The Philadelphia Eagles found another way to hurt the New York Giants on Tuesday night. The NFC East champion Eagles lost to the Minnesota Vikings, 24-14, guaranteeing the Chicago Bears the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs.
The Giants need the Bears to defeat the Green Bay Packers this Sunday in order to have any chance at reaching the playoffs. If Green Bay wins, even a Giants’ victory over the Washington Redskins — which would give them a 10-win season — won’t be enough to get New York to the playoffs.
An Eagles’ victory would have given the Bears extra incentive against the Packers as they would have been playing to earn the No. 2 seed, which would guarantee them a bye week and home-field advantage.
Philadelphia, of course, defeated the Giants twice this season. The second victory, when the Giants blew a 21-point lead in the final eight minutes, sent the Giants spiraling toward what very well could be the second straight season in which they miss the playoffs.