The Giants continue their Super Bowl defense with their third game this season against the Philadelphia Eagles. This time it will determine who goes on to play for the NFC Championship.

The Vitals:

Game: Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1) @ New York Giants (12-4)
TV: 1PM ET FOX
Radio: WFAN (660AM).

Game Notes:

• In game one, Philadelphia running backs gained 47 yards on 15 carries (3.1 yards per carry). In the second, Brian Westbrook ran 33 times for 131 yards (4.0 yards per carry).
• In their last six games (including the playoff game vs. the Vikings), the Eagles have averaged 31.5 rushes a game as opposed to 23.6 in their first 11. They’ve also averaged about five less passes a game.
• The Giants lead the regular season series with the Eagles 78-67-2. The Giants swept the season series last year.
• The Giants need to stop the Eagles running game, specifically Westbrook. In the Eagles only loss in the last six games, the Redskins held them to 16 carries for 62 yards.
• To win, the Giants need to be effective with the run. In their win against the Eagles on November 9th, the Giants rushed for 219 yards on 45 carries for a 4.9 average. In the loss on December 7th, the numbers were very different: 88 yards on 24 carries for a 3.7 average. Brandon Jacobs and Kareem McKenzie both got hurt in the December contest and missed significant time. Both will be active today. Plaxico Burress was active in the first game but not the second.
• The Eagles rush defense has allowed just over 92 yards per game on only 3.5 yards per carry, good for 4th best in the league.
• The Eagles are only one of three teams to allow a run over 40 yards the entire season. Last week they held the best running back in football, Adrian Peterson, to only 83 yards on 20 carries.

Inactives

GIANTS
RB Danny Ware
CB Rashad Barksdale
LB Gerris Wilkinson
OL Adam Koets
DL Dave Tollefson
DT Jeremy Clark
DT Leger Douzable
WR Mario Manningham.

EAGLES
QB A.J. Feely
CB Dimitri Patterson
RB Lorenzo Booker
LB Joe Mays
DE Bryan Smith
OL Shawn Andrews
WR Greg Lewis
TE Matt Schobel

Quote of the Week:

“You get butterflies every game. I do. I’m nervous because you never want to fail. Most athletes are scared of failure and going out there and not performing well. So you have that all week and once you go out and get your first hit and you are hit for the first time or you hit somebody it goes out the window. Now it is time to play football because you know what is at stake and what is going on.”- LB Antonio Pierce on his feelings on game day

Chat:

As always, to chat with your fellow Big Blue fans, head on over to the Giants Tailgate.