With the Philadelphia Eagles resting key players on Sunday, the New York Giants will try to avoid setting a franchise record for most losses in a single season.
The Giants (3-13) have never lost 14 games in a season. Their worst records were 4-13 in 2021 and 3-13 in 2017. Heading into Week 18, New York shares the worst record in the NFL with the New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, and Cleveland Browns.
Though it hurt their chances of securing the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Giants broke a team-record 10-game losing streak with a 45-33 win over the Indianapolis Colts last weekend.
The Eagles (13-3) have already secured the No. 2 seed in the NFC and are likely to rest star running back Saquon Barkley, along with other key players, as they prepare for the playoffs.
“He’ll probably be somebody that rests,” confirmed Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni on Wednesday.
Barkley is 101 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s NFL single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards, set in 1984.
“Obviously it’s a very special record that’s been standing for a very long time by a great player,” Sirianni said. “It’s a team record that everybody’s involved in. You weigh all those things, but at the end of the day, you just try to do what’s best for the team.”
“We’ve put ourselves in a position to be in this situation… It wasn’t the easiest decision to go through, but we have great people in this building and had a lot of input from a lot of people, players included,” Sirianni added.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll spoke to the media shortly before Sirianni’s announcement about Barkley. Daboll’s focus is on preparing the team the same way they always do.
“We’ll just prepare like we normally do, in meetings and practice, and get ready to play our game,” Daboll said.
“… I’d say they’ve got a good football team, and Saquon’s a good football player. Got a lot of wins, productive, good team.”
A lot has changed since the Eagles defeated the Giants 28-3 at MetLife Stadium in Week 7. Back then, Daniel Jones was still the Giants’ quarterback. He was sacked seven times and finished with just 99 passing yards on 14-of-21 attempts.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw one touchdown pass and ran for two more.
Jones is now on the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad, and Hurts was still in concussion protocol as of Wednesday. Drew Lock will make his fifth start for the Giants on Sunday.
Sirianni said no decision has been made on which quarterback will start for the Eagles, especially with Kenny Pickett dealing with a rib injury. Tanner McKee or Ian Book could step in for Philadelphia.
In their Week 7 victory, the Eagles held the Giants’ offense to just 119 total yards. The Eagles have won six of the last seven matchups with the Giants, including in the playoffs.
If the Eagles win, they will match their franchise record of 14-3, which they set last season before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.
In addition to Hurts and Pickett, wide receivers A.J. Brown (knee, rest) and DeVonta Smith (wrist, rest) were listed as non-participants in Wednesday’s walkthrough practice. The Eagles also activated tight end Dallas Goedert (knee) from the 21-day practice window on Wednesday.
For the Giants, linebacker Micah McFadden (neck), center John Michael Schmitz Jr. (ankle), and right tackle Evan Neal (rib, hip) did not practice on Wednesday. Defensive tackle Armon Watts is out after undergoing knee surgery.
