The Giants have a chance to play Santa and give themselves an unexpected gift on Christmas Day.
Beat the Eagles.
In Philly.
That would be quite a concept considering the Giants enter Monday’s holiday game against the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field having lost their past 10 games in the City of Brotherly Hate. The Linc has been a missing link for the Giants, who have had their tushes pushed there for the past decade.
That streak of ignominy dates to 2013, when the Giants beat the Eagles 15-7 in Philly. Tom Coughlin was the Giants head coach back then, which is four head coaches ago for those of you scoring at home.
The last time these two teams met, it was in a game of significant consequence: last season’s NFC divisional playoff round in which the Eagles won, 38-7, at the Linc.
This time, the stakes are quite a bit lower for the Giants, who are in the throes of a forgettable 5-9 season at the moment.
For the 10-4 Eagles, though, this game is massive because they enter it on a three-game losing streak that has quickly taken the shine off of their 10-1 start to the season and sent the Philadelphia faithful into a state of panic.
The Giants have lost 16 of the past 19 overall meetings against Philadelphia, so they represent the perfect “get-well’’ game for the Eagles, who are desperately trying to stave off the 10-4 Cowboys to win the NFC East and possibly earn the No. 1 playoff seed for home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
The Giants simply want to win a damn game, and beating the Eagles would make it that much sweeter because of the history between these two teams. Though the Giants haven’t yet been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, their chances are less than slim even if they were to run the table and get to 8-9.
So, a win over the hated Eagles would represent a welcome diversion to the disappointment of the season — even if just a temporary one.
“It’s a division rival and it’s on Christmas, so with all those things put together there’s something extra and we definitely want to get that win … and, because it’s Philly, we want to get that win even more,’’ Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger told The Post. “They’ve been kind of like a thorn in our side. Everyone wants to finally beat these guys.’’
The veteran Giants players have seen enough losing to the Eagles in their careers, particularly in Philadelphia, where no one on their current roster has experienced victory wearing Giants blue.
Running back Saquon Barkley is 1-8 overall in his career against the Eagles, including 0-5 at the Linc. Receiver Sterling Shepard is 2-8, including 0-5 on the road. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and receiver Darius Slayton are both 2-7 against the Eagles, 0-5 in Philly.
“They’ve had our number since I’ve been here, so it would feel good to get a ‘W’ — especially against those guys,’’ Shepard told The Post.
“I don’t think that sits well in anybody’s stomach … especially the guys that have been here the longest, like Shep and myself,’’ Barkley said. “We hate answering the questions, ‘How would it feel to win in Philly?’ We’re sick and tired of it. The only way we are going to change that is by going out there and winning a game.’’
Though the Eagles clearly are in the midst of a rough patch, seemingly having lost their way and searching (they changed their defensive play caller last week), the Giants aren’t getting caught up in whatever slump their nemesis happens to be in.
“They’re still deadly, they still have so many weapons over there,’’ linebacker Micah McFadden told The Post.
“They still very stout defense, I still see a great group of guys — especially up front, where they have guys that have been doing it for a long time playing at a high level,’’ Shepard said.
“I don’t know that ‘vulnerability’ is the correct word, because they still have some great players over there,’’ guard Ben Bredeson said.
“We’re not getting caught up in the losing streak that they are in,’’ Barkley said. “They’re still Philly. They’re still last year’s [NFC] champions, and still great players all around. That’s still [defensive tackle] Fletcher Cox over there, that’s still [defensive tackle] Jalen Carter over there. They’ve got studs all around, especially on the defensive side.
“No matter what happened in the last three games, they are still a great team. They are one of the best teams in the NFL.’’
That’s precisely why, even with the playoffs out of the question for the Giants, a win over the Eagles in their house would mean a lot.
“Christmas Day, a division rival, in Philadelphia, it should be a lot of fun,’’ Slayton said. “We haven’t beaten them since I’ve been here, so it would be nice to beat them.’’
So, go do it. Make it a blue Christmas.
A Merry Christmas after a not-so-happy year.
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