Running back Saquon Barkley faces the Giants for the first time since signing with the Eagles

Philadelphia (3-2) at New York Giants (2-4)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, FOX

BetMGM NFL Odds: Eagles by 3.

Against the spread: Eagles 2-3, Giants 3-3.

Series record: Eagles lead 93-88-2.

Last meeting: Giants beat Eagles 27-10 on Jan. 7, 2024, at East Rutherford, N.J.

Last week: Eagles beats Browns 20-16; Giants lost to Bengals 17-7.

Eagles offense: overall (10), rush (6), pass (14), scoring (18).

Eagles defense: overall (20), rush (16), pass (21), scoring (14).

Giants offense: overall (20), rush (24), pass (18), scoring (29).

Giants defense: overall (10), rush (15), pass (12), scoring (T9).

Turnover differential: Eagles minus-6, Giants minus-2.

Barkley faces the team that drafted him second overall in the 2018. In 74 games with New York, Barkley rushed for 5,211 yards — the fourth most in Giants history — and had 47 touchdowns (35 rushing, 12 receiving). He was the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He signed with the Eagles as a free agent this year.

Rookie WR Malik Nabers cleared the concussion protocol and it's possible he could be returning to the lineup after missing two games. The No. 6 overall draft pick was leading the league with 35 receptions after four weeks. His three touchdowns still lead the team.

Both defensive lines against the left tackle. The Eagles' Jordan Mailata is out for a few weeks with a hamstring injury. The Giants are without Andrew Thomas for the rest of the season following foot surgery Wednesday. Backup tackle Fred Johnson or Mekhi Becton could replace Mailata. If Becton moved from right guard, he would have to be replaced. The Giants can have Josh Ezeudu start at left tackle, or move right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor to the left side and then start either Evan Neal or Ezeudu at right tackle.

Eagles: Mailata (hamstring) and TE Dallas Goedert (hamstring) left the game against the Browns and are out. CB Darius Slay (knee), LB Oren Burks (groin), OLB Jalyx Hunt (ankle) and DT Milton Williams (ankle) are on the injury report. ... Giants: Thomas is done for the season. DT Dexter Lawrence (hip), OLB Brian Burns (groin), P Jamie Gillan (hamstring), RB Devin Singletary (groin), WR Wan'Dale Robinson (ankle), WR Darius Slayton (groin) are on the injury report.

The Eagles have won 5 of 6 and 13 of 16. They are 9-5 at MetLife Stadium and had won five straight before dropping a game in the final week of last season.

Philadelphia: QB Jalen Hurts threw two touchdowns last week and had a season-high 126.1 rating. His 43 TDs rushing are tied with Steve Young for third most by a quarterback in NFL history. He hasn't thrown an interception in 5 of 6 NFC East road games. ... Barkley has more than 115 yards from scrimmage in four games this season. ... WR A.J. Brown had six catches for 116 yards and a TD last week. WR Devonta Smith also caught a TD. He has caught a TD in three of past four against Giants. ... LB Josh Sweat has a sack in two straight. ... LB Nakobe Dean had a season-high 12 tackles against the Browns. ... DT Jalen Carter has his first sack last weekend. ... The Giants are 0-3 at home. ... QB Daniel Jones has not thrown an interception in his past three games against the Eagles. ... Rookie RB Tyrone Taylor ran for his first TD last week. ... WR Wan'Dale Robinson has had at least five catches in his past four games. ... WR Darius Slayton caught a TD in both games against the Eagles in 2023. ... DT Dexter Lawrence is tied for second in the NFL with seven sacks. ... OLB Azeez Ojulari had two sacks last week. ...Rookie S Tyler Nubin leads the Giants with 39 tackles. ... The defense has not allowed more than 21 points in the past five games, and has not intercepted a pass in that span.

Jalen Hurts. In the first game between the teams last season — the Eagles quarterback ran eight times for 34 yards and a touchdown and completed 24 of 38 passes for 301 yards and a touchdown on Christmas Day in a 33-25 win. He also had an interception returned for a TD by Adoree Jackson.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (8) stops Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (85) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (29) celebrates scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J.(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) is lifted by Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson (65) after Hurts threw a touchdown pass to Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns celebrates a tackle during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Running back Saquon Barkley faces the Giants for the first time since signing with the Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) carries the ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Running back Saquon Barkley faces the Giants for the first time since signing with the Eagles

CHICAGO (AP) — Josh Pehlke remembers having to beg and plead at bars and restaurants to get them to show WNBA games just a few years ago. Too often, the answer was a flat-out no.

These days, he doesn't have to worry as much.

As the general manager at Signature Bar & Restaurant in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood, about a 3-point shot from the Chicago Sky’s home at Wintrust Arena, he has some say. But even when he's not at work, he has noticed a difference.

“I’ve been to Cubs games this season and gone into sports bars in Wrigleyville and found the WNBA on TV, whereas two or three years ago, that wasn’t happening,” Pehlke said.

