Giants' Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Implications of Week 13
The New York Giants start a brutal six-game stretch in Week 13 that will either prove they belong in the NFC playoffs or see them drop out of the race completely.
New York plays the Washington Commanders on Sunday and then again in Week 15. The Giants have two games left against the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles, and they also face the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16.
The Giants are going to need help from other games at some points of that run because they likely will not go on a six-game winning streak.
Brian Daboll’s team can take care of a direct rival in the wild-card race this week, and it can get help from a few opponents of its divisional rivals.
Some wins needed by the Giants will be hard to get, but they have to root for them anyway.
Titans over Eagles
The Giants need Derrick Henry and the Tennessee Titans to run all over the Philadelphia Eagles.
New York can’t catch the 10-1 Eagles with a win over Washington and a Tennessee victory, but it can at least get one game closer to them.
The Giants would love for the Eagles to be within two games going into Week 14 because the two sides play twice in Weeks 14 and 18.
New York is the only NFC East team that could overtake the Eagles through head-to-head results if circumstances allow. The Eagles already beat the Dallas Cowboys once and defeated the Washington Commanders once.
Sunday marks one of the few times left on the schedule where the Eagles could be vulnerable. Philadelphia has the Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, Dallas and New York twice left on the schedule after Week 13.
The Eagles could get rookie defensive tackle Jordan Davis back on Sunday, but that may not be enough to contain Henry in the Giants’ best-case scenario.
An Eagles win likely puts the division title out of reach for the Giants. They would have to make up a three-game difference with five contests remaining.
Colts over Cowboys
The Giants will have a firm rooting interest in AFC South teams throughout December.
The Dallas Cowboys play that entire division over the next five weeks. They host the Indianapolis Colts in Week 13 and Houston Texans in Week 14. They visit the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15 and then go to the Titans in Week 17.
Dallas resides one game ahead of the Giants in the NFC wild-card race. The lead is really two games because the Cowboys won both head-to-head meetings.
The Giants need the Cowboys to lose a few more times so that they can clear their divisional rival and not be stuck behind on the first tiebreaker.
If the Cowboys lose multiple games, the Giants could vault into the No. 5 seed, which will come with a first-round matchup against a vulnerable NFC South champion.
Rams over Seahawks
The biggest reach when it comes to the Giants’ rooting interests is for the Los Angeles Rams to defeat the Seattle Seahawks.
The Rams are going to John Wolford at quarterback this week, and they do not have Cooper Kupp or Allen Robinson for the backup to work with.
The reigning Super Bowl champion is now in the spoiler role, and a win over a divisional rival would be seen as a huge victory given its struggles this season.
Seattle enters on a two-game losing streak with defeats to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Las Vegas Raiders.
The Seahawks could be vulnerable to suffering another loss, which would put them two games back of the Giants if Nee York beats Washington.
If the Giants lose, they could use a Seahawks defeat to remain one game ahead of the NFC West franchise.
If the Giants don’t get help this week, they could receive some from Seattle’s opponents for the rest of the season. The Seahawks still have to play the San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets.