What an embarrassing afternoon for the New York Giants. Big Blue has sunk to 2-5 on the season following an abysmal outing against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7. Ex-Giants running back Saquon Barkley made his return to the stadium as a member of the Eagles and had a game to remember, punishing the G-Men with a 28–3 loss.
Daniel Jones finally got sent to the bench
Late in the game with the Eagles possessing an insurmountable lead, the Giants finally made the decision to pull starting quarterback Daniel Jones from the game. Backup Drew Lock played out the final 11 minutes, completing three passes on eight attempts for six yards. Jones finished the day with 14 completions on 21 attempts for 99 yards.
Head coach Brian Daboll told the media that he made the move in an effort to “spark” the offense. However, Jones will continue to be the starting quarterback going forward.
Saquon Barkley had a field day in his return to MetLife Stadium
The long-awaited return of Barkley to the Big Apple did not go as planned for Big Blue. They surrendered 176 yards rushing and one touchdown to Barkley on 17 attempts. He also added two receptions for 11 yards, giving him 187 all-purpose yards in the contest.
Barkley said it would not be a revenge game for him prior to the matchup, but he sure looked like he was out for blood. He made the Giants pay on Sunday and could be the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Week following his electric performance.
Dexter Lawrence still looks like a top contender for DPOTY
Despite the Giants’ shortcomings on Sunday, star DT Dexter Lawrence continued his season of dominance. He tallied two more sacks, giving him a career-high with nine through seven games. His nine sacks also lead the NFL. Lawrence is looking like a shoo-in for first-team All-Pro honors at the end of the season and could even wind up the Defensive Player of the Year if he keeps this up.
The Giants are getting increasingly banged up
New York had several players missing from the lineup or playing through injuries entering this contest. Things went from bad to worse. Star pass-rusher Brian Burns had to leave the game due to an injury after missing practice all week. He was listed with a groin injury entering the game and could now be a candidate to miss some time due to the injury.
What happened to the Giants’ rushing attack?
The Giants’ rushing offense has had some high moments this season. Week 7 was not one of them. They combined for just 76 rushing yards as a team with their leading rusher being the rookie RB Tyrone Tracy Jr., who managed just 23 yards on the ground. The Giants’ offense needs a more productive ground game.
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The offensive line cannot overcome its injuries
During the week, the Giants were given bad news as it was reported that LT Andrew Thomas would be done for the season after undergoing season-ending foot surgery. With him on injured reserve, the Giants plugged in third-year offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu, and he went on to turn in a pitiful performance.
Jones and Lock were under constant duress. The Eagles’ defense totaled eight sacks in the contest and consistently got the better of the Giants’ offensive line.
Looking ahead to Week 8 against the Pittsburgh Steelers
The Giants will be back on primetime next weekend as they face the 4-2 Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night. The Steelers have arguably the best defense in the NFL and the Giants have one of the worst offenses in the league. This will be another challenging contest for New York. But at least the Yankees are in the World Series.
