The New York Giants lost 38-20 in Philadelphia in an emotionally frustrating matchup on Sunday. Firstly, Cam Skattebo’s ankle injury was devastating for the team and the young man himself. I hope for nothing
but the best for Skattebo in his recovery.
The officiating was atrocious in this game, but it wasn’t the reason for the loss; the Giants lost by 18 points, and Philadelphia’s previous inability to run the ball was nowhere to be found. The Eagles gained 277 yards on the ground with an impressive 8.4 yards per carry. This seemed obvious after the second play for the Eagles’ offense when Saquon Barkley broke off a 65-yard touchdown. He finished with 150 yards rushing on 14 carries, 10.7 per attempt. Backup Tank Bigsby averaged 11.6 yards per carry on nine carries for a total of 104 yards.
The Giants’ inability to fit the run has been a problem all season and was compounded by a secondary without Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland. Philadelphia stretched the Giants’ defense horizontally and ran all over defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s unit. Philadelphia had more yards on the ground than the Giants’ offense had total; the Eagles totaled 427 yards, while the Giants totaled 246.
Below is the report card:
Quarterback
Jaxson Dart had several high-level throws in this game. He finished 14 of 24 for 194 yards and a touchdown. Dart also had a rushing touchdown. He suffered five sacks as well. The statistics don’t represent how well the rookie played on the road in a hostile environment. The dropped third down to Theo Johnson on an out-and-up, as well as the negated 68-yard Darius Slayton touchdown deflated Dart’s box score.
Grade: B+
Running Back
It’s truly gut-wrenching what happened to Skattebo. Prior to his ankle injury, Skattebo rushed three times for 12 yards with one catch for 18 yards and a score.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. filled in admirably for Skattebo, as the Giants leaned on the second-year running back and veteran Devin Singletary. The Giants successfully attacked the Eagles second-level defenders with their backs in the passing game. Skattebo’s touchdown and Devin Singletary’s 28-yard catch set up Graham Gano’s second field goal.
New York finished with just 68 yards on the ground (average of 3.2 YPC). Tracy Jr. had 39 yards on 10 carries (3.9 YPC), and Singletary had no yards on two carries.
Grade: C+
Wide Receiver
The Giants’ wide receivers did little after carving through Philadelphia just two weeks ago. Slayton had a 68-yard touchdown negated by his own offensive pass interference penalty – a questionable penalty against Quinyon Mitchell. Wan’Dale Robinson was MIA, but was called on a phantom block in the back penalty – more on the terrible officiating later.
Atrocious zebras aside, the Giants lost this football game and the receivers were nowhere to be found. Slayton had one impactful catch in the first quarter and had a bad drop on a slant. Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Beaux Collins, and Robinson were not featured much until the Giants were down 38-13 late in the game. Robinson did a good job extending a play late in the game for a 34-yard gain.
Grade: D-
Tight end
New York continued to use a lot of 12 personnel, leaning on both Johnson and Daniel Bellinger, vertically. Bellinger secured a 21-yard pass to set up Graham Gano’s 47-yard field goal (he converted, phew). On that same drive, Johnson dropped an absolute dime on third-and-six that would have given the Giants a first-and-goal. This happens entirely too often for Theo Johnson. To his credit, though, Johnson had several catches in clutch situations during the second half. Unfortunately, Bellinger suffered a neck injury in the third quarter.
Bellinger finished with just one catch (the 21-yarder) and Johnson secured three of four passes for 20 yards; one of his catches was on a beautiful third-and-12 touch pass from a scrambling Dart for a first down. The lone incomplete target was that Johnson drop that would have at least set the Giants up around the Philadelphia 10-yard line.
Grade: C
Offensive Line
The Giants’ offensive line has played well for several weeks, including against a Jalen Carter-less Philadelphia Eagles. That wasn’t necessarily the case against Carter and the Eagles in Week 8. The pass blocking was solid, albeit the Giants did surrender five sacks. Still, the offensive line, as well as Dart’s innate pocket maneuverability, gave the offense several chances to attack downfield. The Giants, however, did not generate much push on the run against the Eagles.
