Giants vs. Eagles: Preview, prediction, what to watch for

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An inside have a look at Sunday’s Giants-Eagles Week 18 matchup at Lincoln Monetary Area in Philadelphia:

Marquee matchup

The duty at hand vs. what comes subsequent

There isn't a purpose to investigate how one Giants participant or place group will do in opposition to an Eagles workforce that might be resting starters for his or her NFC playoff recreation.

Giants proprietor John Mara Invoice Kostroun / New York Put up

That is recreation No. 17 of a protracted, dropping season for the Giants and the temptation to look ahead to the offseason, arising as quickly as this recreation is accomplished, is usually an actual distraction.

The tip of a 10-game dropping streak got here final week and that got here as an amazing aid.

As loopy because it sounds, will there be a letdown on this finale in opposition to an opponent maintaining most of its high gamers on the sideline?

Paul’s decide

Attempting to determine how a workforce with nothing to play for, closing out a horrible season, will carry out is all the time dangerous enterprise.

Think about that the opposite workforce will relaxation its starters, and it's anyone’s guess what goes down right here.

You need to suppose the Giants are the extra motivated aspect, proper?

Can Drew Lock, coming off a spectacular efficiency, get it finished two weeks in a row?

One other query: Does anybody actually care?

Giants 23, Eagles 13

4 downs

On the job coaching: Malik Nabers lately reviewed his school movie, paying shut consideration to the way in which he broke free for yards after the catch at LSU — highlights he has usually struggled to create in his rookie yr with the Giants.

“I used to be like, ‘What was I lacking?’ ” Nabers stated. “And it was like, I wasn’t actually scared. I used to be simply on the market after I obtained the ball, I used to be simply working. However now, the fellows try to hit out right here. However I play free. I play with no regrets. So, I went on the market and simply was myself. It confirmed.’’

Malik Nabers Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Photographs

Sure, it confirmed. After he studied himself, Nabers went out and produced a career-high 171-yard receiving recreation in opposition to the Colts.

Subsequent man up: With quarterback Jalen Hurts remaining in concussion protocol and backup Kenny Pickett coping with damaged ribs, the Eagles will give Tanner McKee his first NFL begin.

McKee, a 2023 sixth-round decide from Stanford, completed up for Pickett in final week’s 41-7 rout of the Cowboys.

McKee tried 4 passes and accomplished three of them — two for touchdowns.

He'll take the sphere alongside a bunch of second-teamers.

“Our bye week being Week 5, very early bye week, so it’s very priceless to be on this place to do this,’’ Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni stated. “This isn’t our first time having to do that. We’ve had expertise with this. Plenty of that went into planning all these items.’’

Sit-down Barkley: Saquon Barkley completed with the eighth-most yards in a season in NFL historical past, and maybe that's becoming, contemplating Eric Dickerson set the report of two,105 yards in 1984 in a 16-game season.

Barkley performed 16 video games in his first yr with the Eagles, so that is an apples-to-apples comparability.

Saquon Barkley won't be taking part in within the season finale in opposition to the Giants. Getty Photographs

Barkley, with 2,005 yards, got here up precisely 100 yards brief.

If he performed in his seventeenth recreation, he undoubtedly would have risen up the listing, passing No. 7 Chris Johnson (2,006 yards in 2009), No. 6 Terrell Davis (2,008 yards in 1998) and No. 5 Derrick Henry (2.027 yards in 2020).

Would he have moved forward of No. 4 Barry Sanders (2.053 yards in 1997), No. 3 Jamal Lewis (2,066 yards in 2003), No. 2 Adrian Peterson (2,097 yards in 2012) and vaulted forward of Dickerson?

Lengthy division: The reply is … by no means.

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Thanks

Since 1970, no workforce has ever gone winless for a whole season in opposition to different NFL East groups.

The Giants are on the precipice of constructing the flawed form of historical past, as they're 0-5 within the division.

Discovering a strategy to beat the Eagles and Cowboys has been almost a decade-long drawback, however the Giants have been normally capable of deal with the Commanders. Not this yr.