The New York Giants face the Philadelphia Eagles on “Thursday Night Football” on the road with a playoff berth on the line.
- New York Giants (10-4)
- Philadelphia Eagles (5-9)
- NFL, Thursday, Dec. 22, 8:25 p.m. ET, NFL Network
- Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
New York has won seven of its last eight games, a run that has lifted them to the second-best record in the NFC. More importantly, their winning run has put them one win away from clinching a playoff berth outright. They can still clinch this week if results elsewhere go their way, but the message should be simple enough: Win and you’re in.
The Giants can also continue to put pressure on the Dallas Cowboys with a win. New York is the only team in the NFC who can overtake the 12-2 Cowboys in the standings. If the Giants win out, and the Cowboys lose their remaining two games (home to Detroit, at Philly), the Giants would win the NFC East and clinch the top overall seed in the conference, due to their 2-0 head to head record over the Cowboys.
Unlikely, but possible.
A big reason for the Giants rise has been their tremendous defense, which has peaked in recent weeks. The Giants defensive unit has allowed 13 points, including only one touchdown, in their last two games. They’ve only surrendered three points in the second half of those two games, and have allowed zero points in the fourth quarter (against two teams, Dallas and Detroit, that are in the playoff picture).
The Philadelphia Eagles, on the other hand, are a team in disarray. In the first year of the Doug Pederson era, Philly has lost five games in a row and currently sit at 5-9 after a 3-0 start. Rookie quarterback Carson Wentz has thrown four touchdowns and eight interceptions during the Eagles five-game skid.
Last weekend, the Eagles opted to go for a two-point conversion in their game against the Baltimore Ravens. After Wentz ran in a touchdown with 4 seconds left, Pederson opted to go for two and win the game, but the Ravens held firm and handed the Eagles yet another loss.
Despite the discrepancy in recent form and records, this game will likely be tightly contested. A divisional game between two hated rivals suggests that despite the Giants hot streak and the Eagles poor record, the game will be extremely hard fought and could come down to one play or coaching decision, similar to last week’s Eagles contest.
Each team has incentive to win the game. The Giants can clinch a playoff berth– additionally, how sweet would it be for them to clinch on the field of their arch rivals — and can continue to put pressure on Dallas. Additionally, it would help to inflict further damage on the Eagles, and to rack up a season sweep against Philly, the first since 2007.
The Eagles would love to snap their losing streak, and would also salivate at the opportunity to deny the Giants a chance to clinch, even if it would hand the division to the Cowboys (who the Eagles hate, arguably, more than the Giants).
Here is a preview of Thursday’s game:
Injury Report
As of Tuesday, several Giants have participated in limited practice this week, most notably cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who left the Detroit game injured in the first half. His status is still questionable for Thursday’s game. Will Beatty, Nate Berhe, Jonathan Casillas, Zak de’Ossie, Keenan Robinson, and Marshall Newhouse all participated in limited practice as well. Defensive end Owa Odighizuwa fully participated in practice, and will likely feature in the game.
As for the Eagles, only one player, running back Kenjon Barner, did not practice. Most of the big names on Philadelphia’s injury list practiced fully: wide receiver Jordan Matthews, running back Darren Sproles, and tight end Brent Celek.
The biggest injury storyline is, and will continue to remain, Janoris Jenkins, as the Giants hope their shutdown corner will be good to go.
Matchups to Watch
Eagles defensive line vs. Giants offensive line:
The Eagles biggest strength against the Giants biggest weakness. Defensive players like Mychal Kendricks, Brandon Graham, and Fletcher Cox will be licking their lips in anticipation to go against a Giants offensive line that has struggled mightily all season. While the return of Justin Pugh is a welcome sight for Big Blue, a banged up Marshall Newhouse and a wildly inconsistent and often-penalized Ereck Flowers does not bode well against the Eagles defensive line.
The Giants offense is struggling enough as it is. If quarterback Eli Manning is constantly being pressured, the chances of getting anything going on offense are going to be slim. The Giants offensive line will receive a big test on Thursday, and a passing grade would bode well for the postseason.
