The New York Giants put up a good fight on Christmas night, but it still wasn’t enough to end their nine-year losing streak in Philadelphia as they were defeated by the Eagles 33-25.
With the loss, New York drops to 5-10 and marks the eighth time in the last ten seasons that they’ve had double-digit losses. But if you want to find any solace in the team losing another game in the city of Brotherly Love, it’s that they’ve moved up to the fifth pick in the draft.
The loss was a microcosm of issues that have plagued the franchise for most of the last decade. Here are the top three takeaways from another defeat at the hands of the Eagles.
Too many missed tackles
New York’s tackling on Monday afternoon was abysmal. Not only were Philadelphia’s running backs and receivers able to break free of tackles with ease, but the special teams unit missed several tackles on Britain Covey’s 54-yard punt return in the first quarter. It was difficult to keep track of all of the missed tackles that occurred throughout the game.
The Eagles gained 170 yards on the ground on 35 carries, and a good portion of these yards came after contact. Players will tell you that tackling is all about technique and effort. Well, New York showed poor technique and effort on Monday.
There’s no stability at the quarterback position
After completing 9 out of 16 passes for 55 yards in the first half and the team trailing 20-3, Tommy DeVito was pulled in favor of Tyrod Taylor to start the second half. Head coach Brian Daboll said after the game that he was hoping the switch would provide a spark to the offense.
However, aside from Taylor’s 69-yard touchdown to Darius Slayton in the 4th quarter, the passing game still struggled. Taylor completed 7 out of 16 passes for 133 yards but misfired on two passes to Saquon Barkley and Darren Waller that would have gone for long gains.
The quarterback switch underlines the glaring issue that the team does not have any stability at the quarterback position. In the offseason, they gave Daniel Jones a four-year $160 million contract with the hope that he would continue with the progression he made last season. But Jones regressed and then was lost for the season in Week 9 with a torn ACL.
Some thought following New York’s wins against the Commanders, Patriots, and Packers, that DeVito could be the answer at quarterback, or at least compete with Jones in training camp to be the starter. It’s unlikely Taylor will be with the team next season since he’s a free agent and with the team on the verge of having a top-five pick in the draft. With a pick that high, they have to consider taking one of the top quarterback prospects, which means it’s anybody’s guess who will be under center in Week 1 of next season.
Related: See where Jalen Hurts and Tommy DeVito land in Sportsnaut’s NFL QB Rankings
They haven’t closed the gap between the Eagles and the Cowboys
At the very least, fans were expecting New York to close the gap between them and the Eagles and Cowboys. But in their three games this season against their division rivals, the Giants have been outscored 122-42.
Although the team could have tied the game on a two-point conversion if Taylor’s pass as time expired was a touchdown instead of an interception, it was clear the Eagles were the much better team. The margin of Monday’s defeat would have been wider if not for Adoree’ Jackson’s 76-yard pick-six and the Giants converting on the Eagles fumbling the second-half kickoff into Saquon Barkley’s seven-yard touchdown run.
With all of the issues that continue to persist with this team, you can expect major changes to the roster this offseason.
