Thursday’s 34-17 victory was a statement win for the New York Giants against a Philadelphia Eagles’ team that has recently dominated the matchup. New York found ample energy with their dynamic duo of rookies,
Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo. New York turned the football over five times against the Saints in Week 5. They protected the football four days later against the Eagles and won the turnover battle, 2-0. Dane Belton punched the football out of the grasp of A.J. Dillon and Cor’Dale Flott picked off Jalen Hurts when the game was still within reach.
The Giants won the turnover battle, outgained, out-possessed, and they were efficient on third down and in the red zone. A dominant performance by a Giants’ team who rarely does that – especially against a divisional foe. Here is the report card from the Giants’ 34-17 victory.
Quarterback
For the third week in a row, Jaxson Dart led a touchdown on his opening drive. Dart led three first-half touchdowns, effectively using his legs and punishing the Eagles defense. Dart was composed, comfortable and threw with anticipation and touch on several occasions. Dart finished 17 of 25 for 195 yards with a rushing and passing touchdown; he added 58 yards on the ground. Dart was exceptional as he led the Giants to an 11 of 16 third-down conversion rate.
Grade: A
Running Back
The Giants used all three of their backs with the return of Tyrone Tracy Jr. Skattebo continued his physical running style with a SKAT HAT TRICK! Three touchdowns for the rookie back. The Giants also used more PONY (21 personnel) package with two running backs in the backfield; they sprung a few runs off the look and added an element of misdirection and RPOs with that personnel.
Skattebo finished with 98 yards on 19 carries (5.2 YPC) with his three touchdowns. He had two catches for 12 yards. Tracy Jr. only had four rushes for six yards. Devin Singletary had three carries for ten yards.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver
Welcome to the lineup, Lil’ Jordan Humphrey. He finished with four catches for 55 yards on eight targets. The Giants were without Darius Slayton on top of missing Malik Nabers, and the veteran receiver made his presence felt on a third-and-twelve 34 yard grab on the Giants first drive. He did, though, commit a false start that put the Giants in that position and he dropped a DIME of a pass from Dart later in the game that would have resulted in a touchdown. Nevertheless, his presence was important, as his blocking helped Wan’Dale Robinson secure his touchdown and he drew an illegal contact penalty in the third quarter. Robinson finished with six catches for 84 yards with a touchdown.
Robinson played an important role in the victory. His massive third and short catch at the end of the third quarter helped the Giants possess the football with a ten point lead. Jalin Hyatt was featured at the end of the second half with two consecutive catches, one was a crucial one for a first down – a tough contested one, at that. Hyatt finished with three catches for 17 yards on five targets. The two he did not secure were catchable passes. Only Robinson, Hyatt, and Humphries were targeted in the receiver room.
Grade: B
Tight End
Theo Johnson had a few early errors. He’s uncoordinated and not a fluid athlete, which leads to him being slow out of his breaks, among other mistakes. His third-and-2 drop led to a three-and-out punt to start the second half. Johnson needs to play to his potential; great throw by Dart, though. Johnson did secure a quality 22-yard pass from Dart in the third quarter.
Johnson’s effectiveness did shine as a blocker, as did Daniel Bellinger and Chris Manhertz when the Giants were in 13 personnel. New York employed 12 personnel at a 47% rate in the first half. Bellinger did not draw a target, and Theo Johnson finished with two catches for 27 yards.
Grade: B
Offensive Line
The Giants line may have sighed in relief when it was confirmed that star pass rusher Jalen Carter would miss the game for Philadelphia. Still, the Giants were up against a tough foe coordinated by one of the best defensive minds in the league, Vic Fangio. The Giants offensive line adapted well to Dart’s extemporizations and extensions of the play in the pocket. The blocking, overall, was solid in pass protection and they were creating space for the Giants’ running backs. Another quality performance by the unit since the return of Andrew Thomas. The absence of John Michael Schmitz did not destroy the offensive line, as Austin Schlottmann filled in.
Grade: A
Defensive Line
The Eagles got away from the run early in the game after Saquon Barkley started the game with 30 yards on two rushes. It appeared like it would be a long day for the Giants’ defense, but New York solidified up front and maintained their gap assignments well. The Eagles have a strong offensive line, but the Giants were not bullied around up front. Good job by the Giants’ defensive line.
Grade: B+
EDGE
The trio of Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Abdul Carter continued to impose their will on opponents. This offensive line, however, did a good overall job allowing Jalen Hurts to have time…most of the time. Burns came away with two third down sacks. There were moments throughout the game where Hurts had time to throw the football. Still, big plays were made by the big three in both the run and pass phase of the game.
Grade: A-
Linebacker
The Eagles attempted to spread the Giants out and exploit their zone approach by having A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith in the slot, matched up against Bobby Okereke and Darius Muasau. It worked a few times, but overall the Giants linebackers were physical and rallied quick to tackle Saquon Barkley. The linebackers were aware and in the vicinity of targets when in zone. Overall, they performed well and helped slow down a talented, albeit underperforming, Eagles’ offense.
Grade: B+
Cornerback
Cor’Dale Flott had his career moment with a game-sealing interception in the fourth quarter. The Giants cornerbacks had a pair of tough assignments guarding AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. Even when they were in good coverage, these star receivers were able to haul in the football. Philadelphia’s passing attack struggled mightily all season; they were finding a rhythm throughout this matchup. Shane Bowen played a lot more zone coverage on the backend to combat the presence of Brown and Smith. Hurts overthrew Smith on a blown coverage that could have flipped the game, but, lucky for Cor’Dale Flott, the ball went incomplete. Adebo took a tough defensive pass interference at the start of the fourth quarter as well.
Grade: B+
Safety
Jevon Holland had a nice pass breakup against Saquon Barkley in the end zone in the first half. Both Holland and Nubin seemed to execute their assignments well; the latter may have been late on the DeVonta Smith drag route in the first half that resulted in a first down on third down; however, I’m unsure of the play’s rules for that specific coverage. I also believe the blown coverage against Smith that went incomplete was more on Cor’Dale Flott than Holland, who was the middle of the field closed safety on the play. There did seem to be a miscommunication between Dane Belton and Jevon Holland on Goedert’s 33-yard catch in the fourth quarter; however, Belton made up for it on the very next play by forcing a fumble against A.J. Dillon.
Grade: B+
Special Teams
A terrible start for the special teams on the Giants’ opening kickoff as Jamie Gillan failed to kick the ball into the landing zone, resulting in the Eagles offense starting their opening drive at the 40-yard line. Gunner Olszewski, though, started the Giants’ possession with an elite return to the Giants’ 45-yard line.
Olszewski had several good returns that positioned the Giants in advantageous situations. Jude McAtamney, though, missed an extra point after the second touchdown, which was unfortunate. Overall, the Giants special teams’ unit was competent, as they’ve been over the last few weeks.
Grade: B
