January 03, 2025
The Eagles are getting ready for the playoffs now. The starters are resting, so the Week 18 finale against the Giants carries next to no weight, especially since there won't be a chance for Saquon Barkley to go get the NFL single-season rushing record.
Big picture, that's probably for the best, though it doesn't leave this last regular season game on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field with the makings for much of a thriller...
Oh yeah, the Giants...I mean, they'll be there, and try not to make fools of themselves more than they already have this season.
Here are our picks for Week 18...
TV: CBS (Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Jason McCourty, AJ Ross)
RADIO: 94.1 WIP (Merrill Reese, Mike Quick)
| Sportsbook | Spread | Money Line | Total O/U |
| DraftKings | PHI -2 | NYG +105 PHI -125 | 37.5 |
| FanDuel | PHI -2.5 | NYG +118 PHI -136 | 37.5 |
| BetRivers | PHI -2 | NYG +114 PHI -137 | 37.5 |
| BetMGM | PHI -2 | NYG +120 PHI -145 | 37.5 |
| ESPN BET | PHI -2.5 | NYG +115 PHI -135 | 37.5 |
As noted in our Eagles mailbag on Friday, the players who will likely get the bulk of the snaps on Sunday could look something like this:
Offense:
QB: Tanner McKee
RB: Will Shipley
WR: Jahan Dotson
WR: Johnny Wilson
WR: Ainias Smith
TE: E.J. Jenkins
LT: Fred Johnson
LG: Trevor Keegan
C: Nick Gates
RG: Tyler Steen
RT: Jack Driscoll
Defense:
EDGE: Bryce Huff
DT: Moro Ojomo
NT: Thomas Booker
DT: Gabe Hall (PS callup)
EDGE Jalyx Hunt
LB: Jeremiah Trotter
LB: Oren Burks
CB: Isaiah Rodgers
S: Sydney Brown
S: Tristin McCollum
CB: Kelee Ringo
Nickel: Eli Ricks or Avonte Maddox
And yet, the Eagles are still 3-point favorites!
The following article is paywalled, but the preview on Google made me legit lol:
Mara "exudes integrity!" Lol. Could you imagine a Philly writer saying the owner of a 3-13 team with a 40-90-1 record since 2017 "exudes integrity?" Like, even if they did, you can't possibly sell that to what should be a furious fan base, right? But also, tanking is very clearly what they should be doing. Their fans should want them to tank. There's nothing wrong with it, in my view, and they'd be incredibly stupid not to.
But, if you'll recall, former head caoch Joe Judge got super mad when the Eagles tanked in the final game of the 2020 regular season, thus eliminating the 6-10 (🤣) Giants from winning the division instead of the then Washington Football Team.
Beyond Judge's infantile rant four years ago, Mara also has professed numerous times over the years that he is vehemently against tanking. So these dummies are going to try to win, at least from an organizational standpoint.
And you know what? I'm taking the Eagles anyway, because these Giants players likely can't wait for their miserable season to just be over, whereas the Eagles' backups will be hungry for a chance to play and show that they deserve elevated roles in 2025 and beyond..
I expect it to be ugly, and I will be rooting for the Giants to ruin their draft positioning even more.
A Tanner McKee three-touchdown day? Let's call that shot.
MORE: Eagles-Giants Week 18 injury report, with analysis
Tanner McKee will lead a couple of nice scoring drives that will keep the Linc engaged in a game that's otherwise meaningless now.
The Giants will try, but Drew Lock had his decent game last week, and honestly, I think some of the reserves who are about to get extended looks will catch a bad Giants team off guard.
MORE: Five things to watch in Eagles-Giants
Follow Nick on Twitter: @itssnick
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
