Woes Continue as Giants let Their Worst Mistake Come Back to Haunt Them

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ. – No one said being a Giants fan was easy, and it’s definitely not getting any easier.

The Week 7 matchup between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium turned into a dominant performance by the Eagles, thanks largely to Saquon Barkley. In his first game back against his former team, Barkley spearheaded a 28-3 blowout, rushing for 176 yards and a touchdown.

Credit to Bill Kostroun for the NY Post
Credit to Evan Pinkus for the New York Giants

The Giants’ offense struggled to find any rhythm, with quarterback Daniel Jones getting sacked four times and held to 99 passing yards. The Giants’ lone scoring drive resulted in a field goal, showcasing their offensive limitations.

Barkley, facing boos from the crowd that once adored him, delivered an explosive game reminiscent of his prime days in New York. His 32-yard run in the second quarter set the tone, helping the Eagles dominate in time of possession and yardage.

Despite the awkward return to his old home, Barkley kept his composure, thanking his former teammates and emphasizing his commitment to his new team in Philadelphia.

On the defensive side, the Eagles imposed their will, stifling the Giants’ rushing attack and limiting running back Tyrone Tracy to 23 yards.

Giants’ top defender Dexter Lawrence managed to make a few key stops, but overall, New York’s defense was unable to contain the multifaceted Eagles’ offense. Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts played efficiently, completing 10 of 14 passes for 114 yards.

Daniel Jones on the other hand, didn’t even make it out of the game. Jones went 14 for 21 and finished with under 100 yards before being replaced by Drew Lock, an interesting decision made by Brian Daboll to do in order to find a spark on the offense that never ended up showing up.

However, Daboll has put down any speculation and rumors that Jones will be benched against the Steelers next Monday.

The loss adds to the Giants’ woes in what has been a difficult season. With multiple key players sidelined and a growing number of offensive line issues, New York has fallen further behind in the NFC East standings as they’re now in last.

The Giants’ 2-4 record is indicative of their larger struggles, particularly in generating offense and protecting their quarterbacks, a trend evident in their poor third-down efficiency and overall lack of yardage.

For the Eagles, this victory solidified their control over the division, while for the Giants, it was a bitter reminder of how far they’ve fallen since their last playoff appearance. Despite the emotional element of Barkley’s return, the Eagles’ dominant win highlighted the gap between the two teams.

Take it Away…

Saquon’s Homecoming: Returning to face the Giants, Barkley was explosive, consistently breaking off big runs and showing why he’s one of the NFL’s elite running backs. His 32-yard burst in the second quarter set the tone for the Eagles’ offensive success. Despite being booed by his former fanbase and seeing his Giants jersey burned before the game, Barkley remained composed and delivered a dominant performance.

https://twitter.com/Eagles/status/1848059922396672379/video/1

Eagles’ Balance: While Barkley stole the spotlight, the Eagles’ offense as a whole was efficient and balanced. Jalen Hurts, who didn’t need to do too much, completed 10 of 14 passes for 114 yards, and Philadelphia controlled the clock with a strong run game, amassing 269 yards on the ground. The Eagles’ methodical offense wore down the Giants’ defense, allowing them to pull away early and never look back.

Giants’ Defensive Woes: The Giants’ defense had no answers for Barkley or the Eagles’ running game, giving up chunk plays throughout the contest. Dexter Lawrence and the front seven tried to pressure Hurts but were often outmatched. The secondary also struggled, allowing Hurts to find open receivers for key first downs that kept drives alive.

Saquon’s Dream was a Mara Nightmare

If you are Giants owner John Mara, you are essentially living through a never-ending nightmare. His $40 million quarterback cannot function at home, and was not happy that he got benched for Drew Lock, because Brian Daboll was looking for a meaningless spark that never came.

The franchise running back he didn’t want to part with but his general manager did to build up the trenches which definitely has not worked out they way he thought it would was literally the best player on the field on Sunday.

During the Hard Knocks special over summer which highlighted a rollercoaster Giants organization, caught John Mara saying that he’d have “many sleepless nights” if Barkley were to leave and end up with a rival team, safe to say Mara should take some melatonin for the next couple of weeks to forget about this past weekend.

For the GM that he hired to replace Dave Gettleman a few years ago, Joe Schoen will be haunted by paying Daniel Jones over Barkley.

Is This the Beginning of the End?

This loss further compounds the Giants’ dismal season. Now sitting at 2-4, New York has seen injuries ravage their quarterback room and offensive line. Drew Lock’s substitute performance did little to inspire confidence or light a spark after replacing Jones late in the game, and the offense continues to struggle to find an identity. Head coach Brian Daboll will need to make significant adjustments to avoid a complete spiral in the second half of the season.

Things have looked bleak for Daniel Jones, who is on the last year of his massive contract extension. For the fourth time this season, Jones had failed to throw a touchdown pass, and it marked a second consecutive underwhelming week after the 27-year-old, who missed most of last season with a neck injury and an ACL tear, made some strides in wins against the Browns and Bengals, while falling just a late touchdown drive short of potentially upsetting the Cowboys.

Jones has been the Giants’ starter since being drafted as the No. 6 pick in the 2019 NFL draft. The Giants have experienced one winning season since, and this appears destined to be another lost campaign, as well.

To make things worse, The Giants are winless in four games at home and have scored one touchdown in those four games.

What’s Next?

For the Giants, their schedule doesn’t get any easier. Their next game is against a heating up Pittsburgh Steelers team. With an ever struggling Daniel Jones at the helm, they’ll need to improve both in pass protection and the run game if they hope to be competitive.

The game served as a reminder of the stark contrast between the two franchises. While the Eagles are soaring and clicking on all fronts and could potentially find themselves with another deep playoff run, the Giants are searching for answers in a season slipping away. For New York, the rest of the season will be about damage control and figuring out how to rebuild for the future​ as they go into another year of the forever rebuild project that started at the end of a nightmare 2017 season that saw them go 3-13 after a magical run to the playoffs for the first time since their 2012 Super Bowl win the season before in 2016.