Giants Look To End Season Strong in Week 18 vs. Eagles
The end of the season has finally come in the Meadowlands, and fans could not be happier that it is here. This season was completely disastrous, starting with the moment that the Giants hit the field at the beginning of September. They have had numerous injuries, changes of quarterbacks, players coming and going, and the loss of the first overall pick in the upcoming draft, it just has been one thing after another for this New York team. This game may be the one that cements it all if the Giants can pull through this coming Sunday.
On Sunday, the Giants will be playing the Philadelphia Eagles for the second time this season. The first time they played them, it was a complete blowout, but since then, the Giants have turned themselves around, but not by very much. Despite the minor improvements by the Giants last week, these two teams have gone in different directions since they last met, with the Eagles clinching the second seed in the NFC as the playoffs approach. This contrast may give the Giants both hope and doubts for this game.
The Giants have plenty of things to look forward to this weekend. They are coming off of a win from last weekend's game against the Indianapolis Colts, and they are feeling pretty good. They have gotten the ball into the hands of Malik Nabers, who broke the 1,000 receiving yards mark in only his rookie season, and since it’s the last game of the season, he will definitely be in for this weekend, and so will Tyrone Tracy Jr. This is going to be big for the Giants considering how well and confident they were when Drew Lock was in as quarterback. If they could have a game just like last week’s, then there is hope for the future.
The Giants may also have a chance because the Eagles are going to sit their starting running back, Saquon Barkley, for this weekend's game so they don’t overwork him before they go to the playoffs this season. He is close to breaking the NFL’s single-season rushing yards record, held by Eric Dickerson back in 1984, but they have opted to rest him before the team goes to playoffs. With him sitting out, the Giants may have a chance to play well on defense. They were able to have interceptions last weekend and execute how the Giants are supposed to play the game.
The Giants may also have a second advantage, considering that Jalen Hurts has been dealing with a concussion suffered in Week 16 against the Commanders. They will be starting their third-string quarterback, Tanner McKee, this coming weekend. The backup quarterback, Kenny Pickett, is also out on injury and will not play this weekend. McKee has played only two games this season. He has thrown no interceptions but has not done very well in his attempts. This may be a bonus for the Giants.
There are still consequences if the Giants win this weekend. They will fall further down the hole in the order of draft picks and lose what they need for next season. The Giants want something good, and no matter what they do, there are both promising areas and potential downfalls, the issue is that this just seems to be one of them. The Giants have a decision to make as to whether to win or lose. They want to win, but they also know they need to lose if they want to see things really happen for them during the offseason. If they do win, it will be a great send-off to finish out this tragedy of a season.
