The Eagles (13-3) are hosting the Giants (9-6-1) on Sunday afternoon at the Linc.
For the forecast:
Reuben Frank (12-4)
There is no doubt in my mind that the Eagles will win this game. They are the better team, they are at home, they have more at stake, they haven’t lost to the Giants at home since Chip Kelly was coach and they just beat them by 26 in East Rutherford last month. Jalen Hurts elevates everyone’s level of play, and whether the Giants play their starters or backups or not, I can’t imagine Hurts letting the Eagles lose this game against this team in this situation. That said, if Gardner Minshew starts? I have no confidence in him to win a must-win game against anyone on any field. Minshew has skill, there’s no question about that. But the quarterback you saw against the Saints last weekend looked like he just wasn’t up to the challenge of facing a competitive team in a high-leverage situation. I get that it takes the whole team to win or lose a game, but it all starts with the quarterback and Minshew’s inability to make even the simplest of throws in key moments was alarming. You can put up good numbers against a bad Jaguars team or against a bad Jets team. But can you win an important game with a No. 1 seed on the line? I am not an optimist. So assuming Hurts starts. … If Minshew starts? Just reverse those numbers.
Eagles 29, Giants 12
Dave Zangaro (12-4)
The Giants did a good job playing the koy all week but it would be unwise for them to play their starters with the 6-seed already locked up. So even if Jalen Hurts was not expected to play, the Eagles still win this game because Gardner Minshew is able to beat the Giants’ backups. And the Eagles still need this game to get the top seed in the NFC. That 14 point line is quite telling.
We saw it a few weeks ago when the Eagles beat the Giants 48-22. This game may not be so wrong but I think that by the end of this both teams will have their backups on the field. And then the Eagles can use that bye week to prepare for the divisional round.
Eagles 28, Giants 12
Barrett Brooks (12-4)
It’s the last regular season game of the year and the Birds are still playing with the No. 1 seed. The Giants have already locked up the No. 6 seed and the likelihood that Brian Daboll will play against his first line is little to nothing. There is no way Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley are going to play on Sunday. The Eagles want to play to win, meaning they want to play their starters as long as there is a lead to put the starters. As long as Jalen Hurts is playing and the entire offense is playing, the Eagles will win this game and take the bye week to rest the entire team.
Eagles 28, Giants 17
Mike Mulhern (13-3)
Jalen Hurts may be an extreme long shot to actually win the MVP at this point, but we’ll find out how much he means to the Eagles. After the offense put together one of their worst performances in years, Hurts will return to be the ultimate problem solver. It shouldn’t hurt that the Giants will likely sit most of their key starters.
While there was some doom and gloom among the fanbase after the second straight loss, the Eagles are set to land the number one seed and are getting strong at the right time. They’ll take care of business on Sunday and be in prime position to make a run at their second Lombardi Trophy in five years.
Eagles 31, Giants 13
Adam Hermann (14-2)
This is a strange game to gauge, because neither side reveals much about their respective players — who will play and who won’t? Sports-related mind games may have gone too far, but that’s an argument for another day.
It doesn’t make much sense to dive into the numbers on the New York side if their starters aren’t going to see much (or any) action. I trust the Eagles at full strength vs the Giants at full strength, so I certainly trust the Eagles at 90% strength vs the Giants backups.
Unless the Birds go out and lay a second straight egg, they should win and lock up the No. 1 seed. You can see and hear the utter frustration and anger in the players’ responses after the loss of -last week. I can’t imagine a team with this kind of veteran leadership (and talent) losing the third straight, especially against a team that has nothing to play for.
Hopefully Jalen Hurts can go full speed and we can see what the face of the franchise looks like after the injury before he dives into the biggest sports month of his life.
Eagles 27, Giants 20
