Start time, channel, playoffs, how to watch and stream

The Eagles face the New York Giants at Meadowlands on Sunday, and as unimaginable as it might have seemed just a few weeks ago, the Birds will enter the playoff race solidly with a win.

The Minnesota Vikings (5-5) and San Francisco 49ers (5-5) currently hold the second and third NFC wildcard slots heading into Sunday. They are also facing each other today which means one will complete week 5-6. A victory for the Eagles would make the team 6-6, propelling the Birds into a playoff berth with five games to go and one of the smoothest schedules in the league.

The change in fortunes for the Birds is due to a mid-season shift from a first-pass team to an attack that hits opponents with a formidable ground attack. The Eagles have won three of their last four games, each with over 10 points. During that time, the team ran the ball 68 percent of the time for 870 yards, the most four-game yards since 1950. They also ran over 200 yards in consecutive games for the first time since. 1978.

“The ability of Jalen Hurts, what he does on the pitch, that empowers the whole team,” said Mina Kimes, ESPN NFL analyst. NFL Live Friday, comparing the team’s hasty offense to the 2012 Seattle Seahawks under Russell Wilson, who won the Super Bowl the following year.

“Watch the linebackers play against the Eagles. Every game they don’t know what to do, ”Kimes said. “This is an extremely difficult racing game to defend and an extremely fun racing game to watch.”

Not only are the Eagles strong in the hunt for wildcards, but they’re also still alive in the NFC East, thanks to the Dallas Cowboys, who have lost three of their last four games and suffered a string of injuries. The Birds are only two games away from first place in the division before Sunday, although the Cowboys also have an easy schedule to end the season. (They are scheduled to face the Arizona Cardinals on Jan.2.)

According to the New York Times simulator, the Eagles enter Sunday with a 38% chance of qualifying for the playoffs. A win against the Giants would increase that number by over 50%. FiveThirtyEight has the Eagles’ chances of qualifying for the playoffs at 43%, dropping to 59% with a win on Sunday.

Just a few weeks ago angry Birds fans threw flowers at Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni. Who laughs at his flower power metaphor now?

Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream Sunday’s Eagles-Giants game:

READ MORE: Eagles beat writers make predictions for Giants game in week 12

As with every game of the Eagles, the staff editors Jeff McLane, EJ Smith, and Josh Tolentino will cover the action live on Twitter, which you can follow live on GameDay Central. Ratings and comments on the game will be on Inquirer.com/Eagles. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Inquirer Sports daily newsletter.

Smith and Tolentino will host GameDay Central live ahead of kickoff on Inquirer.com.

Pre-game coverage begins on Fox29 at 10 a.m. with Fox29 Gameday, with Breland Moore, former Eagles linebacker Garry Cobb, Dave Spadaro and Bill Anderson.

Fox NFL kicks off, the network’s first pre-game show, airs at 11 a.m., hosted by Charissa Thompson with analysts Tony Gonzalez, Dave Wannstedt, Colin Cowherd, Charles Woodson and former Eagles quarterback Michael Vick.

Fox NFL Sunday aired at noon, hosted by Terry Bradshaw and Curt Menefee alongside analysts Howie Long, Michael Strahan and Jimmy Johnson

Coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. with The birds snuggle up, hosted by Taryn Hatcher alongside Brad Feinberg, Barrett Brooks and John Clark.

Pre-match Eagles Live, hosted by Michael Barkann and starring Seth Joyner, Ray Didinger and Barrett Brooks, will air live at noon on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Post-match Eagles Live will be broadcast immediately after the match.

READ MORE: The Eagles can’t be stopped – if they continue to improve in these key areas