Tom Coughlin famously performed his Giants starters with a playoff berth clinched in 2007 and gave the undefeated New England Patriots hell in a 38-35 Week 17 defeat.
The relaxation is historical past.
But that was then and that is now, Brian Daboll mentioned Monday.
The Giants’ first-year coach feels like he’ll relaxation a number of key starters with the NFC’s No. 6 seed already clinched in Sunday’s 4:25 p.m. common season finale on the Philadelphia Eagles’ Lincoln Financial Field.
“I think every situation is different,” Daboll mentioned on Zoom. “That’s a pretty unique circumstance that year, [given] the [15-0] record that the Patriots had. And every year’s different. So what happened in 2007 doesn’t really have any effect on what’s happening in 2023 for the decisions that we need to make. We’ll do what we think is best for the team and sit down and have conversations.”
The recreation means quite a bit for the Eagles (13-3). They have to win it to safe the NFC’s No. 1 seed and a first-round bye.
The solely different method Philly can seal the highest spot is that if the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers each lose their season finales to the Washington Commanders and Arizona Cardinals, respectively.
So beginning quarterback Jalen Hurts is predicted to play after lacking the final two video games with a shoulder harm. And the Eagles are 14-point favorites, per BetOnline.ag.
That’s partially resulting from their 48-22 Week 14 blowout of the Giants in New Jersey, but additionally it’s clearly associated to the expectation that the Giants will relaxation their greatest.
It would make loads of sense if gamers like Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, Andrew Thomas, Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence, simply to call a handful, sat this one out, though Daboll mentioned he and GM Joe Schoen have made no selections but.
Williams is the obvious participant who will sit. He’s been enjoying by means of a painful neck harm that has knocked him out of video games on a weekly foundation, solely to see him return the next Sunday.
The Giants (9-6-1) will want him as wholesome as doable for his or her Wild Card playoff recreation in opposition to both the Minnesota Vikings or 49ers. It will almost certainly be Minnesota. The solely method the Giants can play San Fran is that if the Niners lose to the Cardinals on Sunday.
“We’ve got to do what’s best for our team,” Daboll reiterated. He mentioned individuals actually solely decide the “right” technique to deal with a scenario like this after seeing the outcomes.
“It’s only right if it works, right?” he mentioned. “You go out there and lay an egg, it’s the wrong decision. You win, it’s the right decision.”
A difficult a part of this choice, clearly, is that the Giants hate the Eagles. Philly has owned the rivalry. A Giants win would severely harm Philadelphia’s Super Bowl possibilities.
And the Eagles simply stored the Giants out of the playoffs two years in the past by laying down in opposition to Washington of their 2020 season finale.
Daboll mentioned he wouldn’t think about that, nonetheless, when deciding Sunday’s lineup.
“No,” he mentioned. “I just try to consider what we think is best for our team. That’s what we’ll always consider.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com