Why the Giants Will Beat the Eagles, Why They Won't, and a Prediction
Life can be cruel sometimes to sports fans. Just ask the New York Giants fan base.
After an exciting 9-7-1 playoff season in 2022, expectations for 2023 were sky-high, further fueled by off-season moves made by general manager Joe Schoen in free agency, via trade and the draft.
But fate had other ideas for the Giants, who almost instantly out of the gate saw its 2023 future flash before their eyes en route to a 2-8 record thanks to a variety of circumstances, but mainly injuries and the team so badly regressing in areas that a year ago looked so promising. The result was that all hope and excitement for a continuation of head coach Brian Daboll's Coach of the Year campaign went down the drain.
And now? The end of the disappointing 2023 season is finally here, an end that will see the Giants host the Philadelphia Eagles, who need this game more than the Giants if they are to have any chance of winning the NFC East.
The Giants? Once the clock reads 0:00 in the fourth quarter, it's off to yet another long and cold off-season in which fans will wonder and wait to see what's in store as far as changes that will be made and if those changes will yet again raise the hopes and expectations of a fan base that with very few exceptions, hasn't had much to cheer about really since 2011.
So, for one final time in this forgettable 2023 season, let's look at both sides of the coin and deliver a final prediction.
Why the Giants Will Win
The best chance for the Giants to top the Eagles comes down to the defense and its ability to force turnovers. In one of the bright spots of a lost season, the Giant's +9 turnover differential rank ties them for fourth in the league with the Bengals.
According to Dan Salomone of Giants.com, in six games without forcing a turnover, the Giants have been outscored by 118 points, while in the five games they've recorded at least three takeaways, they've outscored opponents by one point.
The Eagles have had turnover issues as well. They have a -7 turnover differential this season, the third-worst mark by any team with at least 11 wins in the last 20 seasons.
Of course, for this to work in the Giants' favor, they have to convert the takeaways into points, something the Giants have struggled to do. Through 16 games this season, New York has converted 63 percent of their takeaways into points but only 52.9 percent into touchdowns.
Why the Giants Will Lose
As noted, the Eagles, who have already punched their ticket to the postseason, have a lot riding on this game. Philadelphia can still win the division title with a win over the Giants and a Cowboys loss to the Commanders.
While the odds don't favor Philadelphia becoming the first team in the NFC East to win back-to-back division titles since 2001-2004 (Eagles), Philadelphia figures to be amped up to extend its current winning streak over the Giants to six games.
The Giants? To their credit, they've played hard these last few weeks, even as their already slim playoff chances dwindled with each loss. And that's not expected to change this week, not with this potentially being the final game for receiver Sterling Shepard, the longest-tenured Giant on the roster, and perhaps even for running back Saquon Barkley, who faces an uncertain future with the team since his contract ends after this season is done.
But that's unlikely enough to push the Giants over the finish line. New York has proven all year long it's not good enough to overcome its mistakes, and to upset the Eagles, the banged-up Giants will have to play a perfect game, which, as we have seen all year long, just doesn't exist.
Prediction
For those who truly enjoy Giants football, win or lose, enjoy this one for as long as you can, even if it doesn't turn out how you might want it to. After all, it will be nine long months before the Giants take the field for another game that will count for the standings.
Eagles 23, Giants 17
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