Should Giants Sit Starters vs. Eagles?

We look at both sides of the argument--and anticipate what head coach Brian Daboll will likely do.

The New York Giants are guaranteed the sixth spot in the NFC playoffs. Neither a win nor a loss against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday will change that.

That, of course, brings up questions as to whether head coach Brian Daboll should hold his starters out of Sunday's game or if he should keep the pedal to the medal and try to spoil the Eagles' quest for home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

Daboll, predictably, said no decision has been made yet. "It's early Monday out there. Try to have a good week of practice, prepare like we normally do, and then decide what we wanna do relative to who's playing, who's not playing--whatever we think is best for our team."

The last time the Giants were in this situation was in 2007 when then-head coach Tom Coughlin famously decided to play his starters in a meaningless game against the then-undefeated New England Patriots n the 2007 regular-season finale.

The Giants lost that game by a field goal, but they gained valuable insight into a potential opponent they would eventually see again on a much bigger stage. They also built up the confidence in knowing that they could stand toe-to-toe with the best team in football at the time, and they escaped that game injury free.

The Eagles aren't perfect as the Patriots were back then, but they're still one of the best teams in football. In the first meeting with the Eagles, the Giants were no competition, suffering their worst loss of the season.

But that was then, and this is now. The Giants have been playing better football of late, winning two of their last three, the one loss in that span (against the Vikings) coming on a walk-off field goal.

Besides wanting to settle a score with a heated division rival, does anyone think for a moment that the Giants don't want another chance at the Eagles, that they wouldn't secretly like to ensure that the road to the NFC title doesn't flow through Philadelphia and that if they have to see the Eagles a third time--admittedly a long shot, but still a possibility so long as both teams are alive in the postseason--they're ready for them?

Those, of course, are arguments for playing the starters. The most obvious one against playing the starters is the injury factor risk. Quarterback Daniel Jones, for example, took a lot of shots when running the ball against the Colts. You don't think for a moment the Eagles aren't going to come after Jones and his teammates just as hard, if not even harder, given the history between these two teams?

That said, Daboll can't coach scared, but he can coach smart, which he's done for most of the year. There needs to be a middle ground in which the starters who are "healthy" get some snaps in, while being more careful with those who are nursing fresher injuries (Leonard Williams and Azeez Ojulari, for example).

If the game ends up a blowout by halftime or the end of the third quarter, then be smart and pull guys out. What harm would it do anyway to empty the bench and see what you have at that point in terms of your backups whom you might need to call upon in the playoffs?

"This is a humbling league," he said. "You're always grateful for the opportunity to participate in the postseason. I'd say you've put the work and time and effort and energy into it, and when you get a spot, that doesn't change the things that helped you get to where you're at. You just dial back in and go back to doing things that matter most."

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