Arriving in Philadlephia on Christmas Day, the New York Giants were resolved not to allow the Eagles, who had won the previous ten games played in the city, to bully them once more.
The Giants managed to stay in the game, but they were unable to defeat their bitter division opponents for the fourth time in a row. Instead, the Giants, who were down 30-18 at one point, managed to go within five points on Darius Slayton’s 69-yard touchdown catch from Taylor, the longest play from scrimmage by the Giants this season, after getting to within two points thanks to a 76-yard pick-6 by cornerback Adoree’ Jackson.
But following Jake Elliott’s 43-yard field goal for the Eagles, Taylor and the Giants offence were only 26 yards short of victory when, with four seconds remaining in the game, Taylor’s ball intended for Saquon Barkley was intercepted in the end zone by Kelee Ringo.
Even if the Giants’ wishes for the outcome of the game were not fulfilled, they demonstrated resilience against an Eagles squad that has utterly outclassed them in their previous meetings. We’ll see whether that sparks some kind of competitive energy in these next two games, even though it doesn’t help them in the rankings.
Here are some other lessons learned from this week’s match.
Not Very Unique
The Giants’ punt coverage squad facing the league’s top punt returner, Britain Covey, was one of the matchups I discussed before this week’s game.
It appears that my worries were realised. Covey’s first two returns yielded gains of 54 yards and 12 yards on two of Jamie Gillan’s shoddy punts.
These are some additional takeaways from the game this week.
Not Very Distinctive
One of the matchups I talked about prior to this week’s game had the Giants’ punt coverage group going up against Britain Covey, the best punt returner in the league.
My concerns seem to have come true. On his first two returns, Covey gained 54 yards and 12 yards on a pair of poor punts from Jamie Gilla
In any case, by giving the Eagles short fields to work with, Covey’s two long returns helped set up two touchdown drives.
This is the second occasion, for those keeping score at home, that it may be claimed that the Giants’ chances of winning were diminished due to a compromised kicker. In Week 8, New York sent injured left knee centre Graham Gano onto the field against the Jets, but Gano’s condition worsened as the team lost in overtime. Gano had to have season-ending surgery soon after.
This week, the Giants only converted four of 14 third down tries for 28.6 percent (only one of eight in the first half), demonstrating their continued struggles with the play. The unfortunate part is that a number of those blown third down opportunities may have resulted in gains that could have changed the outcome of the game.
During the first quarter, DeVito threw behind tight end Darren Waller, who had plenty of daylight in front of him, on a third-and-seven. During a third-and-four in the third quarter, Barkley, who also had real estate in front of him, was under pressure from Taylor to undercut him. And then, under pressure, Tylor misfired once more on a third-and-one in the fourth quarter
Just think about the possibilities if those three plays had been produced.
Benchmarking by DeVito
Tomy “Cutlets” DeVito’s fanciful tenure as the starting quarterback for the Giants came to an end when Daboll, searching for a spark, yanked him from the game at halftime.
Paradoxically, DeVito’s perfect ball security—which everyone had praised him for ever since he entered the game—was possibly what killed him.
Once more, in response to pressure, DeVito did not turn the ball over or place it in danger. Not only did DeVito pass up some opportunities underneath, but he was also failing to take advantage of the deep ball against a faltering Eagles defensive secondary.
He took one sack and finished 9 of 16 for 55 yards and a long of 14 yards for a 63.3 rating.
Tylor completed 7 of 16 passes for 133 yards, 1 interception, and 1 score. Three of his long passes were to tight end Daniel Bellinger for 49 yards, Slayton for 69 yards, and Waller for 20 yards.
