Eagles Week 17 Preview: Win & In

Eagles Week 17 Preview: Win & In

Sunday, December 29 at MetLife Stadium, Eagles 4-point favorites (Bovada)

After taking sole possession of the top spot in the NFC East last week, all Philadelphia needs to do is complete the season sweep of the Giants for a spot in the NFC playoffs.

Injury Report:

OUT:

Philadelphia: WR Nelson Agholor (knee), TE Zach Ertz (ribs, back)

New York: TE Rhett Ellison (concussion), T Mike Remmers (concussion), TE Scott Simonson (concussion)

QUESTIONABLE:

Philadelphia: T Lane Johnson (ankle), CB Jalen Mills (ankle)

New York: CB Corey Ballentine (back), CB Sam Beal (shoulder), LB Alec Ogletree (back)

After being made a sacrifice by an errant Carson Wentz throw, Ertz will miss Sunday’s game as a precautionary measure. The hope is that Dallas Goedert continues his strong play in place of Ertz this week. Nelson Agholor remains nonexistent and will miss yet another week. He still hasn’t been placed on IR so maybe there’s a chance he returns. In better news, Jordan Howard finally returns from the shoulder injury that caused him to miss six weeks. As is customary for players that are just returning, he will see a lighter role than he’s used to. Luckily for the Eagles, Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate Miles Sanders is playing lights-out. The Giants are dealing with a trio of concussed players including starting right tackle Mike Remmers. 

Analysis:

We already know how much this game means to the Eagles, but how about New York? After winning last week and effectively losing any shot at drafting Ohio State’s Chase Young, the Giants are motivated to play spoiler this week. Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley are both coming off of ridiculous performances and could spell nightmare for Philadelphia if they continue.

The Eagles defense played exceptionally last week, but the inconsistency of this unit scares me. Will the unit that made Russell Wilson look pedestrian show up or will the unit that made Eli Manning look rejuvenated for 30 minutes show up? The Eagles have proven over the last few years that they can motivate themselves and play better with their backs against the wall, so history says they’re trending towards a performance like last year’s Week 17 shutout of the Washington Redskins. Of course, nothing is actually that simple.

One good trend for the Eagles is that they’ve seemed to have broken the curse of the NFC East running backs. Ezekiel Elliott and Saquon Barkley were the two backs who always had their way with Philadelphia, but the Eagles shut them both down in a three-week span. Barkley had his best game of the season last week against Washington (279 total yards and two scores), but is that because he finally hit his stride or because he was playing the same Redskins defense that allowed Miles Sanders to put himself on the map? Regardless of what it is, the Eagles must key in on him in both the running game and the passing game. 

If the Eagles shut down Barkley, they go a long way towards winning this game. Daniel Jones isn’t going to throw for five touchdowns again, and taking away his safety blanket in Saquon (especially with him missing a few tight ends) will force him into erratic decisions. Also with starting RT Mike Remmers out, Brandon Graham can take full advantage and harass Daniel Jones all game. 

The Giants are severely shorthanded in the secondary, and I actually think the Eagles receiving core can take advantage. Carson Wentz has raised his level of play as the season has gone on, and I trust him to deliver once again. Miles Sanders and a hopefully okay Jordan Howard should provide a formidable one-two punch as we saw in the Packers game earlier this season. The Eagles have been much better when they run the ball effectively, and the Giants front isn’t exactly a scary unit.

All in all, as long as Philadelphia doesn’t let their guard down, their season shouldn’t end here. After pulling out a statement win last week against a bitter rival, it would be a letdown of epic proportions if they fell to New York on Sunday. It’s time to host a playoff game.

Prediction: Eagles 27, Giants 16

-By: Micah Jimoh

Writer/Interviewer