The New York Giants are in a comfortable position to make the playoffs, while the Philadelphia Eagles are just playing out the string of a disappointing season. These NFC East rivals will meet up on Thursday Night Football, and the Giants can clinch a postseason berth with a win.
Giants vs. Eagles: Start time, TV schedule for ‘Thursday Night Football’
The Giants can clinch a playoff spot with a win this week.
The game is being televised on both NBC and NFL Network, with online streaming available at Twitter and NBC Sports’ website.
The Giants shored up their playoff chances with a dominant defensive performance against the Detroit Lions last week. In what’s been a common theme this season, the offense struggled to move the ball but Odell Beckham Jr. came through when it mattered. Beckham’s one-handed touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter sealed the 17-6 win for the Giants, who moved to 10-4. They still have a slight chance to win the NFC East since they swept the Dallas Cowboys, but they’ll need to win out and have Dallas lose out. More realistically, the Giants are locked into the No. 5 seed.
The biggest reason for New York’s 10-win campaign is a strong defense, but injury concerns are starting to mount. Jason Pierre-Paul is already done for the year with hernia surgery, while shutdown cornerback Janoris Jenkins was knocked out of last week’s game after taking a knee to his back. Jenkins avoided internal damage, but he’ll be a question mark to suit up for this game.
As for the Eagles, their 3-0 start is a distant memory by now. Five straight losses have knocked them down to 5-9 and well out of the playoff picture. It’s a disappointing finish, to be sure, but that undefeated start was always kind of a mirage. The Eagles are a rebuilding team that wasn’t expected to make a serious run to the postseason, especially with a rookie quarterback under center.
Carson Wentz struggled once again in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens, completing just 22 of 42 passes for 170 yards and an interception, averaging only 4 yards per attempt. To his credit, he got Philly back in the game with a last-minute drive capped off by a touchdown run, but head coach Doug Pederson decided to go for the win with a two-point conversion. It failed, and Baltimore escaped with the 27-26 win.
There are some things to like about Wentz’s performances this season, but in the big picture he looks exactly like you’d expect an FCS rookie to look. In 14 games, he has just 13 touchdowns to 13 interceptions, throwing for 6.3 yards per attempt and losing three fumbles. Wentz hasn’t been helped out by an atrocious wide receiver corps, but there are definitely some kinks in his game. Regardless, he still has a lot of promise and should have a head start as the undisputed No. 1 quarterback in offseason workouts. (He spent last summer competing with Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel on the depth chart.)
The Eagles’ season didn’t turn out like they hoped to after that strong start, but they’ll surely be motivated to spoil a division rival’s playoff chances. NFC East primetime games are many things, but they’re almost never boring, and this should make for some solid television on Thursday night.
How to watch
Time: 8:25 p.m. ET
Place: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
TV: NBC, NFL Network
Announcers: Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Heather Cox
Online: Twitter, NBC Sports Live
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