just look at the Eagles. The last time the Giants faced them, on Oct. 22, they were without some of their most important players, particularly on offense. Miles Sanders, Alshon Jeffery, Jason Peters and Dallas Goedert were among those watching from the sideline. All of them are expected to be on the field for Sunday’s rematch.

"This is a different team," Joe Judge said of his next opponent. "This is an improved team. They got a lot of their guys back off of injury."

The Giants will mostly have the same personnel they brought to the previous matchup, which they lost in gut-wrenching fashion, 22-21. There is no posse coming over the hill for them, no influx of stars whose absences they have been waiting to end.

Yet there is something about the Giants that does feel different as they prepare to play a game that, if won, would give them as many victories as any team in the division. It’s not their personnel that has improved, it’s the personality.

In the span of two games the Giants seem to have evolved from the team that blew that lead in Philadelphia, whose countless miscues in the final five minutes of play cost them a victory, to something else. A more confident, more determined team.

On Sunday, the Giants get a chance to gauge that progress in practical terms. Will it be enough to beat the Eagles for the first time since 2016 and avenge last month’s loss?

"I feel we’re getting closer and closer to what we want to be as a team," Judge said. "Do I think we are a different team? I think we’re an improving team. I see strides made with all the players on a weekly basis."

Watching the film from the most recent Eagles game has allowed them to see that in private.

"We turn the tape on, our players see it," Judge said. "They understand what they’re doing, what they’re improving on."

Even Eagles coach Doug Pederson said he notices the change in the Giants.

"It is nice to have played them just a couple weeks ago because things are still kind of fresh on your mind," he said. "But listen, this is a much-improved football team from the first time. Even though they haven’t pulled these games out, this is a good football team. They’re coming off a win, they had Tampa Bay on the ropes, they had us on the ropes. We have to be prepared."

Perhaps the player who best personifies the Giants’ progress is rookie left tackle Andrew Thomas. He had one of the worst outings of the season the last time the Giants played the Eagles. In the two games since, though, he has settled into becoming a key part of the offense rather than another obstacle for the unit to try to clear.

"He’s got a new air of confidence the past couple of weeks," offensive line coach Marc Colombo said of Thomas. "He’s played really well. His timing has been better, his pass sets have been better, his run blocking has been better . . . You can tell on tape, you see it, it’s a lot better, and we expect it to get even better."

That’s what Judge has wanted to see from everyone this season, and he says he and the coaches and players have.

The only real way to illustrate that to the rest of the world, though, comes on Sunday.

That’s when we’ll see if the Giants are different enough to beat the Eagles.

Notes & quotes: DL Leonard Williams and S Logan Ryan were excused from Wednesday’s walk-through practice to attend to personal matters. Both participated in meetings during the day and are expected back on the field Thursday . . . The Giants designated LB Tae Crowder (hamstring) to return from injured reserve on Wednesday, but did not do so for LB Oshane Ximines (shoulder) and S Xavier McKinney (foot), who are both eligible for the designation. Judge said the Giants were "milking" that decision and wanted to see how they performed with trainers on the side on Wednesday before making any decisions that would start the clock on their returns. If they won’t be ready to play Sunday, the Giants will likely wait until after the bye next week to designate them . . . The Giants received trade inquiries about DT Dalvin Tomlinson but did not participate in any deals for him. That seemed to please Tomlinson, on the fourth and final year of his rookie contract. "I’m loyal and this is family here," he said. As for a long-term contract to keep him around past this season, Tomlinson said he isn’t focused on it and will "let that take care of itself." . . . K Graham Gano was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week after kicking field goals of 38, 48 and 42 yards in the win over Washington.

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.