Sean Selby

It’s finally here. After 17 games, the Eagles were the best team in football. They set all kinds of franchise records, Jalen Hurts will get some MVP votes, Nick Sirianni will be a coach of the year candidate, and we are taking on a 6th seed Giants team.

Yet there are some doubts.

Is Jalen Hurts’ sprained shoulder ok? Will Lane Johnson be able to withstand the pain from his torn abductor? Will the Eagles team from earlier in the year show up, or will we get the team that has been flat over the past month or so?

The Giants are coming in hot. Daniel Jones has been playing well. Saquon Barkley is playing as of late. The wide receivers, who don’t look like much on paper, have come alive for the offense. Brain Daboll is looking like a good head coach for a team that struggled immensely over the past few years.

It looks to be a matchup that is dangerous for the top seeded Eagles. A division team that knows the opponent well, who played tough with their backups in week 18.

It doesn’t matter.

The Eagles are the better team. They’ve looked unstoppable at times and I am expecting them to look more like the team from the middle of the season. They are rested, relatively healthy, and yet for some reason, they have to prove doubters wrong.

I am expecting this to be a little bit of a battle for the first half, but at some in the 3rd quarter the Eagles wake up and take control. I am also looking at a big game from Devonta Smith as it seems the Giants will try to shut down AJ Brown. With the game being at 8:15pm, the fans will be a bit rowdy and rearing to go, so hopefully that will play a part as well. I am hoping that we see the Eagles next week on Championship Sunday playing for the chance at the Super Bowl. Eagles 34, Giants 24

Mike Sliwinski

It’s been less than two weeks from when the Eagles last played but it seems like a lifetime ago to me, with the anticipation growing for a home playoff game. Ironically it is against the same team they beat two weeks ago…for the second time this year. My brother in-law reminded me (as if I needed it) that it’s hard to beat a team three times. But first let’s recap the first 2 games. In their 13th game a little over a month ago the Eagles pounded the Giants in New York 48-22. From there the Giants righted the ship and the Eagles struggled a bit, so it’s hard to tell if that game is much of an indicator on how today’s game will go.

Fast forward to the Sunday before last when they met again and it’s even harder to judge. The Giants clinched the 6th seed and could not move up or down from it and rested their starters, and even though it was for the division, home field throughout, and a first round bye, the Eagles seemed to play conservative, protecting an injured Hurts and perhaps realizing that this game was a possibility 2 weeks later, played things close to the vest. The final score was 22-16, but it wasn’t as close as the score would lead you to believe, the Eagles seemed to have it in hand the whole game.

While the Eagles sat home resting up and watching the games like the rest of us, the Giants won a back and forth game against the Vikings in Minnesota. The Eagles will clearly be a jump in weight class for the Giants, who are also playing another away game on 6 days rest. I doubt 13 days will cause any rust for the Eagles, but maybe Hurts will have some as he did play 2 weeks ago but not his normal game.

A quick look at some numbers, the Eagles had the second best offense based on total yards, the Giants were in the middle of the pack at 18th in total yards. Defensively the Eagles finished 3rd in yards against  and the Giants were underwhelming 25th in yards against. Furthermore, the Eagles had the 3rd best points differential in the NFL this year at plus 133 where the Giants finished in the middle of the pack at a minus 6 despite a winning record at 9 7 and 1.

Daniel Jones is playing better and a running threat. Barkley at RB is also a big threat. Their receivers are not household names but can make some plays if given the chance. Still aside from Barkley I am taking the Eagles at every offensive position. Defensively, the Eagles should be able to keep Barkley in check and Jones will get his rushing. The corners will shut down the Giants receivers as well. When all is said and done though, it’s a playoff game against a division rival. It won’t be easy but I think like a lot of games, the Eagles keep the Giants at arms length throughout and while there might be some tension, it seems that the game is never too much in doubt. They only win by single digits and don’t cover though with maybe a last minute TD by the Giants and a missed 2 point conversion making it a bit closer than it looked. Eagles 27 Giants 23

Pat Mulranen

Hatred and rivalry aside, there is no denying the Giants put together an incredible season. I don’t think anyone predicted them to do as well as they did, and reach the divisional round. Most of that credit has to go to Brian Daboll, who should be one of the candidates for Coach of the Year. He did a phenomenal job, and created an offense that fits Daniel Jones skills, and that gave the team success.

Let’s applaud them for a well-fought season.
But their season ends in South Philadelphia.
The Giants have not won at the Linc since 2013, and are 0-9 in their last nine games in Philly. The Eagles will make that 0-10. But, I believe this game will be close. After all, it’s the playoffs. I mean, who knows, the Eagles could come out swinging and destroy the Giants in dominant fashion. Or, the game could be a nailbiter.
The Eagles are the better team— an all-star team, with eight Pro Bowlers, six All-Pros, an MVP candidate and a candidate for Coach of the Year in Nick Sirianni. But anything can happen.
Jalen Hurts and company defeated the Giants 48-22 in the first meeting in December. Yes, the last game wasn’t pretty, but I believe the Eagles weren’t giving 100%. They want to protect Hurts and the rest of the team. They knew the Giants were playing backups, so the Eagles just did enough to win. I’m confident in that belief.

So, there is no reason to be worried for Saturday.
Listen, the Hurts situation is a concern. But he was taken off the injury list and was cleared to fully play. Hurts may not be at full health (or maybe he is), but there is no doubt he is coming to play… and play hard. The Giants’ defense will probably target that shoulder, so hopefully Hurts gets the protection he needs and, when he runs, he slides rather than risk getting hit.

On the Giants side, everyone is talking about them knocking off the Vikings. Why is that being talked about? The Vikings have been frauds all year. I predicted the Giants to win that game. The Vikings defense is just atrocious. The Vikings are the 31st-ranked defense. It was a no-brainer the Giants would win. The Giants are better than the Vikings, but not the Eagles.

Hurts will have a good passing game, and A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith will end with strong numbers. T.J. Hockenson had a big game last week, so watch Dallas Goedert should, too— if the Giants defense plays the same way.
The Eagles defense just needs to slow down Saquon Barkley. Other than that, the Giants don’t have enough on offense to beat the Eagles defense. Isaiah Hodgins has been doing well, so the Eagles have to watch out for him, as well.
As long as the Eagles don’t beat themselves with turnovers or silly mistakes (like Christmas Eve), the Eagles are hosting either Dallas or the Niners next week. Eagles 33, Giants 24