The WNBA drew sellout crowds and unprecedented ratings in a transformational season that's winding down with a finals matchup between the New York Liberty, seeking their first title, and the Minnesota Lynx going for their record fifth. The best-of-five series opened Thursday with Minnesota rallying to beat New York in overtime.

Whether it was Indiana's Caitlin Clark and Chicago's Angel Reese taking their captivating rivalry from college to the pros, Simone Biles capturing more gold at the Olympics or 92,003 fans packing Nebraska's football stadium for a volleyball game, women's sports in general are drawing more eyeballs.

Sports bars and restaurants are taking note, adjusting their marketing and menus in order to attract a wider range of customers. At least some say they're seeing an increased demand for women's sports on their TVs, though the evidence is more anecdotal than statistical. A handful catering specifically to women's sports have opened in recent years, such as The Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon.

Either way, fans have options if they want to grab a bite and a drink and watch a game away from home.

”You’ll see small groups of women coming out to watch the actual sports,” Bar Louie CEO Brian Wright said. “And you see a lot of men requesting women’s sports now. So it’s kind of an entire paradigm shift of how women’s sports are being viewed. You very seldom saw a group of men coming in saying, ‘Can you put on that WNBA game?’ Now, that’s really becoming commonplace.”

Bar Louie has restaurants in 21 states from coast to coast and as many as 20 TVs per location. As for how many are tuned to each specific sport, Wright said there's no real science in determining that. But he is sure of a few things.

The chain is attracting a greater percentage of female customers. And when Clark or Reese were playing, that was good for business. Their NCAA Tournament games the past two years, for example, created about a 10% bump in business.

At Twin Peaks, where most locations have 16 satellites and 75 TVs, the clientele skews about 80% male, CEO Joe Hummel said. But the gender gap is narrowing.

“Five years ago we might not have advertised or pushed women’s March Madness,” Hummel said.

The company evaluates the schedule every day to determine how many TVs will be tuned to each game. The restaurants can adjust based on news and customer demand, which is key. Hummel said Twin Peaks does not track how many TVs are tuned to specific events or customers requesting to sit where they can see a particular game.

“It'd be very difficult,” he said. “Our operators have a lot of communication back and forth with the guest and if we inundated our operators -- you have to track this, this and this all the time -- they would end up worrying about the stats and not even taking care of the guests.”

Nicole Bond, associate director of marketing strategy at Mintel Comperemedia, said research shows 71% of consumers believe women’s sports will continue to grow in popularity. She sees it up close in her side job as a bartender at Bernie's Tap & Grill near Wrigley Field in Chicago.

“Men are leaning into women’s athletics,” said Bond, a former Northwestern softball player. “And I hear the conversations that you hear them having about what’s happening in the W, or what’s happening in the NWSL or whatever it is. It’s become really interesting and like a norm in bar conversations. I think people are wanting to watch those games and groups just like you do when you bring people in for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup.”

Pehlke became a WNBA fan about a decade ago and started following the Sky when they added Chicago-area product Candace Parker prior to the 2021 championship season. He grew up a Los Angeles Lakers fan in northern Wisconsin.

Pehlke, whose friend has season tickets, is a regular at Wintrust Arena for Sky games. He even collects WNBA trading cards.

Signature, which is owned by former Bears defensive lineman Israel Idonije, opened in January. There are 13 TVs on the walls, with 10 tuned to the WNBA on a Friday night near the end of the regular season. Six were showing the Sky's game at Minnesota.

During the playoffs, Pehlke said, the restaurant saw more requests for TVs to be tuned to the WNBA. He was expecting an uptick in business, too.

“Demand has been outstanding this entire playoffs,” he said. “I was very happy to see that it wasn’t just for the Fever games, but seemingly for all of the games.”

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith, left, shoots against New York Liberty's Jonquel Jones, right, during the second half in Game 2 of a WNBA basketball final playoff series, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Minnesota Lynx's Courtney Williams, left, reacts after scoring during the second half in Game 2 of a WNBA basketball final playoff series against the New York Liberty, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

New York Liberty's Courtney Vandersloot (22) and Breanna Stewart (30) react after Steward scored a 3-point basket during the second half in Game 2 of a WNBA basketball final playoff series against the Minnesota Lynx, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Josh Pehlke works the bar at Signature Bar & Restaurant in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood near the Chicago Sky’s home at Wintrust Arena sit at the bar as Game 2 of the WNBA finals between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx is shown on a TV on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. Pehlke, Signature's general manager, says the restaurant is getting more requests for TVs tuned to the WNBA. (AP Photo/Andrew Seligman)

Customers at Signature Bar & Restaurant in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood near the Chicago Sky’s home at Wintrust Arena sit at the bar as Game 2 of the WNBA finals between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx is shown on a TV on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. The WNBA drew sellout crowds and unprecedented ratings in a transformational season. Sports-oriented bars and restaurants are taking note. Some say they’re seeing an increased demand for women’s sports on their TVs. (AP Photo/Andrew Seligman)