Darius Slayton was careful not to offer up any bold prediction or bulletin board material.

The seventh-year wide receiver is the Giants’ longest-tenured player on offense, so he’s heard plenty about the Giants’ drought in Philadelphia. And he has lived through seven of the franchise’s 12 straight losses at Lincoln Financial Field since the last win in 2013.

Slayton declared Wednesday that while “it would be nice to beat them at their place,” the 2-5 Giants are simply looking to rebound with a good game regardless of the playing field. But he did also acknowledge that the Linc is “probably number one in terms of hostility” compared to other NFL road venues.

It’s time for the Giants, in this new era with exciting rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, to exorcise their demons at their house of horrors and end that historic drought when the rivals clash Sunday afternoon.

“If he didn’t have any haters, he’ll find out where they all live,” Slayton joked when asked about Dart’s Philadelphia debut. “He’s about to get introduced to all of them. But it’s still just football. Especially, he’s an SEC kid like me. You play in that conference, it’s the same way going to those away stadiums, and honestly, that’s what makes it great — that competitive fire.”

Dart attested to that as an Ole Miss product, rattling off SEC stadiums such as LSU, Georgia, Alabama and Auburn (Slayton’s alma mater) as being “intense.”

“I can’t wait to go out there and compete and kind of just feel the hostility in the air,” Dart said. “The rivalry between the two organizations — it’s going to be really cool.”

Frankly, it’s a bit suspect that the Eagles are 7.5-point favorites in this game when the Giants routed the Eagles by 17 points at MetLife Stadium just two weeks ago.

Sure, Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter and cornerback Quinyon Mitchell didn’t play in that game (Mitchell left in the first quarter) and are back, but now star receiver A.J. Brown and center Cam Jurgens are out. Also, Slayton will play for the Giants after missing the first game with a hamstring injury.

It’s hard to bank on another Giants win, per se, given that their defense is banged up and Nick Sirianni’s coaching staff will likely make some key adjustments at home.

Still, in terms of point spreads, the new-look Giants simply looked better than the Eagles in many ways last time, and you can count on Dart and rookie running back Cam Skattebo once again being tough to handle for Vic Fangio’s defense.

“I don’t think there’s really too much of an advantage for either team,” Dart said of clashing with the Eagles twice in three weeks. “It’s just going to be the guys who execute their schemes at the highest level. It’s important for us that we put together a really good game plan and also have an open mind that during the game they might do things that we didn’t really expect them to do, and they’re going to be thinking the exact same thing.”

One concerning development for the Giants since the first game is that their secondary came out battered with injuries from last Sunday’s collapse in Denver. Their top cornerback, Paulson Abebo, and starting safety Jevon Holland likely both won’t play in Philadelphia.

When you contrast that with the Eagles’ passing game, which got on track in Minnesota last Sunday (Jalen Hurts threw for a season-high 326 yards and three touchdowns), you can see the Eagles’ path to scoring more points in the rematch.

Simply put, the Giants must unleash their pass rush. Blitzing Hurts resulted in a critical fourth-quarter interception last time, so defensive coordinator Shane Bowen needs to bring that same aggression. Deploying a three-man rush (with only two of the Giants’ four best pass rushers) in another crucial late situation against the Broncos led to disaster, but the players were insistent this week that it comes down to execution — not Bowen’s play calls.

It will be easier to slow down the Eagles again, obviously, if the Giants can control the line of scrimmage. They held the Eagles to 73 rushing yards last time, and the Eagles are averaging the 30th-fewest in the NFL per game (88.1) on the season.

“Stopping the run is the priority every week,” defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence said. “You want to be the most physical group out there as a defense.”

If the Giants accomplish that objective, there’s a good chance they walk out of Philadelphia as winners for the first time in 12 years.

Greg Johnson covers the New York Giants and NFL for MediaNews Group. Reach him at gjohnson@trentonian.com.

Giants Gameday

The Game: Giants (2-5) at Eagles (5-2), Lincoln Financial Field, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

The Line: Philadelphia by 7.5

History: The Eagles lead the all-time series, 95-89-2, and have won 12 straight meetings in Philadelphia including a playoff game in 2023. The Giants won at home just 17 days ago, 34-17.

Key Matchups:

Giants C John Michael Schmitz vs. Eagles DT Jalen Carter: Schmitz is back after missing last week with a concussion and will have to deal with the Eagles’ best interior lineman. Carter was out with an injury in the first matchup and leads the team with eight QB hits in only five games.

Giants WR Darius Slayton vs. Eagles CB Quinyon Mitchell: Slayton gives the Giants a boost on the perimeter after not playing in the first meeting, but the Eagles will also add their top corner into the mix. In 12 career games against the Eagles, Slayton has 572 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

Giants DT Dexter Lawrence vs. Eagles interior offensive line: The Eagles are banged up with injuries to left guard Landon Dickerson and center Cam Jurgens. Lawrence has yet to make a major impact in a game this year in terms of big plays with defenses constantly double-teaming him, but this is a prime opportunity for a breakout performance.

Giants secondary vs. Eagles TE Dallas Goedert: Goedert was a big problem for the Giants’ defense in the first game with nine catches, 110 yards and a touchdown. Tight ends average 51.1 yards per game against the Giants, so it’s fair to expect regression from Goedert.

Injury Report:

Giants: OUT: CB Paulson Adebo (knee), DL Chauncey Golston (neck); DOUBTFUL: S Jevon Holland (knee); QUESTIONABLE: OLB Brian Burns (hip), DL D.J. Davidson (ankle), K Graham Gano (groin).

Eagles: OUT: WR A.J. Brown (hamstring), C Cam Jurgens (knee), CB Adoree’ Jackson (concussion), OLB Azeez Ojulari (hamstring), CB Jakorian Bennett (pectoral), DE Brandon Graham (not injury related); QUESTIONABLE: WR Darius Cooper (shoulder).

Giant Facts: NFL teams had won 1,602 consecutive games when leading by 18+ points with six minutes left or fewer until the Broncos beat the Giants last week. … Jaxson Dart is the third rookie QB since 2000 to total 10+ touchdowns in his first four career starts, joining Justin Herbert and Deshaun Watson. … The Giants are tied for 22nd in red-zone defense (opponents score touchdowns 63.64% of the time) while the Eagles rank third (43.48%).

The Prediction: Giants 23, Eagles 20