NEW YORK GIANTS (5-9) at PHILADELPHIA (10-4)
Monday, 4:30 p.m., FOX
OPENING LINE: Eagles by 11 ½, according to FanDuel SportsBook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: New York 5-9; Philadelphia 6-5-3
SERIES RECORD: Eagles lead 89-85-2
LAST MEETING: On Jan. 21, 2023, the Eagles routed the Giants 38-7 in an NFC divisional round playoff game.
LAST WEEK: Giants lost at New Orleans, 24-6; Eagles were defeated at Seattle, 20-17
EAGLES OFFENSE: OVERALL (9), RUSH (8), PASS (16), SCORING (7).
EAGLES DEFENSE: OVERALL (22), RUSH (7), PASS (28), SCORING (26).
GIANTS OFFENSE: OVERALL (31), RUSH (15), PASS (32), SCORING (31).
GIANTS DEFENSE: OVERALL (24), RUSH (29), PASS (19), SCORING (25).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Giants plus-6; Eagles minus-6.
EAGLES PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Jalen Hurts threw two late interceptions at Seattle, finishing 17 of 31 for 143 yards and no touchdowns through the air. Hurts tossed a pick on a deep ball intended for Quez Watkins with 8:08 remaining and the game-clinching INT by Julian Love on a long throw to A.J. Brown in the final seconds. Afterward, Hurts, who traveled separately from the team to the game because he was sick, said the Eagles weren’t committed enough and singled himself out. Hurts and Philadelphia’s offense surely will be looking to get back on track against the Giants.
KEY MATCHUP: Giants offensive line vs. Eagles defensive line. One of Philadelphia’s strengths for much of the season has been its pressure from the front four, as the Eagles are fourth in the NFL with 224 pass pressures. However, the Eagles have not been getting the push up front they’ve been accustomed to during their losing streak. New York surrendered seven sacks against the Saints, and Philadelphia surely will be looking for a similar performance against undrafted rookie QB Tommy DeVito.
KEY INJURIES: Giants K Randy Bullock (hamstring) departed in the Saints game. Coach Brian Daboll is not expecting Bullock to play and expects to replace him with Cade York. P Jamie Gillan got hurt filling in for Bullock against New Orleans, and his status against Philadelphia is uncertain. RT Evan Neal (ankle) has missed five consecutive games. LG Justin Pugh (calf) played against the Saints but was limited. Pugh is expected to play against Philadelphia. DL Dexter Lawrence (hamstring) was not a participant in the Giants’ early week practices. New York opened the practice window this week on injured OL Matt Peart (shoulder) and RB Gary Brightwell (hamstring). Eagles G Landon Dickerson (thumb) reportedly had surgery on Wednesday. His status for Monday is uncertain.
SERIES NOTES: Philadelphia has won four in a row against the Giants, including last season’s playoff win. Hurts was 16 of 24 for 154 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a score.
STATS AND STUFF: Giants: DeVito will be making his eighth appearance and sixth start. He completed 20 of 34 passes for 177 yards without a TD against the Saints and is 103 for 160 (64.4%) for 1,032 yards this season. … New York didn’t score a TD against the Saints and have gone four games without a touchdown this season. … DL A’Shawn Robinson had eight tackles against New Orleans. … The Giants are still mathematically alive for a playoff berth but need to win out and get a lot of help. New York plays at the Rams on Dec. 31 before hosting the Eagles to finish the regular season. … Converted 2 of 16 third downs against the Saints. … This is New York’s first Christmas day game. … RB Saquon Barkley had nine rushes for just 14 yards versus New Orleans, and the Giants ended with just 60 yards on the ground. Eagles: RB D’Andre Swift rushed 18 times for 74 yards against Seattle. Swift’s 896 yards on the ground are a career high and fifth in the NFL. … Wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith each caught five passes vs Seattle, with Brown going for 56 yards and Smith 50. Brown is second in the league with 1,314 receiving yards. … Hurts is second in the NFL with 33 total touchdowns and needs three more to break the franchise record. Hurts (in 2022) and Randall Cunningham (1990) share the team record with 35 TDs in a season.
FANTASY TIP: Philadelphia backup RB Boston Scott would be a great pickup this week. In nine career games against the Giants, including last season’s postseason contest, he has rushed for 446 yards and 10 touchdowns on 92 attempts. In 70 games, including playoffs, against the rest of the NFL, Scott has 228 rushing attempts for 961 yards and nine TDs.
