The New York Giants (9-6-1) will visit the Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) for a Week 18 matchup this Sunday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Here are three reasons for optimism entering Sunday afternoon.
Avoiding injuries
The Giants will likely rest a portion of their starters on Sunday as they face the Eagles. This is obviously not a great reason to give New York fans hope for a win but it should give them hope for the playoffs.
Big Blue is locked into the sixth seed of the NFC playoffs so they have nothing to gain or lose with the outcome of this game. The backups will get a chance to play and prove their worth on Sunday while the starters will have a week’s worth of rest heading into the franchise’s first playoff game since 2016.
Rivalry matchup
Philidelphia got the better of New York in the first meeting of these two teams this season. However, it is always hard to beat a team twice in the NFL, especially if they are long-time rivals.
This will be a perfect opportunity to spoil the Eagles’ season as they are looking to get the No. 1 seed in the NFC. With a win, New York can drop the Eagles to the five seed and take away their home-field advantage.
Jalen Hurts
The likely MVP runner-up might be out on Sunday leaving the Eagles with Gardner Minshew. The Eagles are 0-2 in games that Hurts has not played. This will give the Giants an opportunity to stifle the Eagles’ offense as they are much more one-dimensional with the former Heisman winner not on the field.
Hurts is a leader and a game-changer for Philidelphia and without him, they have not looked the same. This would be a great chance for the Giants to ruin the Eagles’ legendary season and if Hurts is out, the chances simply get higher.
