The New York Giants are 3-13 heading in the final week of the 2024 season and have very little to play for this Sunday when they face the Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) on the road.

The Eagles also have nothing to play for after clinching the NFC East and the second overall seed in the NFC Playoffs with their lopsided win over the Dallas Cowboys.

The 18th week of the NFL schedule has not produced the desired effect the league had hoped since they expanded the schedule to 17 games in 2021.

For many teams, it has become a bit of a nuisance more than anything else.

Teams that have already qualified for the postseason usually rest their key personnel while teams who have been eliminated empty their benches and practice squads to give younger players a taste of playing in an NFL game.

The Giants are hoping to end their season on a two-game winning streak while the questions are already starting about how the Eagles will approach the game.

“Our focus is on the opponent we’re playing and ourselves each week as a coaching staff and players,” head coach Brian Daboll said on Monday. “Again, try to do everything we can do to go out there and play and coach as good as we can.”

The Eagles cannot better their lot by going all out to win and have several injured players they would like to hold out this week, specifically their top two quarterbacks — Jalen Hurts and Kenny Pickett — who are hurting.

Philly would also like to limit their star running back, former Giant Saquon Barkley, but may have to play him as he is 101 yards short of Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards and many of the home fans and his teammates would like to see him break it, especially against the Giants.

“We’re going to get ready to play the Eagles and go through the tape like we normally go through the tape,” Daboll added when asked about Barkley’s status. “Any questions about that, you’d have to ask Nick (Sirianni).”

“We’ll do what we need to do, what’s right for the football team,” Sirianni said on Sunday night. “Always got to do what’s right for the football team to reach our goals of what we need to do. Like I said, I’ve got a lot to think about. I’m going to enjoy this, and I’ll think about it tonight at some point.”

Barkley would love to etch his name in the record book. He is one of nine players to reach 2,000 yards rushing in a season. All of them, except for O.J. Simpson, did it in a 16-game season (Simpson did it in a 14-game season).

If Barkley does play and break the record, detractors will want an asterisk next to his name for doing over 17 games. None of this is of importance to the man himself, who as always, remains unselfish.

“The way I look at it, if it’s in God’s plan, then it is,” Barkley said. “I’m not overly trying to go get it. I’m not scared of it. I would love to, but at the end of the day, also, we’ve got bigger things that we’re focusing on, and we’re able to clinch the division right here, whether we play next week or not.

“Rest, I’m fine with that too, because I didn’t come here and sign here just to rush for 2,000 or break a record. I want to do something special, meaning special with the team.”

And Barkley might do more for the team by sitting this one out, believe it or not.