Giants Expecting Hostile Environment Saturday Night

Don't expect the City of Brotherly Love to roll out the red carpet for the visiting New York Giants this weekend.

Philadelphia might be known as the City of Brotherly Love, but don't expect its sports fans to roll out the red carpet for visiting teams.

Such will be the case this Saturday when the New York Giants make their second trip in three weeks into South Philly, this time for a winner-takes-all playoff game against the No. 1 seeded Eagles.

The Giants, who upset the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card round last week, have exuded a quiet,m yet steady confidence these last few weeks, which has shown up in their ability to stay competitive in games down the stretch against playoff and non-playoff teams alike.

But when it comes to playing in Philadelphia, that has been something of a different experience for the Giants, who last won a game in Philadelphia on October 27, 2013, by a score of 15-7 and who are 2-2 against the Eagles in the postseason, their last such win coming in 1981 on a 27-21 win in the Wild Card Round.

The Giants, who have tried to be meticulous in their preparation football-wise, know by now to be ready for anything and everything when they set foot on the Eagles' home turf.

“Playing in Philadelphia? Electric," said defensive back, Julian Love. "Their fans are very passionate. They’re very into it. The team feeds off the crowd. It’s a city that loves their football team, for sure.”

Added left tackle Andrew Thomas, "Their crowd is brutal, and it helps when their team is as good as they are. We’re looking forward to it; it’s nothing but us against the world, so that’s the mentality that we have."

While all sports teams have their share of fanatics that let loose during games, the Eagles' home crowd has been incredibly rambunctious over the years. It famously booed Santa Claus in the final regular season game back in 1968. Some cheered when Cowboys Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin suffered a career-ending neck injury and had to be removed from the field on a stretcher.

Even reports of the old Veterans Stadium, where the Eagles played their home games before the opening of Lincoln Financial Field, their current home, having a jail and a courtroom on the premises to deal with fans arrested for unruly behavior, have been well-documented.

There have even been reports of fans harassing family members of the visiting teams.

"I know their fans are going to be out there, and I hope we travel well," said defensive tackle Dexter Lawerence, adding, "I told my mom she can’t come to the game because she’ll go back at them."

For quarterback Daniel Jones, who has been unflappable, the Philadelphia sports atmosphere is what it is.

"It’s a divisional game," he said. "I think that brings some intensity to it. They’re known for having a good crowd to support their team. We’re prepared for it; we’ve played there before."

With the stakes growing every week, the Giants can't spend too much time worrying about the kind of fan reception they'll get when they set foot on Lincoln Financial Field Saturday night because while the fans will be involved, the players know it's the guys wearing the green, white and black uniforms that they'll have to contend with.

"This week, we just have to be locked into this game," Love said. "We can’t let this moment –whatever round we’re in, the Divisional Round – to overcome anything else rather than us executing come Saturday. That’s the name of the game: executing, playing at a high level, and being mentally sharp physically sharp. And just treat this game like it is – Giants-Eagles: just another battle.”

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