New York Giants Schedule Release: 5 Most Important Games

6 of 6

Week 17: Sunday, January 3rd vs. Philadelphia Eagles 1:00 PM ET *

Dec 28, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin (left) hugs Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly after the game at MetLife Stadium. The Eagles defeated the Giants 34-26. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

One of the better decisions that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell put into place was having divisional games the last week of the season. It gives every team, even the ones already out of the playoffs, some incentive to play hard the last game of the season as no one ever wants to lose to a division rival. For the Giants, this very well could be a game that decides not only their playoff fortunes, but the future of the franchise.

This will be the third time in the last four seasons that the Giants end the season playing against the Eagles. If a playoff spot or division title is actually on the line, having it played on your home field is a distinct advantage. The Giants and Eagles have split the games thus far in the season finale, with both times the game just being a matter of bragging rights for the winner.

If that happens again, that could very well mean the Giants are missing the postseason for a fourth consecutive season, which could seal the fate of Tom Coughlin as head coach. If this is indeed Coughlin’s last game on the sidelines as head coach of the Giants, they will do everything in their power to send him off as a winner as an era would be coming to an end for the Giants.

Let’s hope that isn’t the case, and that the Giants are instead playing for something significant the last game of the regular season. The last time the Giants played a winner take all game in the regular season finale, they defeated the Cowboys and went on to win the Super Bowl. That came four years after the Giants defeated the Patriots in the Super Bowl the first time around; could history repeat itself again for the second time in 2015?

Next: Are The New York Giants Closer To A Title Than The New York Jets?

More from Empire Writes Back

Home/New York Giants