The New York Giants entered the second half leading the Philadelphia Eagles 19-11 with a boat load of momentum and offensive capability. What you might have missed was an ugly Eli Manning interception right before the half that subsequently took three easy points off the board.
The final score was 25-22, with the Eagles pulling out another last second victory. Interestingly enough, Philly won by three points, while the Giants left five on the board in the first-half.
Manning missed a wide-open Rhett Ellison on a two-point conversion after the first drive of the game that resulted in a touchdown. An inexcusable mental lapse. Manning had several mind-blowing mishaps, yet finished the day 26/37, with 297 yards and a touchdown pass.
Running back Saquon Barkley was the featured player in the first half, amassing 16 total touches for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Barkley was tearing apart a weak Eagles defense that was starting only four regular players due to injury. In the last two quarters, Barkley touched the ball just four-times. Only coach Shurmur knows why.
Head coach Pat Shurmur is to blame for the New York Giants loss:
One might come to the conclusion that that Giants simply embraced a loss when considering the difference in play as the game progressed. It was incomparable. Big Blue managed just three points in the second-half after putting up a healthy 19 in the first. Barkley had more overall yards than the entire Eagles offense before he was schemed out.
One player that looked fantastic, though, was tight end Rhett Ellison. The big-body was stellar in the pass-game, filling in for Evan Engram after he suffered a hamstring injury in warm-ups. Ellison finished the day with four catches for 77 yards.
What now for the Giants?
New York is now 3-8 on the season and realistically out of the playoff run. It’s time to being evaluating youth and giving rookie quarterback, Kyle Lauletta, some essential reps. With six weeks left on the year, we can expect to see Manning for at least four more of them. We could be at the end of an era, folks.