The Eagles are the first team to officially book a spot in the playoffs.
They did it by demolishing the Giants on the road on Sunday. Jalen Hurts threw for two touchdowns and ran for another while Miles Sanders ran for two touchdowns in a 48-22 rout of their divisional rivals.
With the playoff berth secured, the 12-1 Eagles will now set their sights on the division title and the top seed in the NFC. A Christmas Eve date with the Cowboys looks like it could be the determining factor in both those hunts, although they will have a matchup with the Bears next week before they can turn their attention to Dallas.
Hurts threw his touchdowns in the second quarter as the Eagles built a 21-0 lead and then ran for a score in the third quarter after the Giants cut the lead to 27-14. He was 21-of-31 for 217 yards and ran for 77 yards on seven carries.
Sanders ran 17 times for 144 yards and Boston Scott tacked on 33 yards and a score of his own, so the Giants had no luck stopping anyone who tried to run the ball on Sunday. That will have to change next week if they’re going to have a strong chance at making the playoffs.
They are now 7-5-1, which is the same record as the Commanders and they will be in Washington next weekend. They’ll be hoping for more from Saquon Barkley, who ran nine times for 28 yards after dealing with a neck injury this week.
Daniel Jones didn’t have his usual success on the ground as he ran for 26 yards on four carries and the Giants passing game remained an ineffective one this weekend. Some of that was due to the Eagles, who picked up six sacks — Brandon Graham recorded three of them — on the afternoon, and some was the lack of talent that the Giants bring to the field.
Given the makeup of the receiving corps, it’s hard to see that changing so having a healthy Barkley and a better defensive effort will be essential for the final weeks of the season.