Eagles beat writers make their predictions for Giants game in Week 18

The Eagles visit the New York Giants on Sunday. Here are our beat writers’ game predictions.

The Eagles could have both something and nothing to play for in this season finale. In the case of the former, a victory coupled with a Dallas Cowboys loss at the Commanders would give them the NFC East crown, a No. 2 seed, and home field through the first two rounds of the playoffs. But a win — no matter the outcome in Landover, Md. — could also stop some of the hemorrhaging from the last five weeks and give Nick Sirianni’s team some momentum heading into the postseason. Style points matter, of course, as the Eagles saw just two weeks ago when they nearly coughed up a 20-3 halftime lead to the Giants. But there’s something to be gained from Sirianni’s playing his starters straight through — assuming the end result is a workmanlike triumph over a 5.5-point underdog.

There is a gamble in playing it straight, though. Injuries are always a potential cost. And the Eagles aren’t exactly playing confidently enough to presume victory. A fifth loss in the last six games would be worse than limping into the playoffs. It might even compel Las Vegas into making whatever mediocre NFC South team that wins its division be the home favorite against the Eagles. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The guess here is that Sirianni opens the game with his first unit and if word comes at halftime that Dallas is up, he’ll sit quarterback Jalen Hurts and other key starters.

The offense doesn’t have as much to work on as the defense. There have been some positive signs recently in the execution both on the ground and in the air. The Eagles just didn’t have enough plays against the Arizona Cardinals and it wasn’t until the conservative play-calling after the onside kick that it started to fall apart. Hurts played some of his best football in the first half and didn’t even log a carry. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith is out with an ankle injury. But getting Julio Jones more involved last week could hint at what he’s still capable of achieving as a flanker. The Eagles scored 33 points and gained 465 total yards in the first meeting with the Giants. If it wasn’t for three plays — two that could be called flukey — they should have won in a romp.

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But the Giants looked much different with Tyrod Taylor at quarterback once Tommy DeVito was benched at the half. He not only sparked their listless pass offense, but he gave the Eagles fits with his scrambling ability. He had several long runs last week in a close loss vs. the Los Angeles Rams. He might have been running for his life — Taylor was also sacked six times by L.A. — but Matt Patricia has to remind some of his rushers to play contain. It may be tempting to pin back the ears considering the Giants are on pace to allow the most sacks per pass in at least the last 30 years. The Eagles somehow managed only one sack two weeks ago. But they have to find a way back to playing sound defense.

Last week was a disaster. The Eagles had some rough performances with Sean Desai in charge, but they mostly came against teams headed to the playoffs. Arizona isn’t headed anywhere and yet Patricia’s unit looked completely unprepared and overmatched. It was a defensive low point. And, frankly, I’m not sure the defense can pull itself out of the hole, especially with the new de facto coordinator still running some of Desai’s scheme while trying to implement some of his own concepts.

It’s tough to predict a game in which one team may not end up playing at full strength, but I’ll hold my nose and pick the Birds. A win here may not matter in terms of their seeding, but it could in terms of their dwindling chances in the postseason.

Prediction: Eagles 31, Giants 24

The last five weeks have revealed that there are no easy games for the Eagles anymore.

A trip to MetLife Stadium to play the 5-11 Giants just before they head off to vacation would seem like one, but this game still feels hard to pin down. The Eagles seem to be pressing, while the Giants have nothing to lose.

An early Eagles lead could get some Giants players thinking ahead to their flight itineraries, but the Eagles’ scoreboard watching of the Cowboys-Commanders game could lead to their waving the white flag to save starters for the playoffs.

Considering the state of the Eagles defense, the Giants should be able to put up points. They managed nearly 400 total yards against the Rams last week with Taylor under center and the Rams are six spots higher than the Eagles in defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA).

The Eagles’ pass rush will once again get a golden opportunity against a shaky Giants offensive line that has conceded the most sacks in the NFL, but the defense’s one-sack performance from the 33-25 win two weeks ago is hard to forget.

The blitz-heavy approach Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is partial to will likely continue. Without Smith, A.J. Brown could have a productive evening catching quick passes either on screens or underneath routes when the Giants send extra rushers.

