New York Giants Official Website

DECEMBER 13, 2009

EAST RUTHERFORD- The winner of Giants-Eagles game tonight in Giants Stadium will be in first place in the NFC East.

Because the Dallas Cowboys lost this afternoon to the San Diego Chargers, the winner of the prime time game moves into the division driver seat with three games remaining in the regular season.

If the Giants beat the Eagles, all three contenders will own 8-5 records. But the Giants would be in first place because they would own tie breakers over the Cowboys (due to their sweep of the season series) and the Eagles (due to a better division record, (4-1 to 3-2).

Should the Eagles win, they would own the division lead with a 9-4 record, followed by Dallas at 8-5 and the Giants at 7-6.

The Giants made two changes to their starting lineup tonight. First-round draft choice Hakeem Nicks is starting at wide receiver for Mario Manningham and Aaron Ross will start at strong safety for C.C. Brown.

This is Nicks' third start of the season, but there were extenuating circumstances surrounding the first two. He started the first Philadelphia game on Nov. 1 because Manningham was inactive with a shoulder injury and at Denver on Thanksgiving night because the Giants opened with three wide receivers.

Ross is making his first start of the season and the first of his career at safety. He missed the season's first nine games with a hamstring injury. Ross' previous 28 career starts (24 in the regular season) were at cornerback, the position where he was drafted on the first round in 2007.

INACTIVES

GIANTS
WR Ramses Barden
RB Gartrell Johnson
CB D.J. Johnson
TE Bear Pascoe
T Adam Koets
T Guy Whimper
WR Sinorice Moss
DT Rocky Bernard

EAGLES
QB Kevin Kolb (3rd QB)
CB Goeffrey Pope
RB P.J. Hill
RB Brian Westbrook
G/T Stacy Andrews
G Mike McGlynn
WR Kevin Curtis
DT Trevor Laws