Grade: C
Defensive Line
The Giants were GASHED on the ground. This Giants defense, in general, struggled to corral Barkley and Bigsby. Philadelphia almost gained 300 yards on the ground; missed tackles were prevalent, as were missed run fits and assignments. As for the defensive line, DJ Davidson made a few quality plays. Dexter Lawrence was stymied, and Rakeem Nunez-Roches had a sack. Overall, the defensive line was not the primary reason for the breakdown, but the Eagles controlled the trenches for much of the game.
Grade: C-
Edge
Brian Burns had a sack and the Giants were able to sack Jalen Hurts four times. Abdul Carter had several pressures and impact plays – some of which won’t show up on the stat-sheet. Kayvon Thibodeaux had a few run defense plays that he may want back, but his strip of Hurts should have given the Giants a much-needed breath of fresh air in a tie game during the first half. The edges were not properly set on a few occasions during the gushing. We’ve seen better play from this group.
Grade: C
Linebacker
Darius Muasau failed to get over the top of the double-team that led to Saquon Barkley’s 65-yard touchdown. That was a rough way to start the game, but was also indicative of the Eagles’ inevitable success on the ground. The Giants have struggled to fit the run a lot this season, and better linebacker positioning could have prevented these busted defenses. Better linebacker play would also prevent Tyler Nubin’s deficiencies – speed/quickness – from being constantly exposed by better athletes.
Okereke has had better games, too. He lost Dallas Goedert in man coverage on the tight end’s second touchdown of the game. A rub concept went at Okereke, who lost his balance and responsibility. It wasn’t the best game for the Giants’ run defense, and this linebacker group.
Grade: F
Cornerback
The Giants were without Adebo in the game and Cor’Dale Flott left the game with a concussion after suffering friendly fire from Okereke. Tae Banks and Korie Black played significant snaps for the Giants, the latter of which was just added back to the Giants after signing with the Jets’ practice squad over Big Blue’s earlier this season. Jahan Dotson Mossed Black for a 40-yard touchdown on third-and-6; the coverage was fine, but Dotson just defeated the rookie. Banks was Banks.
Grade: F
Safety
Tyler Nubin was exposed again. He’s athletically limited for a safety and that’s a big vulnerability when the linebacker play is inconsistent, specifically Muasau. Nubin is the last line of defense, coming from depth. It’s a tough spot, but he’s not the primary player at fault – just the one who isn’t gifted enough to overcome mistakes up front.
Dane Belton and Raheem Layne filled in for Holland, who was out with a knee injury. New York was thin in the secondary. Layne had a very nice third-down, plant-and-drive, hit on a deep dig route. Layne’s presence allowed Dane Belton to play closer to the line of scrimmage.
Grade: D-
Special Teams
The Giants’ coverage teams took a noticeable step back. Will Shipley gashed the coverage unit with a 41-yard return in the first half and later tacked on a 32-yard runback that set Philadelphia up at its own 42, before the Eagles’ two-minute warning drive in the first half. Jamie Gillan had a 58-yard punt and averaged 48.5 yards on his four punts, with one pinned inside the 20-yard line. At least Graham Gano made his two field goals.
Grade: C-
Officiating
I don’t usually do this, but it’s warranted. This was one of the worst officiated games I’ve covered. The blown false start penalty that went against Kayvon Thibodeaux; the questionable call against Wan’Dale Robinson that led to Cam Skattebo’s injury; the Darius Slayton offensive pass interference in the fourth quarter that negated a long fourth-and-eleven touchdown after the defender initiated and sustained contact; and then, of course, the tush-push fumble that was…somehow…not a fumble?
The NFL can’t officiate the tush-push. It’s embarrassing. That instance may be the impetus to either ban or significantly clamp down on the tush-push. It’s silly at this point. What are we doing?
The NFL needs to finally address this inconsistency. It’s ridiculous; at the very least, call it correctly. Brad Rogers’ crew officiated the game.
Grade: F
