PHILADELPHIA — Not all trivial games are created equal.
The final regular-season game on Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field will pit two teams with nothing tangible to play for, no real reward for the winner, no dire consequences for the loser. .
If the Eagles lose this game at home, it wouldn't be that big of a deal, or even a big deal at all, and if the Giants won their last road game, it wouldn't be particularly newsworthy.
Why this doesn't matter all that much to either side is what separates these teams.
The Eagles (13-3) continue to move up while resting starters who have already won the NFC East title and the No. 2 seed in the conference.
They have a playoff game at the rink next weekend, and they have no reason to risk anyone (okay, Saquon Barkley) or anything that could hurt their chances of making the postseason.
The reason this game means nothing to the Giants is because in a few days or weeks, no one will remember or care that the Giants were 4-13 or 3-14. Because it won't hold.
Yes, the final score is correlated to where the Giants place in the first round of the 2025 draft, and that makes sense.
But that's a future event.
For now, the Giants will play this game and then go their separate ways, with the fates of general manager Joe Schon and head coach Brian Daboll revealed in the coming days.
On Monday morning, co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch asked either Shane or Daboll to notify them whether they would be returning or leaving, or that one would stay and the other would be fired. It is expected that no such situation will arise.
It is believed that both sides will meet individually with the owner to explain what went wrong this season and, more importantly, have the opportunity to present solutions and future plans to turn the franchise around. there will be.
Following these discussions, a decision will be made regarding each player's future with the Giants.
Until the Giants can turn their late-season games into decent games, they will be ignored as a rundown franchise.
“You always want to play important football in November, December and January,” outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeau said. “I really hope we can play more impactful football now, but we have to play the hand we are dealt and now we have to prove what we can do against the Eagles.” yeah.”
What's happening off the field is more convincing. After 15 games, the Giants had 2 wins and 13 losses, earning them the first pick in the draft.
They dropped to No. 4 overall after defeating the Colts 45-33 last week, but they could drop as high as No. 9 with a win against the Eagles.
That would be an issue as far as their ability to hold out and find their next franchise quarterback, but there are ways to trade up and find players who may have been overlooked.
Sure, the Giants have already spent resources scouting Shedule Sanders and Cam Ward, but they're also sending personnel to monitor Jalen Milroe, Quinn Ewers, Carson Beck and Jackson Dart.
Once the draft order is decided, some of that will be settled.
For now, all the Giants have left to do is play 60 more minutes of football before going their separate ways.
“To say there’s nothing to play for is a huge overstatement,” defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches told the Post. “We're not playing for the playoffs and everyone wants to be in the big dance, but we've been trying to get into this game since we were kids and trying to get into the NFL. So we all still have work to do when we come back next year. I'm going to go there to see if there is. It's bigger than just the playoffs. Yes, that's the big picture, but at the end of the day, you still have to take care of yourself and your family. It's a long-held dream, so never lose sight of it.
“As far as individual honors and things like that, you still have to worry about what you do, how you approach the game, how you approach film study, because it's still serious. No matter what happens in the future, there is still work to be done, so be thankful for it and tape a good film so you can continue doing the same work.”
