Christmas Day did not go as planned for the New York Giants as they endured a 25–33 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles on the road. The Giants fell to 5-10 on the season with three games left to play before the 2024 offseason.
The G-Men made the game competitive but ultimately fell short of the upset victory. As head coach Brian Daboll and his staff reflect on their latest loss, there are some crucial takeaways they can draw from the game.
The Giants are not a playoff team
With this loss, the Giants have been officially eliminated from playoff contention. They were hanging on by the skin of their teeth in the playoff hunt after a three-game winning streak from Week 11 to Week 14, but their recent two-game losing skid has officially ended all hopes for Big Blue.
General manager Joe Schoen has plenty of work to do in the offseason. This game highlighted, once again, the lack of depth and game-changing talent on the roster. The Eagles’ playmakers in all three facets of the game stood out and overpowered those of New York. This offseason, it will be crucial for Schoen to add talent in an effort to close the gap between the Giants and the other top teams in the NFC East.
The QB of the future is not on the current active roster
The Tommy Cutlets era has come to an end. DeVito was benched midway through Monday night’s matchup in favor of veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Both players have had their spurts of highlights, although, neither one will make a compelling case for the team’s starting job next season.
Starting QB Daniel Jones is on injured reserve with a torn ACL and has no clear timetable for return. His future with the team is shrouded in doubt as Jones’ inconsistent performances and abundance of injuries have begun piling up. But between the two quarterbacks on the active roster, there seems to be no long-term starter available.
This offseason, the Giants will need to decide whether or not they want to continue with Jones as their quarterback of the future or target a rookie talent in the upcoming draft class to build around.
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The Giants’ defense is the team’s best unit
The Giants’ offense and special teams have been disastrous this season. All year long, their matchups have been tanked by putrid offensive outings and shockingly bad special teams plays. However, the defense kept New York’s season alive for much longer than expected and once again demonstrated its potential for prominence against the Eagles.
Philadelphia did manage to hang 33 points on Big Blue and ultimately control the clock to win the game. But the Giants’ defense turned in a solid performance versus a talented Eagles offense.
The Giants’ defense was responsible for six points on an Adoree’ Jackson pick-six and forced two turnovers in the game. While there is still clearly a talent gap between the G-Men’s defense and the Eagles’ offense, the highlights of the game and the season from New York’s defense reinforce the need to retain defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.
There are a number of impressive talents on the defensive side of the ball for the Giants. Adding a few more defensive pieces to the mix while improving the offense and special teams could result in a far more successful 2024 campaign.
