The New York Giants (5-9) head down the New Jersey Turnpike to face their long-time rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles (10-4), at Lincoln Financial Field on Christmas afternoon.
Here are five storylines we are following in Week 16.
Eagles are on a three-game losing streak
Philadelphia has lost three straight after a 10-1 start. Over the span, they’ve been averaging just 16.3 points per game and looked like a mere shell of the team that went to the Super Bowl last season.
They are currently the fifth seed in the NFC and have already clinched a playoff spot but are behind Dallas for the NFC East lead with three games remaining in the regular season.
They are in a ‘get right’ spot here, with two games against the Giants sandwiching a home game against Arizona.
Tommy DeVito will remain the starter at quarterback
Head coach Brian Daboll has been steadfast in his support for rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito.
This week, despite DeVito taking a vicious beating again last week in New Orleans, Daboll said DeVito will remain the team’s starter.
“He’s earned it,” Daboll said.
Meanwhile, the shine is off DeVito a little bit after a 24-6 beating at the hands of the Saints last week.
No big deal, DeVito has been busy capitalizing on his newfound fame, trademarking and promoting his name, image and likeness.
Giants' playoff hopes are on life support
At 5-9, the Giants are still mathematically alive in the NFC Playoff race in the 12th slot.
They are two games behind Minnesota, who occupy the seventh and final playoff spot, but have a steep hill to climb.
There are four other teams in-between the Giants and the Vikings at the moment and the Giants’ final three games are against the Eagles, the red-hot Los Angeles Rams, and the Eagles again.
Eagles' defense is under new leadership
The Eagles have not been scoring as much but have allowed an average of 24.4 points per game and more than 30 in recent weeks. That has led to a change of philosophy on defense.
This week, head coach Nick Sirianni swapped out coordinator Sean Desai for Matt Patricia as the defensive playcaller.
They won’t have much to defend in these Giants, who despite their recent success, are still 31st in the NFL in scoring, just 0.2 points ahead of New England.
Can the Giants break their schneid against Philly?
The Eagles have owned the Giants for the past half-decade or so. They have won 12 of the last 14 meetings including the most recent four.
The Giants lost all three games to the Eagles last season — two in the regular season and one in the NFC Divisional Playoffs — by a total score of 108-45.
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