Eagles, Giants playing for right to avoid playing in London

With so much of the NFL playoff picture decided, it’s tempting to write off Week 17 as a mere speedbump before the postseason or offseason, depending on the team. But it turns out that the would-be meaningless divisional matchup between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles holds some weight after all: the right to avoid traveling to London next year.

The 2016 season will feature six (!) London games, and one of those will pit the third-place team in the NFC East against the corresponding team in the NFC West. With the St. Louis Rams locked into one of the slots, and both the Eagles and Giants sitting at 6-9, the loser of Sunday’s game will be packing their bags to cross the pond, as the New York Daily News notes.

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Of course, winning the game isn’t exactly a guarantee of an easy date. The second-place team gets to face the Seahawks in Seattle. But at least that team won’t have to pack passports (or toilet paper, as the Jets did prior to their trip to England this year). The London trips build the NFL’s brand and are a welcome extra game on the NFL freak’s viewing schedule when they show up at 9:00 a.m. Eastern, but teams must undergo herculean logistics challenges and work through practice-day disruptions and significant travel hurdles. Serving as a football ambassador is nice, but for most teams, playing stateside is more welcome.

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