Countdown to Kickoff: Giants vs. Eagles

Things move quickly in the NFL.

Turn back to Dec. 18 when the Eagles moved to 13-1 with a workmanlike performance in Chicago, it seemed like Week 18 might be a chance to kick back for the No. 1 seed in the conference.

A sprained SC joint in Jalen Hurts’ throwing shoulder cost the MVP candidate the past two games and Philadelphia was unable to persevere with backup Gardner Minshew, resulting in the first losing streak of the season for the Eagles and the need to win one more game (or Dallas and San Francisco losses) to lock up what seemed like a foregone conclusion pre-Hurts injury.

Over that same two weeks, the upstart Giants clinched a postseason berth and were locked into the No. 6 seed, turning this game on its head.

The Eagles need to win it and New York’s main goal is to get out of the game as healthy as possible for the playoffs the next week.

Hurts, meanwhile, is expected to return to the lineup while the Giants are expected to be very judicious with their key players like Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, and Dexter Lawrence.

Philadelphia destroyed New York, 48-22, back in Week 14 at MetLife Stadium to clinch a postseason berth, the first NFL team to do so.

The betting line of minus-14 tells the story when it comes to the talent disparity between the team, especially with the Giants planning to use backups.

HERE IS OUR COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF

5... PLAYERS TO WATCH

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts - After pressing pause for two games due to his shoulder injury, Hurts is listed as questionable but is expected to return. The goal for Hurts is simple – secure the NFC East and the No. 1 seed. Rust could be an issue early and obviously, everyone will be concerned about the shoulder from a health perspective.

Eagles RT Jack Driscoll - No one is going to live up to the standard of Lane Johnson, but Driscoll is a solid backup. The issue is even more of a concern this week when the most important part of the team, Hurts, will be fresh off rehabbing the shoulder.

Giants QB Tyrod Taylor - Reporters in New York don’t expect Daniel Jones to play at all and that means Taylor will get an opportunity to impress. One of the more experienced backups in the league, Taylor, 33, has started 53 games, the vast majority with Buffalo from 2015-2017 when he was the starter for the Bills.

Giants RB Matt Breida - If Saquon Barkley plays at all it will be a cameo, leaving the heavy lifting to Breida, who was once a solid complementary back in San Francisco.

Giants hybrid Landon Collins - Once a Pro Bowl player, Collins has returned to the Giants and played pretty well in a hybrid safety/linebacker role. His savviness works well with Wink Martindale’s aggression.

4... KEY MATCHUPS

Human nature vs. the Eagles - The Eagles know what the reports out of New York are and it’s natural to breathe a sigh of relief when the “star” players are expected to play very little or, in some cases, not at all. Remember, though, organizations tank, players do not and the Giants who will be getting extended action will want to prove something.

The rivalry - The Giants don’t particularly like the Eagles and understand they were embarrassed by Philadelphia on their home field back on Dec. 11. The Eagles have also owned New York in recent seasons, going 23-6 against the Giants dating back to 2008 so as sensible as it is for NY to play its junior varsity, there is also a bitterness that probably made that decision a little harder and will have everyone involved giving optimal effort.

The injury bug vs. the Eagles - Philadelphia thought it would be kicking back in this one but the Eagles are the ones who have to risk significant players, including Hurts. While the win is paramount, staying healthy finishes a close second.

Brian Daboll vs. Nick Sirinnai for Coach of the Year - At 13-1 Sirriani was the betting favorite by a landslide but now that the Eagles’ coach has come back to the pack, many are noticing Daboll because New York almost advertised a rebuild and was thought to be more likely to be in the running for a top-five draft pick than resting players for the postseason. Doug Pederson will have something to say about this as well if the former Eagles coach leads the Jags to a division title on Saturday night.

3...THINGS TO KNOW

-A.J. Brown is only eight receiving yards short of Mike Quick’s single-season franchise record of 1,409 in 1983.

-Brown’s running mate at WR, DeVonta Smith matched the franchise record for receptions by a receiver with 88 and will set a new standard with his first catch against the Giants.

-Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave has 11 sacks, just one-half sack shy of Andy Harmon (11.5 in 1993) for the most by an interior defensive lineman in team history. As a whole, the Philadelphia defense has 68 sacks, four short of the NFL record 72 by the 1984 Chicago Bears.

2...X-FACTORS

For the Giants: Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka - The former Eagles backup QB has turned into one of the most highly-regarded young coaches in the NFL and is on the fast track for a head coaching job after interning under Andy Reid and now Daboll. Upsetting the Eagles in this situation with a good offensive game may put Kafka at the front of the line.

For the Eagles: RB Kenny Gainwell - With Hurts likely being limited in the run game and Miles Sanders still dealing with a balky knee, Gainwell may have to step up. The second-year player has had a disappointing season as a whole but has started to show some juice in recent weeks.

1... PREDICTIONS

John McMullen (13-3, 5-11 vs. the spread) - There's so much uncertainty when it comes to Eagles-Giants in Week 18, starting with Hurts' availability. The bigger issue, however, is will the Giants even try to play spoiler.

Even at full strength, though, the Giants roster isn't equipped to deal with a Hurts-led Philadelphia team. This is very similar to last season when the Eagles were locked into the No. 7 seed and decided to mail it in, resulting in a blowout loss to Dallas before the one-and-done in Tampa.

The Eagles would have liked to take care of business with Minshew and were unable to do so over the past two weeks but this is a nice safety net and with an opponent already thinking about a banged-up Minnesota team come wild-card weekend, something that will result in a division crown for the Eagles and the NFC's path going through Lincoln Finacial Field.

EAGLES 33, GIANTS 16

Ed Kracz (13-3. 8-8 vs. the spread) -The Eagles haven't beaten an NFC East team in the rematch game yet this season, losing to the Commanders in Cowboys in Round Two games.

This one is different in only that the Eagles are desperate and will play desperate knowing their season hinges on winning the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and it won't matter who the Giants do or don't run out there.

EAGLES 27, GIANTS 20

--John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7” and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

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