As the 2023 NFL regular season nears its end, the Philadelphia Eagles will need to up their game for the final matchup against the New York Giants.
The team went through a 35-31 setback against the Arizona Cardinals in December. To win the NFC East and secure home-field advantage in the playoffs, the Eagles must clinch a win over the Giants on Sunday.
Not only that, the Eagles will also be relying on a stumble from the Dallas Cowboys in their matchup against the Washington Commanders. This is because the Eagles are now in a tie for first place in the NFC East with the Cowboys despite being in a favorable position for the No. 1 seed.
The Cowboys, who defeated the Detroit Lions on Saturday night, hold the tiebreaker based on the record against common opponents. With the San Francisco 49ers securing the No. 1 seed, the Eagles’ highest possible finish is as the No. 2 seed.
If the Eagles defeat the Giants and the Cowboys lose to the Commanders, the former will finish one game ahead and claim the tiebreaker. With the assumption that the Lions beat the Minnesota Vikings at home, the tiebreaker will be based on the higher winning percentage each team has against a shared opponent.
Alternatively, to win the NFC East and land the No. 3 seed, the Eagles must earn a tie with the Giants. The Cowboys will still need to be defeated by the Commanders, but this time, the Lions must beat the Vikings.
In the case of the Cowboys winning the NFC East, the Eagles will end up as the No. 5 seed and face the winner of the NFC South division.
Hurts’ elevated performance
The Eagles will be going in Sunday’s game with their prolific touchdown scorer Jalen Hurts as a starter quarterback. Hurts has been consistently stellar in recent games, with a career-high 15 rushing touchdowns.
In both last season’s playoff game and the Christmas Day matchup against the Giants, Philadelphia amassed 881 yards and scored 71 points. Notably, in the Christmas Day game, the Eagles successfully converted 10 of 17 attempts on third and fourth downs.
Excluding Hurts’ top prospect plays, there is a possibility that the Eagles may rest key players in the second half of the Week 18 clash against the Giants. This could be done if the Cowboys seem unlikely to lose to the Commanders, which is the only scenario for Philadelphia to improve from its current No. 5 seed.
Despite potential player rest, Hurts’ track record for finding the end zone and the success of the Brotherly Shove suggest that even one half of play is sufficient for him to score.
In the first meeting against the Giants on Christmas Day, Hurts scored one touchdown. He maintained an average of more than one rushing touchdown per game over the last seven contests, totaling eight during that period.
Many predict Hurts will likely add another touchdown before the regular season concludes. An extra TD will offer a crucial boost for the Eagles ahead of the postseason.
The Giants have yielded the seventh-most red-zone scoring attempts per home game (3.3) throughout the season, while Philadelphia ranks in the top half of the league with a 60.3 percent red-zone touchdown scoring percentage.