New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals Top Defenses to Sit in Week 18

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So, we got one more week. The regular season ends this week and the playoffs start next weekend. Several games will feature some dramatic endings as they have playoff implications. San Francisco and Seattle play on Saturday night with the winner getting the top seed in the NFC. Carolina and Tampa Bay battle also for the NFC South title. Well, maybe.
Alright last week saw Detroit lay an egg. The New York Jets were abysmal again and the Raiders were well, the Raiders. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings contined their surges and left some defenses downright bewildered. .
The good news is that there are no Thursday or Monday games. We have two games on Saturday and the rest on Sunday. That is it!
New York Giants (vs Dallas Cowboys)
One could truly make the case to sit both defenses here. Dallas is 32nd in points allowed and the New York Giants allowed 40 points to this team earlier in the season. New York is dead last in yards per carry against the run. It will not matter who is running for Dallas, they will gain yards. Worse for New York, Dak Prescott leads the league with a shade under 4,500 yards through the air.
Dallas has won nine straight games versus New York and 16 of the past 17 tilts. The thought process is no one from either side will be "rested" in this one. Division rivalry games are like that. Expect a good deal of offense and the potential that both teams could top the 30 point mark once again.
In our case, we are saying to sit the Giants given their struggles against Dak Prescott and company on Sunday.
Arizona Cardinals (@ Los Angeles Rams)
The Los Angeles Rams are going to play their starters for this one. Now, that has to be a dagger to the hearts of Arizona. When these two teams met last, the Rams nearly put 50 points on the board. There is a chance Los Angeles could score 40 or something high once again. After all, Arizona is 29th in points allowed at 451.
Big catch for the big man ‼️
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 28, 2025
📺: #ARIvsCIN on FOX pic.twitter.com/dmvTg389Qx
Three of the past four games have seen the Cardinals give up 399 yards or more. It got so bad last week that Joe Burrow was flipping passes to an offensive linesman. The Rams did virtually whatever they wanted in meeting number one. Honestly, it feels like it won't be much different this time around.
Washington Commanders (@ Philadelphia Eagles)
The Philadelphia Eagles potentially have the 2 seed to play for. Jalen Hurts and the Eagles clinched the division a couple weeks ago. Now, Philadelphia has the top offense inside the red zone converting touchdowns at a 70.7% rate. The Commanders defense does not cause many turnovers and only has two fumbles on the season.
Washington has given up 27 or more points in six of their previous eight contests. Philadelphia scored 29 in Washington during meeting number one. Jalen Hurts will likely play most of this game. Again, there may be some scoreboard watching.
That two point conversion from the first meeting irked Dan Quinn and company. Honestly, it should be the least of their worries. Remember in the NFC Championship, the Eagles put up 55 points. No one is suggesting this could happen again but the Eagles want to make a statement. Look out!
