Jason Leach
The (5-9) New York Giants and (10-4) Philadelphia Eagles will meet for the 182nd time on Christmas Day, with the Eagles holding a 92-87-2 edge in the rivalry.
The Eagles have dominated this rivalry over the last decade. Not only have they won the last nine games played in Philadelphia, but they’ve also defeated New York three times last season, including a 38-7 thrashing in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
If you just look at the two teams’ records, you would expect Monday’s game to end in another blowout victory for the Eagles. But the Eagles have shown vulnerability, having lost three straight, whereas the Giants have won three of their last four.
It’s always interesting when these divisional rivals meet, leading to wild outcomes. Here are our bold predictions for the game.
Tommy DeVito will have his first 300-yard passing game
DeVito has performed better than anyone could have envisioned. The undrafted quarterback has had a quarterback rating over 100 in three of the last four games and has thrown five touchdowns with zero interceptions.
The best way to attack the Eagles defense is through the air, as they have the 28th-ranked pass defense and are expected to be without their best cornerback, Darius Slay, due to a knee injury.
With the return of tight end Darren Waller last week, New York’s pass catches are as healthy as they have been all season. Look for DeVito to spread the ball out to his array of pass catchers, resulting in the first 300-yard passing game of his career.
Related: See where Tommy DeVito lands in Sportsnaut’s NFL QB Rankings
A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith will each have 100 yards receiving
Although Jalen Hurts has struggled in recent weeks, he’s still one of the best quarterbacks in the league and arguably has the best receiver tandem in the league in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
Last season, both receivers had over 1,000 receiving yards, and they’re on pace to do it again as Brown already has 1,314 yards on the season, and Smith is 43 yards shy of 1,000.
The talented duo of receivers have accomplished some impressive feats this season, but they have yet to both have 100 yards receiving in one game. You wouldn’t expect that to happen this week since New York’s defense hasn’t allowed a receiver to reach the century mark in the last four games.
But that will change this week as Hurts will have a bounce-back game thanks to his top two wideouts, each having over 100 receiving yards.
Bobby Okereke will have 10 tackles, an interception, and a sack
While this season has been a disappointing one for Big Blue, one of the bright spots has been the play of linebacker Bobby Okereke. The 27-year-old linebacker has played every defensive snap and is the team’s leading tackler with 122.
Okereke has also shown a knack for creating turnovers, as he’s forced four fumbles and intercepted two passes this season. However, he has yet to record his first sack as a Giant.
Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale will use Okereke in various ways to slow down the Eagles potent offense. Not only will he take down running back D’Andre Swift several times, but he’ll be a nuisance to Hurts. Look for Okereke to have one of his best games of the season, as he’ll have double-digit tackles, an interception, and come up with his first sack as a Giant.
Related: 2023 NFL defense rankings: Week 16 fantasy defense rankings, best and worst NFL defenses
Jake Elliott will kick a walk-off game-winning 60-yard field goal
Despite the Eagles winning the last nine meetings between these two teams in Philadelphia, the games have been relatively close. Six of those wins were by six points or less.
The most memorable of these games occurred in Week 3 of 2017 when rookie Jake Elliott kicked a game-winning 61-yard field goal as time expired to give the Eagles a 27-24 victory.
Lightning rarely strikes twice but in this instance, it will as Elliott will kick another game-winning field goal as time expires, this time from 60 yards to give the Eagles a 30-27 victory.
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