Gameday – PHI at NYG

Posted: December 11th, 2022 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Gameday – PHI at NYG

There was some speculation that Saquon Barkley might miss today’s game due to a neck injury. Coach Brian Daboll confirmed this morning that Barkley will be active. That should come as a shock to no one.

Barkley practiced the last two days and this is a critical game for the Giants. The only way he would miss this is if there was no way he could go. Here is a nugget from ESPN showing the importance of this game for the Giants.

What’s at stake: The Eagles can clinch a playoff berth with a win or tie. But even if they lose, they can clinch this week with losses from the 49ers and Seahawks. ESPN’s FPI says they also have a 71% chance to land the conference’s top seed, and it would climb to 79% with a win (or fall to 48% with a loss). The Giants, meanwhile, have a 58% chance to make the playoffs, but that jumps to 78% if they can beat Philadelphia.

We know about Barkley, but what about others?

The big news is the return of Avonte Maddox. Josiah Scott did some good things in his absence, but Maddox is the better player. It will be good to get him back on the field in a key divisional game.

Shaun Bradley is out so Christian Elliss will be needed on STs. Elliss played well last week on STs and even defense. I’m curious to see if he can have another good showing on STs. The unit has needed some juice. Elliss is big, physical and plays full speed. That’s exactly what you want in a STs player.

No Leonard Williams today. That will hurt the Giants defense.

The Eagles are the more talented team and the healthier team. Before you count on a win, remember this is a rivalry game and weird stuff can happen.

There are a couple of X-factors for today.

Boston Scott always seems to come up big against the Giants.

With their run defense struggling, maybe Scott will get those extra touches. A good day from Miles Sanders will put him over 1,000 yards for the season. Hopefully the RBs get a lot of work.

Rain could be an issue. Nothing too heavy, but any rain can affect things a bit.

Shutting down Barkley will be key today. Controlling Daniel Jones will also be important. QBs who can run are always dangerous. They can make off-schedule plays. It will be interesting to see how the Eagles deal with him. Do they spy Jones? Do they play a lot of zone so the back seven is watching him? Do they mush rush?

I’m not looking for any miracles today, just another good game from the Eagles.

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