So, who’s had a worse week?
Tommy DeVito benched his agent after the guy tried to squeeze a local pizzeria into paying more for the Giants quarterback’s appearance — and social media swarmed DeVito like the San Francisco 49ers’ pass rush, forcing him to show up and make up. Meanwhile, the NFL appears to be tiring of the Cinderella act.
The Eagles, after sleepwalking to a commanding lead for the NFC’s top seed, have lost three in a row. They hit the panic button and installed Matt Patricia — who might be less popular than DeVito’s greedy agent — as the de factor defensive coordinator, while head coach Nick Sirianni is trying to take the blame for a preditable offense of superstars, who are now stupor-stars.
Together, the Giants and Eagles form the cast of a new Hallmark holiday movie called “The Magic Wore Off Before Christmas.”
The Eagles should be able to regain their balance with their final three games against the Giants (twice) and the Arizona Cardinals, but nobody is expecting them to get back to the Super Bowl. And DeVito’s future is three more games (likely all losses) and then, after repositioning the Giants in the NFL Draft order, back to being an elf on a shelf.
Do the Giants have a shot? We don’t think so. Our picks for Monday’s game:
Bob Brookover, Eagles beat
The Eagles are such a mess right now that it’s tempting to think that Tommy DeVito and the Giants could go into Lincoln Financial Field and pull off the upset. Any chance of that happening, however, would require a monster performance from a Giants’ defense that has allowed fewer points than the Eagles. That seems unlikely with Dexter Lawrence battling a hamstring injury that has been limiting his snap count. Eagles 30, Giants 14
Darryl Slater, Giants beat
The Giants surely saw their playoff hopes die last week in New Orleans, where Tommy DeVito had no answers for the Saints’ strong defense. A night later, the Eagles gagged away a huge game in Seattle. So you know the Eagles (who are much more talented than the Giants) are going to be angry heading into this Christmas showdown in Philadelphia. Yes, the Eagles have not played well lately. Yes, they are vulnerable (especially against good teams). But their talent advantage over the Giants is significant enough that they’ll win this game. Eagles 24, Giants 7
Chris Franklin, Eagles beat
The Eagles are faltering at the wrong time, fighting for the NFC East crown as the offense struggles and the defense tries to find its way under new play-caller Matt Patricia. The Eagles could be without guard Landon Dickerson, but the offensive line should hold against the blitz-happy Giants, and quarterback Jalen Hurts should throw his first touchdown pass in a month. The Eagles will keep pace with the Dallas Cowboys in pursuit of becoming repeat division champs. Eagles 24, Giants 14
Cayden Steele, Eagles beat
The Eagles are no longer viewed as one of the league’s best teams after losing three consecutive games for the first time since 2021. How they respond against the Giants on Christmas will determine if this was a rough patch or a sign of something bigger. Eagles pass rushers Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat will dominate against the Giants’ porous offensive line, and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will play better. Eagles 28, Giants 14
Andy Vasquez, Jets beat
Some of us thought the slow start to December was just a minor setback for an Eagles team that was still a legit contender. But there have been warning signs since September — this team lost to the Jets, for goodness sake — and suddenly the inconsistent offensive production and the parade of big plays allowed by the defense look less like a team working out the kinks and more like a team that’s struggling to find its identity after losing its offensive and defensive coordinators. Spoiler alert: If you’re turning to Matt Patricia to fix it, it’s not a good situation. But Eagles are angry and much more talented than the Giants. And for this week, that will be enough. Eagles 24, Giants 16
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