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The reality is that Sunday is a playoff game for the Eagles. They must approach their must-win tilt against the Giants with that attitude.
On the other sideline, New York is going on the offensive and trying to play the role of spoiler. The team can’t make the postseason at 4-11, but they can help knock Philadelphia out of the playoff picture.
Remember, if the Eagles lose to the Giants then they will need the Redskins to beat the Cowboys to have any shot. The Giants know what’s at stake — and they plan to keep their foot on the gas.
Veteran safety Antoine Bethea came out and said what everyone in the Giants’ locker room was thinking. Let’s send those guys home, or to the closest golf course.
“We want to play spoiler,” Bethea told SNY NY. “We want to send them home. We’re not going to the playoffs, so we definitely want to get this dub and knock them out.”
The Giants will surely feature lead back Saquon Barkley in this one. The reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year has been slowed by injury this year but he’s coming off his best game after running wild for a career-high 279 all-purpose yards last week.
Barkley now has 1,324 yards from scrimmage this season, including 911 yards on the ground, in 12 games. The Eagles know what a challenge the second-year running back presents.
“Saquon Barkley,” Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox said. “Nobody’s harder to tackle than Saquon.”
Eagles Defense Readies for Challenge of Saquon Barkley
Saquon Barkley may be having a “down” year by his insanely high standards. Don’t let the stats fool you.
The Eagles held Barkley to just 69 total yards when these two teams met three weeks ago. Of course, the Penn State product had 231 yards on 26 carries in two meetings against Philadelphia last year.
The Giants will likely feed Barkley like a Great White shark — early and often and with no regard for anyone’s safety. The Eagles know they need to key in on stopping him, especially in the screen game.
“He [Barkley] is a guy that if you give him an inch, he can go the distance. I think you saw that,” Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said of Barkley’s big game versus Washington. “He caught a wide receiver screen, did a seam route out of the backfield, made some of those big plays. He has that ability. I think he has had that ability all season long.”
Barkley has been dealing with a high ankle sprain all season and missed four weeks. It’s essentially the same injury that Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson has been fighting for three weeks. Injury or not, the 22-year-old has fresh legs and serves as the Giants’ No. 1 offensive threat.
Meanwhile, the Eagles boast the NFL’s third-best run defense allowing 88 yards per game. It’s something they excelled at last week versus the Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott. As Malcolm Jenkins’ said: “Your run defense is a direct reflection of your manhood.” Barkley’s ability to slash and cut on a dime makes him even tougher to contain.
“He [Barkley] is a guy you always need to know where he is, you need to account for him both in the run game and pass game,” Schwartz said. “And in the run game, you have to account for all of your gaps. He is a guy that can spin. He is a really good spin move guy and can break contain, so it’s not just your interior guys. Your edges have to hold up well against him.”
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