Expect more Boston Scott Giant-slaying magic in Divisional Round

As the Philadelphia Eagles begin preparing for their Divisional Round opponent, the New York Giants, one man’s name comes to mind. Everyone knows who we’re talking about. He’s the man that always rises to the occasion and elevates his play whenever the New York Giants are on the sideline. While he may not be a starter, and while he is small in stature by the standard we have set for an NFL running back, Boston Scott has left his mark on the Eagles-Giants rivalry through the years. The numbers prove that, and with these age-old rivals set to do battle on Saturday evening, the focus shifts back to him.

The New York Giants are coming to town! They’ll face Philadelphia following their 31-24 Wild Card Round win over the Minnesota Vikings. Boston Scott has the perfect opportunity to once again find success versus Big Blue. Miles Sanders is healthy and expected to start in the Divisional Round matchup, and that leads us to an obvious question. Will Boston Scott have an opportunity to see playing time?

Despite Miles Sanders being healthy, history suggests Boston Scott will see action versus the Giants, this time in the postseason.

Miles Sanders has played well for the Eagles all season. This Penn State Nittany Lion found a new groove in 2022, rushing for 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns. Those are career highs in both categories. He has been phenomenal all season when given an opportunity.

It is also true that the Philadelphia Eagles have never shied away from using a stable of rushers – especially during the postseason.

Last year’s playoff defeat in Tampa Bay versus the Buccaneers saw the Eagles run the ball just 17 times, and with the limited number of rushing attempts, the ground attack wasn’t successful. Quarterback Jalen Hurts carried the ball eight times for 39 yards. Miles Sanders chipped in with seven carries for 16 yards. Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott each saw just one carry. Somehow, Scott still managed to make the most of his opportunity as that carry resulted in a 34-yard touchdown run.

It makes one ask why he didn’t get the ball more, doesn’t it?

Though the coaching staffs and players were different, we have also seen the Eagles employ a committee of rushers during their six playoff games from 2017-2019. Five of those six games saw multiple Eagles get five or more carries, and who could forget Corey Clement’s 100-yard receiving performance and his grab in the back of the end zone during his Super Bowl LII  performance as the third-string running back?

Time changes things, and the Eagles have transitioned from the Doug Pederson era to Nick Sirianni’s current tenure as head coach. Much of the philosophy is similar. The workload of the running backs is aided by a strong offensive line bursting with All-Pros and future Hall-of-Famers. Vice president/general manager Howie Roseman’s business plan hasn’t changed, one in which he builds great rosters while starting in the trenches, but let’s get back to Boston Scott.

We all want to see him featured in the Divisional Round versus the Giants. We all know why that is.

In just eight games, Boston Scott has scored on the Giants a whopping ten times.

Boston Scott’s success versus the NFC East rival Giants has transformed the five-foot-six tailback into a fan favorite of many Eagles fans. His stat line versus New York far exceeds what he has done versus anyone else, and his career highlight reel features the G-Men more often than not.

In eight career meetings, he has torched the G-Men for 414 rushing yards, 222 receiving yards, nine rushing touchdowns, and one receiving touchdown. He has averaged 4.8 yards per carry and 13.1 yards per reception. his career. In 2022, versus the Brian Daboll-led Giants, he has compiled 91 total yards and two total touchdowns on just 16 touches of the football.

It may be worthwhile to keep tabs on Scott’s odds as an anytime touchdown scorer as the week progresses. The decision to wager on him could result in winnings.

Pro Football Focus has also taken note of Boston Scott’s success against the Giants. The highest single-game grade of his career (80.7) came in a Week 14 matchup with New York in 2019. His highest grade of the 2022 season (75.0) also came in a Week 14 matchup, one that was also played versus the Giants. In that one, he scored one of his three touchdowns of the 2022 season.

Boston Scott has certainly provided evidence as to why he should be featured in the upcoming Divisional Round playoff match. He averages just 2.6 carries per game versus everyone other than the Giants, but during his two games versus New York in 2022, he saw six carries in Week 14 and nine carries in Week 18. He reached paydirt in both contests. That sounds like a winning formula to us.