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The New York Giants play their final regular season game of 2012 on Sunday when they host the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium (1 p.m. ET/FOX). The Giants need a victory to have any chance of making the playoffs, but the 4-11 Eagles have beaten the Giants eight of the last nine times the teams have played.
Here are five things to watch Sunday, which seems likely to be the final time you see the Giants play until the 2013 preseason.
Who will play?
The Giants have a long list of injured players. Will guys like Chris Snee, Ahmad Bradshaw, Hakeem Nicks, Justin Tuck and Kenny Phillips -- who aren't nearly 100 percent -- drag themselves to the field for one last game this season? So many things have to happen for the game to be meaningful in terms of the playoffs that you wonder how many of them will be 'All In.'
Will the Giants play with pride or pack it in?
There has been a lot of talk this week about playing with pride, or finishing the season with a better performance than the putrid ones they have given the past two weeks. As the saying goes, though, the proof is in the pudding. The Giants have talked too much this season about what they are capable of at their best while performing too often at their worst. Will they show enough commitment and pride to end the season on a good note, or will they play like they are already in vacation mode? Your guess is as good as mine.
How much will Michael Boley play?
Boley played only about one quarter of the defensive snaps last week against the Baltimore Ravens despite the Giants oddly using four linebackers extensively. The Giants said that was because of the accumulation of injuries Boley has dealt with this season, but you have to wonder about that. He is owed $4.25 next season, the final year of his contract. If his playing time is once again limited might that indicate that Boley could be on his way out the door?
Michael Vick and Andy Reid
Sunday will almost certainly be the final time we see Vick quarterback the Eagles and Reid coach them. Over the years those two have helped the Eagles kick the Giants in the teeth plenty of times. Do they have one more parting "gift" in store for the Giants as they head for the exit?
The Scoreboard
Yes, the Giants do still have a chance to make the playoffs if they can defeat the Eagles on Sunday. They need lots of help. The Giants need the Dallas Cowboys to lose or tie as they play the Washington Redskins for the NFC East title, they need the Chicago Bears to lose to the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings to lose to the Green Bay Packers. None of those games will matter to the Giants, though, if they don't win their game.