The New York Giants (7-4-1) host the Philadelphia Eagles (11-1) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday in a key late-season divisional matchup.
Here are five storylines we’re following in Week 14.
A meaningful December game
The Giants’ goal before the season was to hopefully play meaningful football games come December. Well, here we are.
The Giants need to win to maintain their standing in the NFC Playoff picture. They are currently the sixth seed. They have not won since Week 7.
Philadelphia, the NFC’s top seed, can clinch a playoff berth with a victory or a tie on Sunday against the Giants or a San Francisco loss combined with a Seattle loss.
Saquon is hurt
The Giants’ success on offense has centered around running back Saquon Barkley this season. If they are to knock the Eagles off their perch, he will have to have a signature game.
That may not be in the cards, however. Barkley turned up on the injury report on Friday with a sore neck.
“Week 14, his neck’s a little sore, so (we) put him on the injury report,” head coach Brian Daboll on Friday. “I think it’s just a long season, sore, so (we’ll) see where he is today. Probably limited today again, too.”
Barkley is currently listed as questionable.
Stopping the Philly run game
The Eagles have averaged 190.3 yards per game on the ground the past three weeks, second only to Las Vegas over that span. They are led by quarterback Jalen Hurts and running backs Miles Sanders, Kenneth Gainwell, and Boston Scott.
Meanwhile, the Giants have been very lenient against the run, allowing 164.7 yards per game over their last three.
This is not a favorable matchup for Big Blue.
Where are the point going to come from?
The Eagles are second in the NFL in points per game (28.2). The Giants are averaging just 20.3 points per game this season.
The Giants have not scored more than 27 points in a game but have not scored less than 13. If they are going to win this game, they must find a way to put up points.
Or keep the Eagles out of the end zone. Philly is averaging 30.7 points per game over their last three, so that won’t be an easy task. The over/under is 44.5 points, so the oddsmakers are predicting a low-scoring affair.
Daniel Jones needs to shine -- now
The Giants are still waffling on whether Daniel Jones is their quarterback of the future. He can make a case for himself with a solid showing this week and an upset win.
Jones has not had what one would call an eye-popping year. He has passed for under 200 yards in eight of his 12 starts this season with 11 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
Jones can supplement his passing effort by strategically using his legs.
On the ground, Jones has been effective averaging 43.5 yards per game and 5.7 per attempt.
He needs to shine in this game to lock down any chance of a contract extension.
