Saquon Barkley swapped his No. 26 jersey for a T-shirt celebrating his 2,000 rushing yards this season, while Jalen Hurts stayed out due to a concussion.
The Philadelphia Eagles had a long list of players sitting out in their regular-season finale against the New York Giants, many of whom are Pro Bowl-caliber players. These included wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and offensive linemen Landon Dickerson and Lane Johnson.
By finishing the regular season with a 14-3 record, the Eagles gave themselves a sort of bye week, allowing their starters to rest before hosting a wild-card playoff game against the Green Bay Packers next week.
“We’ll settle our sights on them,” Coach Nick Sirianni said.
Tanner McKee stepped up, throwing for 269 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Eagles to a 20-13 win against the Giants in a game featuring mostly backups. The Eagles, NFC East champions with a 14-3 record, earned the No. 2 seed in the NFC and will face the Packers in a playoff rematch. The Eagles had defeated the Packers 34-29 in Brazil during the season opener, with Barkley scoring three touchdowns.
“Of course, we’ll use that,” Sirianni said.
Philadelphia opened as 3 1/2-point favorites for the upcoming playoff game, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
With the main focus being a Super Bowl run, the Eagles decided to rest their core players. This decision meant that Barkley couldn’t pursue breaking the NFL single-season rushing record. Barkley finished with 2,005 rushing yards, just 101 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson’s 1984 record of 2,105 yards.
Though the decision was wise, there was some disappointment in Philadelphia, with fans wishing Barkley had the chance to break the record, especially against the team that let him go last season.
“Would have broke the record in the first quarter,” former Eagles running back Brian Westbrook wrote on social media.
Meanwhile, 750 miles away in Green Bay, the Packers faced their own injury concerns. Wide receiver Christian Watson was carted off, and quarterback Jordan Love hurt his throwing elbow in a loss to Chicago. Coach Matt LaFleur said Love’s injury was precautionary, but it was uncertain if he would play against the Eagles.
Hurts may not have played regardless of his concussion, as he missed the past two games. Kenny Pickett started against Dallas last week but injured his ribs, which opened the door for McKee, the 2023 sixth-round draft pick, to start in front of a near-empty Lincoln Financial Field.
McKee, who had impressed with two touchdown passes in a mop-up role against Dallas, started strong against the Giants. On the Eagles’ opening drive, he completed all three passes for 48 yards, capped by a 15-yard touchdown to Ainias Smith for a 7-0 lead. Later, he threw a 7-yard touchdown to E.J. Jenkins for a 17-3 lead.
Though the game had little meaning for the Eagles, it was crucial for McKee. The 24-year-old quarterback threw for 190 yards in the first half, giving him a solid chance to prove himself as a possible backup for next season, replacing Pickett.
“I just feel like I showed I have confidence in myself to go out and operate the offense,” McKee said.
With Barkley out, the Eagles rushed for only 51 yards, and the play-calling was conservative. Tight end Dallas Goedert had four catches for 55 yards in his return from a knee injury. Goedert had missed the past four games, so his return was a key boost for the Eagles heading into the postseason.
Hurts is expected to return for the playoff game against Green Bay, but with the risk of one big hit sidelining him again and Pickett still nursing an injury, the Eagles are relieved to know they have a reliable backup in McKee.
“I’m going to do my preparation to play,” McKee said. “I’ll be ready whether I’m the (No.) 1, the 2, the 3, the 6, whatever it is.”
Giants’ Loss
Giants head coach Brian Daboll said he would “believe in the people, believe in our process,” but didn’t confirm whether he has been assured of returning for a fourth season.
Daboll has a record of 18-32-1 with the Giants and has missed the playoffs in the past two years.
“Three wins, not good enough. So, a lot of work to be done,” Daboll said.
The Giants’ chance to secure the No. 1 draft pick took a hit when they won against Indianapolis last week, and their hopes were officially dashed when Cleveland lost to Baltimore on Saturday. Tennessee ended up with the top pick, followed by the Browns.
Both the Browns and Giants finished 3-14, but New York’s win over Cleveland in Week 3 gave them the tiebreaker.
Wide receiver Malik Nabers had five catches for 109 yards, setting a new franchise record for most receptions in a season. Steve Smith held the previous record with 107 receptions in 2009.
Quarterback Drew Lock, who completed 22 of 29 passes for 138 yards, threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Nabers in the fourth quarter, bringing the score to 17-10.
Just for Kicks
Jake Elliott made field goals from 24 and 32 yards but missed a 39-yard attempt on a windy day.
Graham Gano kicked a 25-yard field goal for the Giants in the third quarter and added a 53-yarder in the fourth, cutting the deficit to 17-13.
