The last time the Giants won a Super Bowl, they beat a team that claims Boston as its major market.
A running back with the same name now stands in their way.
When most folks consider the 2022 Eagles, they think of Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, Fletcher Cox and a number of other key players. It would take a while before the list reached Boston Scott.
Not for the Giants, at least not this week. Scott's name has been unavoidable because of how much he's achieved against them.
Scott has scored 18 touchdowns in his five-year career. Ten of them have come against the Giants, tying Derrick Henry for the most touchdowns by any player versus a single opponent since 2019. Among other players to do comparable damage against the Giants are two Hall of Famers (Tony Dorsett, John Riggins) and longtime Cowboys star receiver Dez Bryant.
Simply put, Scott spells trouble for the Giants.
"It predates my time here, so I can't answer that," Giants defensive coordinator Don Martindale said Wednesday when asked why Scott has been so successful against them. "You know, he's a good running back. They've got a stable of good running backs. So, I can't answer it."
Scott's success wasn't just in past years, either. In New York's two meetings with Philadelphia this season, Scott has scored two of his three total touchdowns for the 2022 season.
This fact isn't discouraging Martindale, a confident coordinator who is spending the week devising a gameplan to take down the Eagles in New York's biggest game since Super Bowl XLVI.
"I know just cause he scored, I don't think he's a Giant killer," Martindale said.
New York has a monumental task in front of it this weekend: Contain the Eagles' third-ranked offense well enough to give Daniel Jones and the rest of the Giants' offense a chance to keep pace. Martindale's defense hasn't thrived statistically, ranking 25th in total yards allowed per game, but much of the Giants' success has come down to their ability to keep games close and find unorthodox ways to win.
In fact, their win over Minnesota was one of their most normal victories of 2022, a game in which neither team turned the ball over. The Giants won the time of possession battle, though, and did just enough to prevent the Vikings from tying the game in the final minutes. A similar performance would be a surprise against Philadelphia, not because the Giants aren't capable of doing so, but because it would require a subpar showing from the Eagles.
It's up to Martindale to make that a reality. And it might include some extra attention paid to a smaller back who's made a big difference in their past meetings.
