PHILADELPHIA -- At his introductory press conference back in August, Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby discussed the keys to defending New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

"You've got to play disciplined, play fast and get to the ball," he said.

The 23-year-old Darby has first-hand experience in this area. He went toe-to-toe with Beckham in 2015 while with the Buffalo Bills. Even though he was a rookie at the time, Darby fared well. Beckham was held to five catches on 12 targets for 38 yards. By our count, Darby yielded just one of those catches-- a quick hitch on third down that fell short of the sticks -- and had a pair of pass break-ups.

Executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman said one reason the Eagles traded a third-round pick and receiver Jordan Matthews for Darby is they had seen him go against divisional opponents, as the Bills played the entire NFC East in 2015. Asked if the Beckham matchup was one that they analyzed and were excited about, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz on Tuesday replied, "Yeah, we did look at that."

Schwartz will be without Darby on Sunday when the New York Giants come to town as he continues to recover from a dislocated ankle suffered in the opener against the Washington Redskins. Currently considered a 4-6 week injury, Darby should be back in plenty of time for the team's second matchup with the Giants on December 17.

In the meantime, Schwartz has the task of trying to slow one of the best receivers in the game with a patchwork secondary. It's not just Darby the might be missing. Fellow corner Jaylen Watkins and safety Rodney McLeod are dealing with hamstring injuries and could miss Sunday's game as well.

Beckham, still recovering from an ankle injury sustained in the preseason, made his debut on Monday Night Football against the Detroit Lions and had four catches for 36 yards.

Beckham was a force against the Eagles last season, racking up 15 catches, 196 yards and a pair of scores in two games. Schwartz is preparing as if the star receiver will be at full power.

"If we expect anything less, we're in the wrong business, because he has a full week to prepare," Schwartz said. "He's another week away from that [injury], another week ahead of his rehab and things like that, so we'll have to be ready for 13, and we're going to have to be ready for him being the same guy we remember from last year. And he's a very difficult player to handle, and their offense has missed him the first couple weeks."

With Darby and Watkins sidelined, Schwartz turned to rookie Rasul Douglas to play opposite Jalen Mills last week against Kansas City, and the third-round pick out of West Virginia acquitted himself well against Tyreek Hill and Co. Part of the reason why the Chiefs' passing game was largely held in check was because of the play of the defensive front, which put steady pressure on Alex Smith throughout the game. A similar performance will be necessary against the Giants' vulnerable offensive line Sunday in order to keep Beckham in check.

"It's our job to keep him from being a factor -- well, he's going to be a factor, but keep him from being a game-changing factor," Schwartz said. "It's going to take good team defense to do it. It's not going to be one guy that'll do it."