Well, who had that on their bingo cards? In a game that the Eagles simply had to win in order to have a chance at retaining their NFC East crown, Philadelphia turned up lifeless to MetLife Stadium and was punished for their complacency in an embarrassing 27-10 loss.
Eagles blown out by the Giants
The mission was simple. Get in, put up points, pull the starters, get out.
What happened was quite the contrary, as the Giants throttled the remnants of a team that has been spiraling out of control in recent weeks.
Much had been said about the Eagles coming into this matchup. After an equally shocking loss to the Arizona Cardinals, A.J Brown stepped up as a leader to host a players-only meeting on the back of a rough few weeks. Unfortunately, those efforts meant nothing as Philadelphia fell down 24-0 by halftime.
With 3 minutes remaining in the first quarter, A.J Brown exited the game with an injury scare. While he walked to the locker room under his own power, he would not return.
Jalen Hurts then left the game with a finger injury, leaving the Eagles with a backup quarterback and backup receivers. If there was ever anything that was going to expose a lack of creativity on offense, it would be this dreaded combination…and that’s exactly what happened.
Even prior to the injury, Jalen Hurts was 7/16 for 55 yards, and Mariota’s presence hardly provided much in the way of optimism. The offense was simply lifeless while the Giants relished in taking out some frustration on their divisional rivals.
There’s very little to actually discuss about the game itself. It was a soulless performance from a team that has lacked any kind of identity all year long. In a setting where they absolutely had to show up and ball out, they simply folded at the first sign of a storm. If the writing wasn’t on the wall before, it certainly is now.
What next for the Eagles?
The Eagles will now limp into the playoffs, traveling to Tampa Bay to take on a Buccaneers team that ended the season with a win over the Panthers. They’ll do so on the back of consecutive losses to teams whose combined W/L record is 10-23.
This game was regarded as an absolute must-win. Not just from the perspective of trying to do their bit in retaining the NFC East crown, but to gain some much-needed confidence and a footing. To stop the bleeding and find some ground to build back up from.
That ground was instead ripped from under them once more, and Nick Sirianni has exactly one week to prepare his team for a playoff showdown that will have a very intense spotlight fixed upon it.
AP Photo/Derik Hamilton
