Throughout the week, NY Giants fans everywhere have been wondering who will end up suiting up in Week 18 against the Philadelphia Eagles, and who will sit this one out. It had already been announced that Leonard Williams and Azeez Ojulari won’t play, while Adoree’ Jackson has been listed as doubtful.
We now know of two more stars who will be watching this contest from the sidelines: quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley. While some fans were hoping to see these two in action in Philly, this was a no-brainer decision for head coach Brian Daboll. Sitting Danny Dimes and Saquon is 100 percent the right call.
Giants expected to rest Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley against Eagles, per the @nypost
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) January 7, 2023
If they're not healthy, they can't play in the playoffs!
What do you think of that decision?
NY Giants stars Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones won’t play in Week 18
This news isn’t a major shock, but there’s definitely some mixed emotions among the fanbase. On one side of things, a lot of people want revenge for 2020 when the Eagles essentially kept the Giants out of the playoffs in their game against Washington. No one has forgotten about that and it still stings.
However, the Giants are locked in as the No. 6 seed in the NFC for the postseason. Win or lose, that doesn’t matter. If the G-Men were to win, though, it would potentially prevent the Eagles from getting the No. 1 seed, which is why a lot of folks are hoping Big Blue can hit Philly with a proverbial knockout punch.
While that would be sweet, Daboll is more focused on having his team close to 100 percent health for the Wild Card Round, where they’ll take on either the Minnesota Vikings or the San Francisco 49ers. With the Eagles listed as 14-point favorites for Week 18, we’d prefer an upset over Minnesota or SF instead of Philly this Sunday.
There’s an argument that keeping Barkley and Jones out could impact the offense’s rhythm, but Daboll knows what he’s doing. There’s a reason he’s paid the big bucks. NY supporters are going to have to trust him here.
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