New York Giants Expected to Rest Several Starters

The New York Giants are electing to prioritize the postseason. According to the New York Daily News' Pat Leonard, the Giants appear poised to rest several starters in their Week 18 season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles.

What I just saw at practice confirms for me that Giants will likely rest several starters vs. Eagles. Will cover it in today's Daily News
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) January 5, 2023

The Giants have clinched a spot in the playoffs and are locked into the NFC's sixth seed. They have nothing to gain from a win over the Eagles in Week 18, but they could sabotage their NFC East rival's hold on the conference's top seed and all its advantages. Apparently, spite isn't enough of a motivating factor for the Giants to risk their best players.

Among the players the Giants intend to rest, quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley likely rank at the top. Jones has absorbed 44 sacks and ran the ball 120 times over his 16 starts; he has never started more than 14 games in any of his previous seasons. Barkley has already touched the ball a career-high 352 times and has his own history of injury: he played in only 28 games from 2019 to 2021. The Giants communicated recently that they see both players as significant parts of their future.