It was hard to imagine a scenario where the Giants move on to the NFC Championship– but it was all Eagles Saturday night in a 38-7 rout of New York
Philadelphia, PA– Say what you will, the Giants had one of the most spectacular turnarounds in recent NFL history. Having last made the playoffs in 2016, New York had been long removed from the postseason– a hiatus that’s more bitter and cold than the Big Apple’s winter could ever muster up.
2022 marked a new era, a fresh song to implant in the head of New Yorkers everywhere. That change was here. Debut-head coach Brian Daboll had been regarded as the ‘best fat man in New York since Biggie’, backhanded compliments aside and you have yourself an icon. Following 6 seasons of abysmal play, never getting over .500 in the win column, Daboll flipped the switch on an unlikely New York team that made it two rounds deep.
It wasn’t easy, plenty of facets of the Giants were in shambles or needed serious remodeling. The issue of no true receivers; still reeling off a free agent bust in Kenny Golladay who the Giants are set to play $72,000,000 to throughout his contract, the receiver room was depleted and relatively unknown. Draft star Kadarius Toney demanded a trade and got out of Dodge midseason via a trade to the Kansas City Chiefs, essentially eliminating a major speed weapon from the offense.
Daniel Jones was on a prove it contract after 4 mediocre seasons as the Giants’ quarterback. A former 1st round pick out of Duke, the Giants were nearing their original contract tender with Jones, meaning it was show it off now or his time was up.
Yet, the Giants dealt up a surprising 9-7-1 record through the regular season and snuck their way in to the 6th seed of the playoffs. Even then, they were considered major underdogs versus Minnesota in their Wild Card matchup, in which they won a decisive 34-27 victory over the Vikings. Going into Saturday’s game, the Giants were considered once again underdogs, this time facing a taller task. Reminiscent of David and Goliath, the name Giants was more of an oxymoron sobriquet rather than a representation of what the team was.
A LOOK BACK: How Isaiah Hodgins and a Cast of Unlikely Wide Receivers Became the Stars of the Show Against Minnesota
Then came the drubbing. The Eagles slaughtered the Giants in look-away primetime playoff fashion. An establishing 38-7 victory put the Eagles in prime position and as a favorite in many eyes as the distinct favorite to win the final two games of the NFL season.
The Giants’ woes continued, this time were even more exemplified. The lack of wide receiver production showed, with WR1 Darius Slayton silenced all night, held to 1 catch for 4 yards. Utility receiver Richie James was New York’s leading pass catcher of the night with 7 grabs for 51 yards. A statline which won’t win many games, especially against a stout Eagles’ passing defense.
Jones’ production came to a screeching halt when he faced a stifling secondary which forced him to throw for less than 150 yards for only the second time this season. Jones also threw an appalling interception on a drag route which seemed to be covered from the getgo, making fans scratch their heads.
The Giants have a lot to look forward to, as they seem to finally have a competent head coach who understands the program. Nevertheless, Jones’ immediate future falls into limbo despite setting career highs for nearly every QB category in 2022.
“I mean, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Jones said after the game. “I’ve really enjoyed playing here. I appreciate all those guys in the locker room. It’s a special group of guys. And I really enjoyed being a part of it. We’ll figure out where that goes, but I have nothing but love and respect for this organization and the guys in the locker room.
“I think we’ll get into that down the road. I think at this point this is still very fresh — this season, this loss. We’ll take some time to regroup and think about that going forward.”
On the other hand, the Eagles completely took over with all cylinders on offense firing at full go. Jalen Hurts returned to his MVP self and Nick Sirianni’s offense looks near-unstoppable. Hurts’ weapons also played lights out, finding Devonta Smith and offseason acquisition AJ Brown easily by slicing through a still-developing New York secondary. Miles Sanders was let loose, with Philly’s All-Pro line moving defenders like they were 2-lb weights at your local Planet Fitness. Sanders and Kenneth Gainwell teamed up to rush for over 268 yards on the ground, with Gainwell accounting for 112 of that by himself.
The Eagles’ offense looks like it’s a work of art, a double-edged sword that is looking to slash anyone that comes its way. Philadelphia gears up to go to its second NFC Championship game in 5 years, the last one being the year Nick Foles and Co. took down Tom Brady and the Patriots. The Eagles are dangerous, and it’ll be interesting to see how much deeper Sirianni can take them.
