Giants @ Eagles
Final Score: Eagles 34, Giants 10
Writer: Dan Adams (@dadams0323 on Twitter)
The Eagles came into this game needing a win to keep their playoff dreams alive and the Giants were using this game to evaluate their third-string quarterback, Jake Fromm. Naturally, this game was tied 3-3 at halftime after a half where neither offense looked ready to play in an NFL game. The second half started off with a Fromm interception which led both to the Eagles taking a lead they would never relinquish, and the Giants opting to bench Fromm for Mike Glennon. Glennon was bad too, and once the Eagles recommitted to the run in the second half this game quickly became uncompetitive. Philadelphia managed just 324 yards of offense but was able to score 34 points thanks to a pick-six and frequently starting drives with short fields. The Giants added a late touchdown but were otherwise completely overmatched on offense. The Eagles won 34-10 and stay firmly in the playoff hunt.
The vibes are immaculate in South Philly right now!#NYGvsPHI | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/ufMspfdFaF
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 26, 2021
New York Giants
Quarterback
Jake Fromm: 6/17, 25 yards, INT, 2 Sacks, Fumble | 3 carries, 12 yards
Mike Glennon: 17/27, 93 yards, TD, INT | 2 carries, 11 yards
Jake Fromm got the start for the Giants but only lasted into the third quarter before being benched for Mike Glennon. Fromm didn’t look ready for the NFL and struggled to get the ball out on time. His completions came on screens and check-downs, and his intermediate and deep throws did not look to be NFL caliber. His interception came on a play where he held the ball too long and didn’t seem to feel the pressure that was coming right up the middle. Fromm was hit as he threw, leading to an easy catch and return for the defensive back.
Come thruuuuuu, @Rodney_McLeod4!#NYGvsPHI | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/zx08f5isiY
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 26, 2021
Apparently, that throw was one bad one too many for the Giants as they then benched Fromm and put Glennon in. Glennon, the quarterback who had been benched for Fromm earlier in the week, was unsurprisingly not much of an upgrade. Glennon was able to pad his stats in garbage time but make no mistake this offense continued to look bad with him under center. Glennon’s pick wasn’t really his fault as he hit the receiver in the hands only for a Philadelphia defender to blow the play up and the ball to land right in the hands of an Eagles’ linebacker for a pick-six.
.@Rodney_McLeod4 with the deflection and @alexsingleton49 with the pick-6!#NYGvsPHI | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/y9Q72aO2qU
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 26, 2021
Glennon threw a late touchdown to Evan Engram to make the final score a little more respectable, but it wasn’t enough to inspire any confidence in this offense going forward.
Mike Glennon to Evan Engram garbage time touchdown. pic.twitter.com/DJY61FaRgt
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) December 26, 2021
Running Backs
Saquon Barkley: 15 carries, 32 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, -4 yards
Devonte Booker: 6 carries, 27 yards | 4 targets, 4 receptions, 19 yards
Elijah Penny: 1 carry, 2 yards | 4 targets, 4 receptions, 18 yards
The Giants’ offensive line got pushed around when they tried to run the ball which made it a tough day for Saquon Barkley. Barkley had nowhere to run and wasn’t able to make anyone miss in the backfield. It was strange that the Giants didn’t try to use Barkley more as a receiver since all they could do was throw it short and he is one of their best playmakers, but they opted to mostly use him on runs up the middle. Devonte Booker was the primary backup to Barkley and had a little more success finding holes, but a lot of that seemed to be due to less defensive focus on stopping the run when Barkley was off the field. Elijah Penny got some work in garbage time but didn’t factor in while the game was competitive.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Kadarius Toney: 9 targets, 4 receptions, 28 yards
Kenny Golladay: 8 targets, 3 receptions, 22 yards
Darius Slayton: 5 targets, 1 reception, 7 yards
Evan Engram: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 17 yards, TD
Tough day for the Giants receivers thanks to the struggles of their quarterbacks. Kadarius Toney was the target on Glennon’s interception and in an ideal world, he wouldn’t have allowed the defender to get to the ball. Kenny Golladay was the target on Fromm’s pick and Golladay didn’t have a reception until the second half. Darius Slayton was targetted deep, and while it wasn’t super close it was the closest the Giants came to an explosive play. Evan Engram caught the garbage time touchdown to break double-digit fantasy points, his other notable contribution was coming out with the captains for the opening coin toss.
