Takeaways from the New York Giants' Week 16 Loss
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Another week, another pitiful performance. The New York Giants fell to their hated rivals the Philadelphia Eagles 34-10 at Lincoln. It was a ugly performance for the Giants as they can't muster much offense to speak of. The first half was inspired and the second was a snooze fest for the Giants' faithful.
The Giants were officially eliminated from the playoffs for the 9th time in the last 10 years. But word broke out that the team is planning to retain head coach Joe Judge and QB Daniel Jones. On to the game breakdown.
Do we have to give Jones a little more credit?
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Jake Fromm made his first start in the NFL and showed why he wasn’t regarded as a starter in this league. Fromm was just terrible as he looked lost and overmatched. I told all the fans that wanted him to be the starter after his week 14 performance to be easy. He ran scripted plays against a shell defense that didn’t take a week to game plan for him. Fromm finished 6 of 17 for 25 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INTs and a 19.5 passer rating.
Fromm didn’t get any help as the WRs were dropping passes left and right. But the moment of his first NFL start was too much for him which is unfortunate. Fromm just couldn’t process through the progressions and left a lot of plays on the table.
Mike Glennon is equally awful as a quarterback. He is just not a good backup quarterback as the Giants were better off keeping Colt McCoy. Glennon completed 17 of 27 passes in relief of Fromm, but he passed for just 93 yards on the day as he was hitting short passes. Glennon just can ‘t process fast enough to make plays down the field.
After watching these two guys struggle so much, it’s showing that Daniel Jones might actually be better. I know it’s not ideal to have Jones as the starter next season, but there aren’t many options. We have no cap space to make a move without giving up draft capital. I would take him back on a one year flyer and take my chances. At least the offense had a little life with him under center.
The defense played one solid half off football.
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The Giants defense has done all it can to keep this team in ball games, but the second half saw the dam break. The defense was helped out by a lackluster offensive half from the Eagles as their miss-ques all half. The dropped passes, fumbles and a missed field goal did more to keep the Giants in the game. The score was 3-3 at halftime with the Eagles not clicking on offense. The Giants then yielded 31 points in the second half as the defense was just on the field too much.
The Eagles possessions in the first half went punt, punt, punt, punt, missed field goal, field goal. I thought we might have set a record for 3-and-outs in a half. The defense was doing everything it could in the first half, but the first two Eagles possessions of the second half began at the Giants’ 21-yard line thanks to turnovers. The rout was on from there as the offense can’t match touchdowns with anyone right now.
Safety Logan Ryan finished the game with a team-high grade of 80.5 courtesy of Pro Football Focus. Also CBs James Bradberry (75.1) and Jarren Williams (74.4), LB Lorenzo Carter (66.5), Leonard Williams (60.8) and linebacker Jaylon Smith (52.8) got solid grades on defense for the Giants.
Lorenzo Carter is the only Giant who had a solid day. Carter had his second strip-sack in 2 games. Carter added a pass defended plus a quarterback hit. Carter was an afterthought with Quincy Roche and Azeez Ojulari playing so well on the edge. But Carter has 3.0 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in the last two games. The Giants still need dominant edge rushers in the upcoming draft that is full of them. But perhap Carter can be of use yet for Big Blue.
The running game is a QB’s best friend but isn’t helping anyone.
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The running game is clearly a mess as both Saquon Barkley and Devontae Booker couldn’t get it going. The inconsistent run blocking from this line has crushed any hope for a run game. There was nowhere for star RB Barkley (15 carries, 32 yards) or backup Devontae Booker (6 carries, 27 yards) to run.
Andrew Thomas is the only lineman I would consider bringing back and Billy Price ok enough to have as a backup. But after that, it’s hard to watch this line operate. Matt Peart left the game with an injury and Nate Solder was already out. Both running backs are stopped in the backfield as soon as they get the handoff and before they have a chance to make plays.
Everyone will say that Booker outplayed Barkley on Sunday. There were at least two plays where Barkley had some open field to run wild. But Barkley was tripped up from behind, there was a time when that never happened. Booker had a better average per carry because he’s a different style runner. He is a slasher and Barkley is a home run hitter. The fans that think Booker is better clearly don’t know football. We need a line and scheme that fits our star running back. Garrett wanted to use Barkley like he did Ezekiel Elliot in Dallas, that was a mistake. We need a coordinator that can figure this out.
The offensive MVP is our kicker
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Graham Gano is in my opinion the only player that should’ve been considered for the Pro Bowl from the New York Giants. This team would be putting up goose eggs if not for Gano. Gano added a 54-yard field goal in the first half that split the uprights. Gano has tallied 7 field goals from beyond 50 yards this season, which is a Giants franchise record. He also has 12 field goals from 50+ yard, also a franchise record. This guy was replacing a former Pro Bowler in Aldrick Rosas, and he has done a terrific job. If anyone deserves a place in Hawaii this season to represent the Giants, it’s Gano.