As long as the Eagles avoid the turnovers that plagued them in Week 16, they should be able to finish the regular season with a convincing victory. If the Cowboys get out to an early lead against a Commanders team resting starters in hopes of maintaining draft position, they’ll render the Eagles’ game meaningless. If that’s the case and the Eagles turn their focus toward keeping key veterans off the wet, low-quality MetLife turf, the score could stay closer.

Prediction: Eagles 24, Giants 17

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This is a tricky prediction to make given the seeding implications surrounding this game. The Eagles no longer control their own destiny in the NFC East, as the Dallas Cowboys usurped that power when the Eagles lost to the Cardinals last week. Now, if the Cowboys win their final game of the season against the Washington Commanders, they’ll secure that No. 1 seed in the division.

But if the Cowboys lose, the Eagles can earn that top seed with a win against the Giants. Sirianni said Monday that sitting players is a “consideration,” but he also said that they’re “going to do whatever [they] need to do to win this game.” Of course, they wouldn’t be able to sit everybody. In my opinion, the Eagles would be foolish to let the chance of securing the top seed in the division slip away because they think that the Cowboys’ beating the Commanders is a given, so I would imagine that the starters will play a decent amount against the Giants.

So, operating under the assumption that the Eagles will play their starters for the bulk of the game, who wins? The Eagles defense is coming off an ugly performance against the Cardinals, particularly in the run game, where they allowed 221 rushing yards and a touchdown on 40 carries. Their personnel deficiencies among their inside linebacking corps are undeniable. Now, they get to face another talented running back in Saquon Barkley and, granted, an offensive line inferior to that of the Cardinals. I think the potential to get Zach Cunningham (knee) back for the first time in three weeks could benefit the middle-of-the-field defense, which is an indictment of the inside- linebackers group this season, considering that general manager Howie Roseman signed him off the street during training camp.

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The last time the Eagles faced the Giants, Hurts and the pass protection did a decent job handling their infamous blitz. But a wacky interception thrown while targeting Dallas Goedert, who slipped, and nine penalties for 65 yards nearly derailed a victory. If the Eagles can cut down on the penalties and the mistakes, which they did against the Cardinals, they’re going to make this rematch against the Giants much easier.

The Eagles have one more chance to build up momentum heading into the playoffs. I think they’ll come out on top, but maybe not convincingly enough to completely restore the good vibes.

Prediction: Eagles 31, Giants 29

The Eagles won’t be at full strength for the regular-season finale. Smith will miss the first game of his career after he was sidelined for all three of the team’s practices. His injury occurred on a bizarre play call, in which Smith served as the lead blocker for a Kenneth Gainwell bubble screen on third-and-long during the fourth quarter of last week’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

The Eagles are still plenty talented enough to overcome Smith’s absence. With the postseason in mind, the coaching staff likely will be monitoring reps for most of the starters. Martindale has shown a tendency to send extra rushers. Will Hurts and Co. be ready to counter the blitz-heavy scheme? Hot reads and underneath completions might be Hurts’ route to success, but the Eagles also would be wise to incorporate a high frequency of the run game. During the last meeting between these two teams, running back Boston Scott, the known “Giant killer,” did not score a touchdown against New York for the first time since Oct. 22, 2020. Swift, a first-time Pro Bowler, already has logged a career-high 630 snaps.

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Defensively, there are many lingering problems. Is there still enough time to shore up the unit ahead of the playoffs? The secondary has struggled most of the season, although veteran Darius Slay seems to be on the mend, although he won’t play Sunday, and nickel cornerback Avonte Maddox will benefit with another game under his belt after his return from a torn pectoral muscle that sidelined him for most of the season. At linebacker, the Eagles also will benefit from Cunningham’s return. The position has gone through plenty of patchwork throughout the year, and the middle level will continue to be attacked by opposing defenses until the Eagles prove they’re capable of stopping the threat. Last month – the Eagles went 1-4 in December – should serve as a clear signal to Roseman that defense needs to be a top priority in the offseason.

Commanders players and coaches won’t say it out loud, but the franchise is looking to maintain its top-3 draft pick with a loss to the Cowboys. There will be Eagles officials tuned into both games, but since they no longer control their own destiny, there’s not much the Eagles can do to improve their playoff stock at this point. Finishing off the regular season with a needed victory might serve as a morale boost, but one question remains: Can this team compete with the conference’s top seeds?

Prediction: Eagles 24, Giants 21

The Eagles will visit the New York Giants in the regular-season finale on Sunday. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.