McKee Time

The Eagles wrap up the regular season on Sunday when they take on the Giants. There have been some amazing games and moments in this long rivalry. Sunday won’t likely be joining that list. The field will be full of backups for both teams.

Tanner McKee will get the start for the Eagles. I’m excited to see what McKee can do, but we need to be realistic as well. He won’t have the starting OL blocking for him. He won’t be handing the ball to Saquon Barkley. He won’t be throwing to AJ and DeVonta. On the flip side, the Giants defense stinks. They have given up at least 33 points in each of the last three games.

McKee has played well in the preseason when he’s surrounded by second and third string players so there is a chance he’ll still play well. He is a smart, calm QB. He’s got a good arm and isn’t scared to make tough throws and take chances. McKee should make the players around him better.

I’m curious to see how the WRs do. We’ll see a lot of Jahan Dotson, Johnny Wilson and Ainias Smith. All three have done very little this season in the passing game. McKee won’t go into the game expecting to feed the ball to a specific player. He’ll find the open guy and get him the ball. That means all three have a chance to make plays.

It will be good to get a look at some backup OL. We’ve seen Fred Johnson and Tyler Steen. We could see Trevor Keegan and/or Darrian Kinnard on Sunday. There will be ups and downs, but the experience can be helpful for players who have been watching instead of playing this season.

I hope Bryce Huff gets a good amount of reps on Sunday. He needs to shake off some rust. Huff could be a helpful backup in the playoffs. It will be good to see Jeremiah Trotter play for a whole game. Kelee Ringo will get a good test when he covers Malik Nabers. I hope Eli Ricks gets a chance to play. He’s barely been on the field this year after showing some promise last season.

The Eagles activated TE Dallas Goedert from IR.

They elevated LB Dallas Gant and DE Charles Harris for the game, too.

— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) January 4, 2025

Are you ready to see Charles Harris play a lot? The Eagles will use Jalyx Hunt, but need him for the playoffs so Harris should play a lot of snaps. Gant will likely play a lot on STs.

The Giants had lost 10 games in a row going into last week. They ended that misery with a 45-33 win over the Colts. QB Drew Lock put up some amazing numbers and was lights out. Was that an anomaly? Were the Giants inspired to win to save Brian Daboll’s job? Did they get special help from the drones in NJ?

The season finale can be a weird game, for all teams. Teams heading into the postseason aren’t always focused on the game. Eliminated teams can either be fired up to finish the season on a good note or they can already have one foot out the door and play bad football. I have no idea what to expect from this Giants team.

The Eagles backups have to be excited about getting to play. That enthusiasm will help the young guys. At the same time, they haven’t played together in a meaningful game so there are going to be some bad moments. Let’s hope they stay healthy and give us some fun moments.

*****

If you do need a bad, but still fun Eagles-Giants moment, you can always go back a couple of decades.

Chris Berman is hilarous on those highlights. He and Tom Jackson made for a great highlight show. I miss watching those guys. Berman still does highlights, but it isn’t the same as NFL Prime Time when it was on live and everyone tuned in. That was must-see TV on Sunday nights.

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