Here are five players to watch in the Week 16 matchup between the Giants and Eagles:
LB Lorenzo Carter
Linebacker Lorenzo Carter played arguably the best game of his career last week. He twice sacked Dak Prescott, forced a fumble that was recovered by Austin Johnson, and had a pass defensed and three quarterback hits.
"It doesn't matter what guys we have, we all know our job as a defense is to limit points and everybody has to step it up," Carter said. "It doesn't matter when a guy goes down, the next guy is going to answer the call and that's what I love about this team."
S Xavier McKinney
The Giants forced four turnovers against the Eagles in the first leg of the season series, including three interceptions off quarterback Jalen Hurts. One of them was to McKinney, whose five interceptions are tied for the NFL lead among safeties.
LB Jaylon Smith
Signed to the practice squad Friday and the roster Saturday, Smith played 17 snaps and was credited with four tackles (three solo) in his Giants debut last week against the Cowboys, his former team.
"Jaylon … had about four to six hours of coaching to get him ready for the game and a walk-through with the defense," coach Joe Judge said. "I really liked the way this guy responded, and he's been a pleasure to coach in the short window we've had. He went out there, he played fast, he's able to go ahead and get his hat on a few people to make some plays. Obviously, it's very new to him in this system, but I liked the way he responded. I liked the temperament he plays with, I like the look in his eyes when you meet with him in terms of being locked in and engaged to what's going on in the meetings. He's been a pleasure to have in the program so far. We'll keep him involved as well and grow his role throughout this week."
QB Jake Fromm/QB Mike Glennon
On Dec. 1, Jake Fromm officially joined the Giants, who signed him off the Buffalo Bills' practice squad. He has since spent most of his time at the Giants' facility in meetings and practicing, or in his hotel room, studying the team's offensive playbook. On Sunday, he threw 12 passes in his NFL debut on the Giants' final drive against the Dallas Cowboys.
"It's been crazy," Fromm said Wednesday. "It sure has. There's no other way to really put it. I'm super thankful to be here, I'm just ready to go, so excited. I'm ready for Christmas this week, this is awesome. Yeah, it's just a great time of year and so thankful I'm here in New York."
The last Sunday of the month could bring even more craziness. Fromm could make his first professional start when the Giants face the Philadelphia Eagles in Lincoln Financial Field, home to one of the league's most rabid and vocal fan bases.
"I heard a lot about the environment and for me, it's just preparation and making sure everybody's on the same page," Fromm said. "Really, it's just going out and executing whatever the plan is and just trying to tune it out the best you can and go play football."
Coach Joe Judge has not said whether veteran Mike Glennon or Fromm will open the game in Philly.
"We're going to watch the guys practice throughout the week, and we'll see where they are at the end of the week," Judge said. "I wouldn't expect any announcement until maybe the end of the week at the earliest."
Glennon started the last three games in place of Daniel Jones, whose sprained neck forced him to go on injured reserve Monday.
RB Saquon Barkley
Barkley has 608 yards from scrimmage and four total touchdowns in five career games against the Eagles. Along with Devontae Booker, the Giants have averaged nearly 130 yards on the ground in the last two weeks.
"I'm a big believer that the things you want to accomplish only happen if you work for it," Barkley said this week. "Everything that I want to happen in my career is still out there. I'm still young in my career. The season is still not over, so just every single day just go out there and attack it and try to get better."
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