The New York Giants played their best game of the season in their last game of the season as they thoroughly dominated the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10.
Although the 2023 season will be remembered as a huge disappointment, it ended on a high note as they defeated the Eagles for the first time in the Brian Daboll/Joe Schoen regime and finished the season 3-3 in the NFC East.
Several questions are hovering over the team as they head into the offseason. The front office will need to make key decisions on which direction to go in the draft and if they’ll bring back Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney.
But for right now we’ll take a look at the three biggest takeaways from the Giants’ most impressive performance of the 2023 season.
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Brian Daboll had his team motivated and ready
Sometimes, in the season finale, a team can give a lackluster performance and start off the game lethargic. But that wasn’t the case for the Giants on Sunday. Despite being eliminated from playoff contention weeks ago, the team played with passion and energy.
New York raced out to a 24-0 halftime lead and was dominant in all three phases of the game. They outgained Philadelphia 272 to 102, had a 14-5 edge in first downs, and forced three turnovers.
Perhaps what was most impressive of the first 30 minutes of the game, was that New York scored touchdowns on three consecutive possessions. If there were doubts about whether head coach Brian Daboll still had command of his team, he and his team erased them by having their best performance of the season.
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Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney made a lasting impression
As we mentioned previously, the front office will need to make some key decisions regarding two of their best players, Saquon Barkley and safety Xavier McKinney. Both will be free agents, and both played pivotal roles in Sunday’s victory.
Barkley would score the first two touchdowns of the game on a two-yard and three-yard runs. But he made his most explosive play of the game right before halftime as he hauled in a 46-yard reception that set up a 19-yard touchdown reception by Darius Slayton on the next play to extend New York’s lead to 24-0.
Although he had a modest game running the ball gaining just 46 yards on 18 carries, he showed that he can make an explosive play at any moment.
McKinney came into this game with just one interception on the season, but the 25-year-old safety doubled that number on Sunday as he intercepted Jalen Hurts and Marcus Mariota on consecutive possessions in the second quarter. McKinney also had six tackles and defended 3 passes on the afternoon.
Right now, it’s 50/50 if both will be back with New York next season. If this turns out to be their swan song with the Giants, at least they left on a high note.
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The offense flows better with Tyrod Taylor at quarterback
Due to injuries, the Giants had a quarterback carousel at quarterback this season between Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor, and Tommy DeVito.
Against the Eagles on Sunday, Tyrod Taylor once again showed that the offense flows better when he’s behind center. The 34-year-old quarterback had arguably the best game of the season, completing 23 out of 32 passes for 297 yards with a touchdown and interception. He also gained 38 yards on the ground, and despite being under pressure all game, he was sacked only once.
The fact that he was able to engineer three touchdown drives of 73, 55, and 48 yards showed that he had full command of the offense.
While the future of Barkley and McKinney is up in the air, this will be Taylor’s last game with Big Blue. He’s a free agent who will turn 35 in August, and with Jones and DeVito on the roster and the team possibly taking a quarterback with the sixth pick in the draft, there just isn’t room for Taylor to be on the team next season.
