Rivals Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants Meet For 5th Time In NFL Playoffs

As NFC East rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants play each other twice each regular season. The teams’ home stadiums are about 100 miles apart, so the games are always highly anticipated among their rabid fan bases.

Still, that eagerness has been taken to another level this week heading into Saturday night’s matchup in the NFL divisional playoff round. The teams are facing each other in the postseason for just the fourth time, and they both have Super Bowl aspirations.

The Eagles (14-3) are the NFC’s No. 1 seed and have already defeated the Giants twice this season, winning, 48-22, on the road on Dec. 11, and winning, 22-16, at home on Jan. 8 in the regular season finale. They have defeated the Giants 11 times in the past 13 matchups.

Philadelphia received a bye last week, which was helpful considering quarterback Jalen Hurts was recovering from a right shoulder sprain that forced him to miss two games (both losses) and limited him in the final regular season game. Hurts is expected to start on Saturday night. He threw for 3,701 touchdowns and 22 touchdowns and ran for 760 yards and 13 touchdowns during the regular season.

The Giants, meanwhile, are 10-7-1 and the conference’s No. 6 seed. They upset No. 3 Minnesota last weekend, 31-24, as quarterback Daniel Jones became the first quarterback to throw for at least 300 yards and run for at least 70 yards in an NFL playoff game. That was New York’s second playoff game and first playoff victory since 2011.

The Giants are 7.5-point underdogs, according to BetMGM, but the franchise is hoping it can perform like the overachieving 2007 and 2011 teams that finished 10-6 and 9-7, respectively, and won the Super Bowl.

Here’s a look at the four times the Giants and Eagles have played each other in the postseason:

Dec. 27, 1981 – Giants defeat Eagles 27-21 in Philadelphia

This was the Giants’ first playoff appearance since 1963, three years before the NFL announced it would merge with the rival American Football League. The Eagles, meanwhile, had lost in the Super Bowl the previous year.

During the 1981 season opener, the Eagles defeated the Giants, 24-10, the start of a six-game winning streak. But the Giants got revenge on Nov. 22, beating the Eagles, 20-10, which began a four-game losing streak for Philadelphia. The Eagles won their regular season finale to clinch home field advantage for the wild card playoff game.

Still, the Eagles trailed, 20-0, before the first quarter ended and 27-7 at halftime. Philadelphia running back Wilber Montgomery ran for two second half touchdowns, but the Giants hung on for their first playoff victory since 1958. Giants quarterback Scott Brunner threw for three touchdowns, while running back Rob Carpenter had 33 carries for 161 yards.

“This is the greatest day of my football career,” Carpenter, whom the Giants acquired in a trade with the Houston Oilers earlier in the season, told reporters afterward. “There was the day I was born, the day I got married and then today.”

Jan. 7, 2001 – Giants defeat Eagles, 20-10, in New York

The Giants defeated the Eagles twice during the regular season, finished 12-4, won the NFC East and entered the playoffs at the No. 1 seed. The Eagles, meanwhile, went 11-5 and defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 21-3, in a wild card playoff game to set up a matchup with the Giants.

On the opening kickoff, Giants’ returner Ron Dixon ran 97 yards for a touchdown, and the Giants never relinquished their lead.

The Giants pressured Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb all day, sacking him six time and forcing him to lose a fumble. McNabb finished 20-of-41 for 181 yards and one touchdown, a 10-yarder with 1:56 remaining to cut the Eagles’ deficit to 20-10. He also threw an interception late in the first half that Giants defensive back Jason Sehorn returned for a 32-yard touchdown.

The next weekend, the Giants crushed the Minnesota Vikings, 41-0, intercepting three passes and holding a prolific Vikings’ offense to 54 rushing yards and 78 passing yards. But in the Super Bowl, the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Giants, 34-7, as New York quarterback Kerry Collins threw four interceptions.

Jan. 7, 2007 – Eagles defeat Giants, 23-20, in Philadelphia

The Eagles won the NFC East for the fifth time in six years and entered the playoffs on a five-game winning streak, a stretch in which starting quarterback Donovan McNabb sat out with a right knee injury. The Giants, meanwhile, started the year 6-2 but finished 8-8 and clinched the sixth and final playoff spot.

The divisional round game was close throughout. The Eagles took a 20-10 lead on David Akers’ 48-yard field goal late in the third quarter, the longest make in team playoff history, but the Giants responded by scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter.

After Giants quarterback Eli Manning’s touchdown pass with 5:08 remaining tied the game, the Eagles got the ball back on their 34-yard line. On the final drive, quarterback Jeff Garcia completed both of his passes while running back Brian Westbrook carried six times, moving the Eagles to New York’s 20-yard line with 1:05 left. The Eagles then ran down the clock, opting to leave the game to be decided by Akers.

Akers then delivered, kicking a 38-yard field goal with three seconds remaining. The next week, though, the Eagles lost, 27-24, to the New Orleans Saints, ending their season.

Jan. 11, 2009 – Eagles defeat Giants, 23-11, in New York

The Giants were the reigning Super Bowl champions and had won the NFC East with a 12-4 record, although they entered the playoffs with three losses in their last four games, including a 20-14 loss to the Eagles on Dec. 7.

The Eagles, meanwhile, went 9-6-1 and were the NFC’s No. 6 seed, just barely making the playoffs. Still, they defeated the Vikings, 26-14, in the wild card playoff round, setting up a matchup with the Giants.

The matchup took place in windy conditions and was unorthodox in that the teams combined for just two touchdowns but had six field goals and a safety. At then end of the first half, Akers made a field goal to give the Eagles a 10-8 lead, but Giants kicker Jay Carney countered with a 36-yard field goal on the first possession of the second half.

From there, the Giants didn’t score again, while the Eagles scored on two Akers’ field goals and a 1-yard touchdown pass from McNabb to tight end Brent Celek.

The victory clinched the Eagles’ fifth NFC Championship game appearance in eight years. But the Eagles lost, 32-25, to the Arizona Cardinals, who ended up losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl.