The New York Giants face off against the Philadelphia Eagles down in Philly this coming Sunday afternoon but many don’t expect to see starters play in the season finale.
From the Giants’ side, that is.
The game is meaningless to the 9-6-1 Giants, who clinched a playoff spot this past Sunday. They are locked into the sixth seed in the NFC Playoffs and cannot better or worsen their position.
The Eagles (13-3) are currently the top seed in the NFC, but nothing is guaranteed for them.
Philadelphia must win — or Dallas must lose — for the Eagles to win the division crown. In order to gain the top seed in the NFC and the bye, all the Eagles have to do is beat the Giants on Sunday. If they lose, they will need both Dallas and San Francisco to lose in order to win the top seed.
Giants head coach Brain Daboll was asked on Monday what his strategy will be when it comes to playing his starters this week against the Eagles.
“I’d say we’ll talk about it and do what’s best for the team. So, it’s early Monday. We’ll go out there and try to have a good week of practice, prepare like we normally do and decide what we want to do relative to who’s playing, who’s not playing. Whatever we think is best for our team, that’s what we’ll end up doing,” Daboll said.
It’s a slippery slope, sitting starters before the playoffs. Over time we’ve seen the strategy both pay off and backfire. The Giants have been ravaged by injuries all season and many players could use a week off rather than risk further injury by playing in a meaningless game.
Daboll said he would confer with general manager Joe Schoen on which direction they’ll take but it won’t come until later in the week. Since the Giants are traveling a short distance to play, they’re got a bit more time.
“Joe and I will have some conversations, talk to the coaches. I don’t think we need to make that decision right now. So again, we’ll do whatever we think is best for our guys and our team come this week,” Daboll added.
