Giants Country

New York Giants Open Week 18 as Road Underdogs vs Philadelphia

The Giants have one last game to play in 2024 and the oddsmakers will leave them as the underdog in the swan song. 

Stephen Lebitsch

Dec 29, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs off the field after win against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Dec 29, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs off the field after win against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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The New York Giants finally earned that long-awaited win to snap their 10-game losing streak and avoid going winless at MetLife Stadium in Week 17. 

The next objective is to snap an 11-game losing streak in road games against the Philadelphia Eagles, against whom they close out this disappointing 2024 regular season on Sunday. 

The odds makers don’t have much confidence in the Giants finally finding success against the Eagles, even with Philadelphia possibly playing mostly backups. 

According to FanDuel’s opening lines for Week 18 next weekend, the Giants will travel to the City of Brotherly Love as a 3.5-point underdog against the Birds, their friendliest underdog odds in the last month of the regular season after beating the 7.5-point status against the Colts last Sunday. 

It feels like a given that the Giants should be doubted against Philadelphia, even in a more competitive season. The Eagles have been the Giants’ Achilles heel for most of the last decade, winning 18 of the past 22 meetings between the divisional rivals and six of the last seven matchups (home and away). 

Philadelphia also slaughtered the Giants in their first meeting of the year back in Week 7 when Barkley officially returned to East Rutherford after leaving New York and signing with the hated divisional foe. 

Barkley ran all over his old squad for 176 yards and two touchdowns to power the Eagles to an easy 28-3 win that left a very sour taste in the Giants faithful, who didn’t want to see him go. 

This season finale rematch is slated to have much different circumstances for both sides. The Eagles have already locked up the NFC East division and the No. 2 spot in the NFC playoff picture, while the Giants are 3-13 and only have to worry about pride and their positioning on the 2025 draft board, where they’ve taken a small slide after beating Indianapolis. 

The only storyline that could matter to Philadelphia and Barkley might be helping the running back eclipse a long-held piece of NFL history, as the former No. 2 overall pick is just 101 yards shy of breaking the all-time single-season rushing record held by Eric Dickerson since the 1984 season. Barkley inched over the 2,000 mark with a 167-yard outing against Dallas at the ‘Linc, and it would be poetic justice for him to break the single-season rushing mark against his old team. 

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, whose squad wrapped up the NFC East last week, has not made a decision regarding his starters yet, but it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if Sirianni signs off on keeping his starters in so Barkley can break the record and, in the process, stick it to the Giants.

But will Barkley play along or take the high road against his former team that he once expressed a desire to be a member for life? 

Another question mark that also affects how the Eagles approach the game is the status of their quarterback room. 

Jalen Hurts left the team’s game in Week 16 with a concussion, which still has him on the protocol entering Week 18. Backup Kenny Pickett was also injured in the win over the Cowboys, leaving third-stringer Tanner McKee to finish the game. 

If the Eagles have to run out with McKee again on Sunday, it could open a portal through which New York can compete and steal their first win in Philadelphia since the 2013 season. 

That wouldn’t be the most desired outcome for the outside world, as the Giants have already fallen to the fourth pick after beating the Colts, but anything is possible in the final week of the regular season. 

As it stands, the Eagles have a lot of advantages over New York in terms of production. Their offense ranks eighth and sixth in total points and yards accumulated, respectively, and they hold opponents to one of the five lowest averages on the other side. 

Philadelphia can torch defenses in both phases, but their rushing offense takes the cake with Barkley in the backfield. The MVP candidate has the Eagles averaging the highest rushing yards per game and has led the charge to 28 total rushing touchdowns, juicing the team’s red zone scoring percentage of 57.6 percent, which ranks 13th in the NFL. 

The Eagles secondary has been suspect in some of the biggest games in recent seasons, and that was no closer to the truth than in Week 18 last year when the Giants piled on the points against them in a 27-10 win at MetLife Stadium. In 2024, they are still solid, with the second-fewest passing yards allowed and the lowest yards per play at 6.4 yards. 

Whether or not Barkley plays, the Giants will need to show some grit in the trenches if they want to slow down the Eagles’ effort and prevent another blowout that mirrors Week 7. The passing game could be softened with no real option at quarterback, and it could become a ground game with the tougher defense taking the winning spoils. 

The over/under points total for the contest is set at 38.5 points, which is a slight decrease from last week when the Giants smashed the 40.5 over/under prediction  with an offensive shootout, with the Colts, against whom they scored 45 to earn the win, 

Given that Philadelphia’s defense plays tougher, and the rivalry will fuel that, it might be tougher for the two sides to cover it lest one side have a surprising afternoon. The Eagles have covered the number in 11 games this season, while the Giants have done it in eight competitions.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Stephen Lebitsch
STEPHEN LEBITSCH

“Stephen Lebitsch is a graduate of Fordham University, Class of 2021, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communications (with a minor in Sports Journalism) and spent three years as a staff writer for The Fordham Ram. With his education and immense passion for the space, he is looking to transfer his knowledge and talents into a career in the sports media industry. Along with his work for the FanNation network and Giants Country, Stephen’s stops include Minute Media and Talking Points Sports.

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