Philadelphia Eagles
Quarterback
Jalen Hurts: 17/29, 199 yards, 2 TD, 1 Sack, Fumble | 2 carries, 7 yards
Jalen Hurts very nearly threw an interception on his third pass of the day which would have set the Giants up in scoring position with the potential to take an early lead. Lucky for Hurts, the defender dropped the ball on his way to the ground, but the rest of the first half was a struggle for Philadelphia’s passing game. Coming out with a curious pass-heavy approach, Hurts and the Eagles really struggled to move the ball for the first half. Hurts looked off on some of his throws and made some questionable decisions, the worst of which was the near-interception he put right on the defender’s hands. The offense as a whole had a hard time catching the ball and blocking for Hurts.
But in the second half, the Eagles came out and executed a lot better. They had plenty of chances with how bad the Giants’ offense was and they were able to capitalize via two Hurts’ touchdowns. The first was a great sideline catch by DeVonta Smith and the second was an easy flip to a wide-open Lane Johnson for his first career touchdown.
Did not have @LaneJohnson65 scoring a TD on the #NYGvsPHI bingo card, but WE LOVE IT!#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/WvIpW8rWf5
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 26, 2021
Hurts left a few big plays on the field, including a deep shot to DeVonta Smith that was a little underthrown, preventing Smith from scoring an easy touchdown. His best throw was a touch pass through a very tight window to Jalen Reagor and generally Hurts looked good throwing the intermediate routes. Hurts also missed a wide-open man in the endzone and still appears too committed to his first read at times. Hurts also may still be a little banged up as evidenced by his season-low two rushing attempts. There were a few plays where he appeared to have a running lane and opted to throw the ball instead, which could be just him evolving as a passer but seemed likely to be him not wanting to push his ankle.
Running Backs
Miles Sanders: 7 carries, 45 yards | 3 targets, 1 reception, 3 yards
Boston Scott: 12 carries, 41 yards, TD
Jordan Howard: 9 carries, 37 yards | 4 targets, 2 receptions, 19 yards
Miles Sanders looked good when he was allowed to touch the ball and was the lone bright spot of the offense in the first half. Unfortunately, Sanders was knocked out of the game with a hand injury and did not return.
As @ProFootballTalk reported,
There is concern within Eagles that Miles Sanders has a break or a small break in his hand. He came back out with his hand heavily wrapped up. More tests will reveal seriousness tomorrow pic.twitter.com/qut9GQ7m9v— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) December 27, 2021
Boston Scott filled in for Sanders after not seeing the field much prior to the injury. Scott didn’t have the same speed but was a little more decisive in his cuts than Sanders which led to a lot of solid runs but no big ones. Scott Scored the first touchdown of the game, using a super-necessary jump to avoid a defender en route to the endzone.
.@BostonScott2 takes one GIANT leap into the end zone!#NYGvsPHI | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/jO3zPARVNK
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 26, 2021
One of the strangest parts of this game was the Eagles using Jordan Howard as their passing down back. Howard was targetted four times, including a screen and another play where Howard appeared to be the first read. His pass-catching ability has been maligned his entire career and he hasn’t done anything to show improved hands or after-the-catch ability, but it seems like Howard is the guy the Eagles trust in pass protection. Howard also suffered a late injury, and while it didn’t seem serious it’s worth monitoring for next week.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
DeVonta Smith: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 80 yards, TD
Quez Watkins: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 43 yards
Jalen Reagor: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards
Dallas Goedert: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 28 yards
Lane Johnson: 1 target, 1 reception, 5 yards, TD
DeVonta Smith had two really impressive catches and was overall the best offensive player on the field today. Smith did a great job of tracking an underthrown deep ball from Hurts and got in front of the defender to turn what looked like a good chance for an interception into a big play for the Eagles. Smith’s touchdown catch was equally impressive; a beautiful catch on the side of the endzone that the refs had to review twice just to be sure Smith did make the catch in bounds.
Smitty Smitty Bang Bang@DeVontaSmith_6 | #NYGvsPHI pic.twitter.com/OJWKALPkeF
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 26, 2021
Jalen Reagor had a big punt return, but his receiving stats were deflated when a solid gain on a screen pass was called back due to a penalty. Dallas Goedert had two terrible drops and a touchdown called back due to a penalty. He was a primary read early for Hurts, but after the drops, Goedert seemed to be less of a focus of the offense.
— Dan Adams (@dadams0323 on Twitter)