Eagles (5-9) vs. Giants (10-4)
8:25 p.m. on NBC
Eagles +3
The Eagles may be officially out of postseason contention, but they can do their part to spoil a division rival's plans. The Giants still have a shot at finishing in first place in the NFC East - as long as they can pick up a win at Lincoln Financial Field Thursday night.
Of course, if the Eagles manage to defeat the Giants, that will clinch the division title and a first-round bye in the playoffs for the Cowboys. In other words, there are no truly desirable outcomes at this stage of the season.
1. Black and blue
Thursday night will be another blackout at the Linc. Technically, it's the Eagles' "color rush" uniforms, but the all-black jerseys and pants should look familiar nonetheless, not to mention stir up bad memories for the Giants.
The Eagles have worn all black for each of their past two home games against the Giants, and those previous meetings couldn't have gone much better - a 27-0 shutout in 2014 and a 27-7 victory last season.
Although that may not be all the blackout's doing. The Eagles are experiencing a lot of success at home against the Giants quite often of late, taking five of the last seven in their own building going back to 2009, including playoffs. Furthermore, only once during that span have they surrendered more than 17 points.
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2. Beckham quiet
It's probably no coincidence the Giants' last two ugly losses at the Linc correspond with quiet performances by superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
For whatever reason, Beckham just hasn't been able to make himself at home in the Eagles' building. The newly-minted three-time Pro Bowler has only nine catches for 89 yards with one touchdown in two previous trips. Those are all well below his career per-game averages (4.5 REC to 6.6, 44.5 YDS to 95.8 and 0.5 TD to 0.85).
Then again, it is very possible those numbers are all simply a coincidence supported by small sample size. After all, Beckham has destroyed the Eagles in three meetings at MetLife Stadium, racking up 21 catches for 285 yards and three scores - right in line with those career averages. Guess we'll find out.
3. Playing with a full deck
With Lane Johnson's return from a 10-game suspension for violation of the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy, the Eagles have a chance to field all five starting offensive linemen for the first time since Week 4.
Johnson is expected to get the start at right tackle, which is great news, because literally all four of his backups are injured. That means assuming Brandon Brooks isn't a late scratch at right guard because of recurring bouts of anxiety and Allen Barbre is healthy enough to resume his post at left guard, the Eagles' line will be complete.
Even if Barbre isn't quite ready to return from a hamstring injury, he's the easiest to replace, as Stefan Wisniewski has performed well there and Isaac Seumalo is an option as well. As long as Brooks is good, the Eagles' offense might be as strong as it has been since September.
4. Ertz so good, in December
Once again, Zach Ertz is putting together a very strong month of December for the Eagles. It's not quite the monster line he posted in 2015, but the fourth-year veteran's 25 receptions for 271 yards over the past three games are setting him up for another big finish.
Last season, Ertz set an NFL record for tight ends over the final four games of a season with 35 catches for a whopping 450 yards. And while one of those contests was actually played in January, the point stands - he's become a very strong finisher for the Eagles.
In fact, during the months of December and January, Ertz is averaging 5.9 catches for 68.7 yards per game, while also scoring seven of his 11 career touchdowns. His top figures from any other month of year: 3.6 catches, 40.3 yards and two scores.
5. Not jockeying for position
Often in these situations, meaning when the playoffs are off the table, some might see it as more beneficial to the franchise if the Eagles continued losing, thus earning a higher draft pick. But since they don't own their own first-round pick, you might as well just root for wins over the Giants and Cowboys these last two weeks.
Sure, the Eagles' record will impact their draft positioning in every round, not just the first. However, it's most important at the top of the draft. If the difference between finishing 5-11 and 7-9 is 10 spots in Round 2, you might as well just take the Ws.
If anything, fans might want to take more interest in how the Vikings wrap up their campaign, as the Eagles own their first-round pick in 2017. In other words, these final two weeks are about as meaningless as it gets, other than watching the scoreboard to see if the Packers and Bears can beat Minnesota.
