The New York Giants' 2023 playoff run is expected to end against the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round. The Giants are 7.5-point underdogs on the road, looking to pull off a second straight upset for an improbable appearance in the NFC Championship Game.

Philadelphia is a sizable favorite against New York for several reasons. The Eagles finished 4.5 games ahead of the Giants and beat New York twice on the way to winning the NFC East title. Philadelphia earned the No. 1 seed and enters the divisional round after a bye week. New York will only have five days off, following a hard-fought victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Wild-Card Weekend.

In their Week 14 meeting at MetLife Stadium, the Eagles blew out the Giants, 48-22. Philadelphia went 2-2 straight up and 0-4 against the spread over the next four games to close out the regular season, potentially indicating that New York has a chance to challenge the Eagles and maybe even upset the NFC East champs.

The biggest difference in Philadelphia's last four games was Jalen Hurts' shoulder injury. The Eagles went 0-2 without Hurts, and the quarterback struggled upon his return.

Hurts came back from his shoulder sprain in Week 18 against the Giants. The Eagles quarterback returned in a game that Philadelphia needed to win in order to clinch the No. 1 seed. It was a meaningless contest for the Giants, which rested Daniel Jones ahead of their wild-card playoff game. The Eagles eked out a 22-16 victory at home in one of Hurts' worst performances of the season.

Hurts was arguably the leading MVP candidate before suffering a sprained shoulder in Philadelphia's 25-20 win over the Chicago Bears in Week 15. The quarterback went 20-of-35 for 229 yards, no touchdowns and an interception in his second matchup with New York. Hurts ran for just 13 yards on a season-low 1.4 yards per attempt.

"It's a good thing there's a bye week," Hurt said, via the Philadelphia Inquirer, and didn't dispute the idea that he might not be completely healthy in the playoffs.

Had Jones started in Week 18, the Giants might've beaten the Eagles. If Hurts is still affected but his shoulder Saturday night, Philadelphia could be on upset alert. Having the better quarterback is key when trying to pull off an upset, and there's a real chance that Jones will be the best signal caller at Lincoln Financial Field.

Jones had a historic performance in his playoff debut. The much-maligned Giants quarterback went 24-of-35 for 301 yards and two passing touchdowns in a 31-24 win in Minnesota. Jones added 17 rushes for 78 yards.

In his only playoff start, Hurts had his share of struggles. The quarterback went 23-of-43 for 258 yards, ant threw one meaningless touchdown and two interceptions in a 31-15 loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wild-Card Weekend in 2022.

Philadelphia's run defense has been its biggest weakness. The unit ranks 24th in yards allowed per carry. Jones is one of the league's best running quarterbacks. Saquon Barkley is a top running back and has averaged 5.3 yards per carry in his last four games.

It's unlikely that Jones will replicate his wild-card performance against Philadelphia. The Vikings had the worst defense of any playoff team. The Eagles have the No. 2-ranked defense and recorded 15 more sacks than any other team.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said Hurts will be a full participant in practice this week.

But New York's quarterback play and coaching give it a real chance to make things interesting in Philadelphia.

Prediction: Eagles over Giants, 23-20

Jalen Hurts Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts #2 of the Philadelphia Eagles throws the ball during a game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on December 20, 2020 in Glendale, Arizona. Norm Hall/Getty Images