Landon Collins vs Zach Ertz:
The star of the Giants defense this year has undoubtedly been strong safety Landon Collins, who is among the top defenders in the NFL in terms of tackles, interceptions, and passes defended. He is best known for his ability to get into the box and stop the run, but he will be relied upon to contain tight end Zach Ertz, who Wentz will look to early and often as a security blanket. The former Stanford Cardinal has 63 catches, 644 yards, and two touchdowns this season, and will go up against a safety in Collins whose biggest weakness is his pass coverage against big tight ends.
This game could go a long way in solidifying Collins’ candidacy for Defensive Player of the Year.
Carson Wentz vs Giants secondary:
The Eagles rookie quarterback has been struggling with turnovers all season. He now faces one of the best secondaries in the NFL. Advantage, Giants.
Even if Janoris Jenkins is out, all of New York’s defensive backs have been playing well of late. Eli Apple had a key deflection to deny Golden Tate a touchdown this weekend. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie had a game-sealing pick of Matthew Stafford. Leon Hall picked off Dak Prescott two weeks ago. Landon Collins is, well, Landon Collins.
Wentz has a decent amount of weapons on the outside. However, the Giants defense likes to make quarterbacks beat them. Stafford and Prescott, two of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL, couldn’t do it. Can a slumping Carson Wentz?
Odell Beckham Jr. vs. Nolan Carroll and Leodis McKelvin
Odell Beckham Jr. has been on fire in recent weeks — his touchdowns have accounted for 14 of the Giants 27 points in the past two games. Yeah, that’s over 50%.
Whichever corner draws Beckham as their assignment, they will have their hands full. As OBJ has proven over the past two weeks, all he needs is one play to make an impact, whether it be a game-winning 60-yard touchdown off a quick slant or a game-sealing one-yard touchdown catch at the goal line.
This season, the trend on offense has been simple: if Odell is on form, they can beat anyone. Let’s see what Carroll and McKelvin can do against No. 13.
X-Factors
Janoris Jenkins:
This one is pretty simple. Jenkins has been one of the Giants three best players all season. His ability to shut down opposing teams wide receivers is a huge reason as to why the defense has been so good. If healthy, Jenkins can go a long way in eliminating Jordan Matthews from the game. While the Giants have capable replacements, the ideal scenario involves Jenkins taking the field.
Fletcher Cox:
The Eagles talisman on defense, Fletcher Cox has a huge opportunity to terrorize Eli Manning and the Giants offensive line. Cox will be able to penetrate the Giants offensive line — he’ll just need his secondary to hold up before he can get to Eli before No. 10 releases the ball.
Cox will also play a big role in stopping the run — the Giants have shown an increased commitment to the run game in recent weeks, through Paul Perkins and Rashad Jennings. Cox could have a huge say in holding them to under 100 yards.
Sterling Shepard:
At some point, someone other than Odell Beckham will need to step up offensively. Shepard has quietly made a few big plays in the last two weeks, from a fourth down conversion against the Cowboys to a touchdown in the first quarter against the Lions. Victor Cruz has struggled in recent weeks, but Shepard looks primed to make a big play and take pressure off Beckham down the field.
Doug Pederson:
“Why not?” was a common defense to Doug Pederson going for two against the Ravens. If he’s going to take a shot in a meaningless game against AFC opposition, he is most certainly going to roll the dice against division opposition if he gets a shot. If a fourth down situation arises, or he has a chance to go for two and the win, it will be interesting to see if Pederson takes another shot, or if he learns from his mistake from Sunday and goes conservative.
Prediction
Giants 17, Eagles 10
Another tight, low-scoring game seems to be on the horizon. Both teams play good defense, and both teams can nullify the others quarterback play. The Eagles will likely put pressure on Eli Manning, and the Giants will likely take away Carson Wentz’ weapons downfield.
However, the Giants are a better football team and have the weapons to knock off the Eagles. Expect another late Odell Beckham Jr. touchdown to give the Giants the lead, and expect the Giants defense to deny the Eagles a chance to get back into the game, and to lead New York to their first season sweep of Philadelphia since 2007, and more importantly, their first playoff berth since 2011.