What It Means
By Staff
Five days until the biggest game of the season. And if the Giants don’t play like it is, then they might not get a shot to have the biggest game of their season next Sunday. But what’s at stake is a whole lot greater for both teams than a spot in the NFC Championship.
For the Giants, Sunday continues their recent postseason run and their league dominance that began just about a year ago. They have a chance to make their second straight championship game and knock out the Eagles who took down the Giants in the wild card round in January of 2006.
A win will get Steve Spagnuolo even more money wherever he ends up and will take Tom Coughlin from one tier to another in the history of NFL coaches.
Talks will once again arise about which Manning brother is better and Giants Stadium will host their first championship game since the 2000 season when they blew out and shutout the high-powered offense of the Minnesota Vikings.
Since Week 1 the Giants have been playing for January football even though it took 18 weeks to get to this game. You could actually go back to last February as to when the Giants began thinking about the 2008 playoffs and a chance to repeat as world champions.
For the Eagles, it’s a little different story. Not only are they playing for a chance to make their first conference championship since the ’04 season, they are playing possibly for the jobs of their coaching staff, at least a few of them.
It would be tough to fire Andy Reid after the Eagles made the playoffs and won a playoff game, but you can’t say the possibility doesn’t exist. And with Reid on the hot seat, so is his quarterback Donovan McNabb as the two will be paired as long as they are part of the same organization.
The Eagles have made four championship games under Reid/McNabb, winning one, only to lose to the Patriots in the Super Bowl. A loss would put Philly back into an uproar as to what to do with the franchise.
The critics will say that McNabb can’t win a big game and can’t get to the biggest game in Tampa Bay. They’ll say that Reid was outcoached and mismanaged. And they’ll say it’s time for change for the Philadelphia Eagles.
This Sunday features two very different teams, heading into two very different directions. But a win Sunday will change the course for both franchises one way or another.