National Football League

Eagles have every advantage over Giants. But exponents and history add intrigue

Updated Jan. 19, 2023 4:35 p.m. ET

The list of ways in which the Philadelphia Eagles are better than the New York Giants is long and comprehensive — and there's not really a counterargument that makes much sense ahead of Saturday's NFC Divisional Round showdown (8:15 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).

They're better at quarterback, with Jalen Hurts' body of work stronger than that of Daniel Jones, despite the latter's impressive end to the year and rather triumphant display in his first ever playoff game last weekend.

They're monumentally better at receiver, with their group among the best in the entire league, as A.J. Brown takes steps toward superstardom and Devonta Smith reels in catch after catch.

Tight end goes Philly's way too, as does the offensive line, the defensive line and cornerback, where Darius Slay … slays, and James Bradberry — released by the Giants and picked up by the Eagles — is right there with him.

Philadelphia won both regular season-meetings at a canter, is a 7.5-point favorite per FOX Bet and faces a Giants team that is the lowest remaining seed in the postseason, having eliminated the Minnesota Vikings last weekend.

Sounds like everything is lining up for a special Philly run at the Super Bowl, bouncing off a 14-3 campaign and an extra week of rest for capturing the NFC's No. 1 seed, right?

Yeah. But ….

What about Hurts' injury, a sprain in the SC joint of his shoulder sustained a month ago, and with a lingering layer of mystery hanging over it, even as the third-year QB was not listed on the injury report this week? Hurts has played just one game (against the Giants on Jan. 8) since mid-December, and he didn't look especially good in it. As our Ralph Vacchiano wrote yesterday, the Eagles' fate hangs on Hurts' health.

What about the divisional factors at play, and the reality that it's really freaking hard to beat the same team three times in a single season? The Giants got shellacked twice — 48-22 and 22-16 — and yes, it is possible for 22-16 to be a shellacking. Go remind yourself by watching a replay if you need to.

However, history states that in playoff meetings between divisional rivals, the 0-2 team wins a surprisingly high 37.5% of the time (nine out of 24).

Jalen Hurts' shoulder a question mark heading into Giants game vs Eagles

Jalen Hurts is no longer on the injury list, and he's expected to play against the New York Giants. Mark Schlereth tells Craig Carton whether he believes Hurts is healthy enough to play at a high level Saturday.

What if the NFC's top seed is historically cursed? Fine, that's laying on the drama a little thick, but numbers and precedent don't smile kindly upon the teams that have shined brightest in the conference during the regular season. Dating back 20 years, only three times has the NFC's No. 1 team lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy, the most recent instance being when the Eagles themselves did it at the end of the 2017 season, assisted by Doug Pederson having nerves of steel and Nick Foles (who knew?) possessing hands of diamond.

Twice as often, the top seed has crashed out in its very first game, a six-chapter tale of woe, starring unfortunate luminaries such as Aaron Rodgers (twice), Dak Prescott, Matt Ryan, Tony Romo and Eli Manning. The Giants were also twice the underdog doing the upsetting and in the 2011 season knocked off No. 1 Green Bay en route to a Super Bowl triumph.

There are few things more wince-inducing in football than a glorious regular season being followed by an immediate elimination at the playoff's first hurdle. All that lost potential, the sense that it was ultimately for nothing, despite all the good vibes through the autumn.

That's the greatest fear for the Eagles just now, but the overall topic of pain is front of mind. The Giants want to inflict some and know their best chance is if things get rugged.

Hurts has been hurting and knows that his opponents will be lining up his shoulder for some special treatment.

"It's football," he told reporters. "I've got a bounty on me every week I go out there on the field. So, I'm going to go out there and just play my game, and whatever happens, happens."

The atmosphere at Lincoln Financial Field promises to be ferocious; so much so that New York defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence told his mother to stay home.

"Hostile," head coach Brian Daboll said, when asked what he was expecting. "I don't have good adjectives other than that."

For the Giants, this has been a rare diversion from years of suffering under the thumbscrews, a campaign that has delivered the double-whammy of fun right now and the tease of more enjoyment to come.

This wasn't supposed to be the time for a run like this, Daboll wasn't supposed to have this kind of immediate impact after coming in as head coach. Jones wasn't supposed to be much of a QB at all. The NFC East was supposed to be one of the weakest divisions in football.

All of that got flipped, and here is Big Blue, with a glorious opportunity few saw coming. In a cauldron of noise, against a higher seed and a better team, that it's already lost to, twice.

What if?

Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.

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