The New York Giants fell to the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-20, at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday afternoon in a game that Giants fans would soon rather forget.
Not many things went their way. The officials made several dubious calls against them that had even Eagles fans scratching their heads. They also lost their most popular player, rookie running back Cam Skattebo, to a devastating ankle injury.
The Giants are now 2-6 after eight games, not exactly where they hoped to be in this “prove-it” year for head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen. They have opened the season 2-6 (or worse) in eight of the last nine years.
Here’s how we graded the individual units after Sunday’s deflating loss in Philly.
Offense
Not having Malik Nabers is taking its toll on rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. He needs a No. 1 receiver and Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson, and tight end Theo Johnson ain’t it. They may grab one before the trade deadline next week. If not, Dart’s in for a rough road. Slayton continues to confound. He couldn’t reel in a deep throw down the middle of the field (again), and when he did, he got nabbed for a penalty. Johnson also flubbed a perfect pass from Dart in a key spot. With Skattebo gone (he scored on an 18-yard pass from Dart in the game before getting hurt), this offense could struggle the rest of the way unless Dart can weave some magic. Red zone performance is all that’s really improved lately.
Grade: C
Defense
They had one job — to make sure Saquon Barkley stayed dormant one more week. They failed that task right out of the gate as Barkley toasted them for a 65-yard touchdown on the first series of the game. The former Giants stud would end up with 174 total yards from scrimmage and two scores before leaving after the third quarter with a groin injury. Philly rushed for 276 yards on the afternoon and racked up 427 yards of total offense against a defense that was missing starting cornerback Paulson Adebo and safety Jevon Holland. They got taken for a ride on a bad call on a “tush push” play in which the officials mistakenly ruled the play dead. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts fumbled the ball while still moving forward. The Giants recovered, but the play was ruled dead due to the “lack of forward progress.” Also, is anyone ever going to cover Dallas Goedert in the red zone?
Grade: F
Special teams
Kicker Graham Gano made a successful return to the lineup (8 points), although punter Jamie Gillan handled the kickoff duties. There were no plays of note in the return games, and Gillan averaged 48.5 yards per attempt on four punts with a long of 58.
The kickoff and punt return coverage was sorely lacking.
Grade: B
Coaching
Brian Daboll and Co. are running on fumes right now. Out of ideas and out of options. At 2-6, the season is essentially over before Halloween again. Injuries haven’t helped them much. The season is barely half over, and they have already lost their top gunner on special teams (Bryce Ford-Wheaton), No. 1 wideout (Nabers), top tackler (linebacker Micah McFadden), and now their most energetic player in Skattebo. No Adebo and Holland forced the Giants into playing the likes of Deonte Banks and rookie Korie Black at the same time in the second half. Philly took full advantage of that.
The run defense is a joke, and the Eagles could have easily not passed at all in this game and still won easily. 8.4 yards per attempt is totally unacceptable. Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen could be shown the door after this season, if not sooner.
The in-game decision-making is still very questionable, and why Daboll decided to challenge the “tush-push” play after he was told it was not challengeable just illustrates how frustrating things have become for him. Add that to the scores of dropped passes and missed tackles this season, and that just about sums up their 2-6 record.
Four years into this regime, and there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason — or consistency — within this organization. They are simply just digging holes and filling them back up. They are in a vicious cycle of bad luck and ineptitude, and there’s little light at the end of the tunnel, even with Dart in the fold.
Grade: D
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants report card: How we graded Big Blue in Week 8 loss
Reporting by John Fennelly, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
