The battle of the NFC East continues. This Saturday, January 21, the Philadelphia Eagles will host the New York Giants as both look for a win in the Divisional Round of the 2022-2023 playoffs.
Last weekend, the Giants played one of their best games, beating the Minnesota Vikings 31-24 in the Wild Card Round. The Eagles, however, had the bye week after achieving the No. 1 seed. With a 14-3 record, Philadelphia has successfully beaten New York twice already this season. The million dollar question this time is, can they do it again?
EAGLES VS GIANTS – Playoffs Divisional Round
Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts is back, baby. After missing two consecutive weeks with a shoulder injury, then playing in Week 18 before he was fully recovered, Hurts needed the extra time to heal. This week, the quarterback was officially taken off the injury report, and will make his second playoff appearance.
Tight end Dallas Goedert will be a perfect target for Hurts’ quick throws, as well as the wide receiver duo who have broken the receiving yard (A.J. Brown) and reception (DeVonta Smith) records. In addition to Miles Sanders, who has played a career-best, Philadelphia will also utilize Boston Scott. Scott, who is known as the “Giants Killer” has made ten of his 18 touchdowns against New York.
Defensively, the Eagles have become one of the best in the league, leading in pass defense (179.8 yards per game). They also rank second in total defense (301.5), and have four players who have finished the regular-season with 10+ sacks.
New York Giants
The Giants have waxed and waned throughout the 2022 season. Starting off strong, mid-season New York took a dip and many wondered if they would make it to the playoffs, but here they are. Last week, Daniel Jones became the first quarterback in NFL history to have 300 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and 70+ rushing yards in a playoff game.
Jones’ relationship on the field with Saquon Barkley, Isaiah Hodgins, and Darius Slayton was ideal. And, when it comes to playing on the ground, New York ranks fourth in the league. Their downfall is their defense, ranking 18th, and giving up 21.8 points per game.
DIVISIONAL ROUND PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS
The good news for both teams is that their injury list will be bare.
Philadelphia has already beaten New York twice this season, and many fans are under the impression that it’s impossible to beat someone three times. However, the opposite it true. Between 1994 to 2021, all teams that beat an opponent twice went on to win a third time 10 out of 15 times.
History has also shown that the Eagles have beaten the Giants in 15 of their last 18 games. In fact, the last time the Giants were victorious at Lincoln Financial Field was ten years ago.
Philadelphia’s love for the underdog stops here. The Eagles will take the win, moving to the Conference Championship Game. Kickoff begins at 8:15 PM on Saturday, January 21.
Prediction: Eagles 27-17
