In front of a frustrated MetLife Stadium crowd, the New York Giants suffered a crushing 28-3 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Former Giants star Saquon Barkley, now an Eagle, was the standout, running for a season-high 176 yards and scoring a touchdown in his return to his old stomping grounds.
Barkley’s impact was immediate, racking up explosive runs of 55, 41, and 38 yards, capping his performance with a 3-yard touchdown. The 176 rushing yards were the most ever by a Giants opponent at MetLife Stadium and the most since Jonathan Stewart ran for 206 yards against the Giants in 2009.
“Saquon played well. We prepared for it, but we just weren’t good enough,” Giants head coach Brian Daboll admitted after the game. “He gets in space, and he’s going to make some yards.”
Despite their defensive line’s continued success, the Giants’ efforts weren’t enough. Defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence recorded two sacks, bringing his league-leading total to 9.0 sacks for the season. Lawrence, along with Brian Burns, Azeez Ojulari, and Tomon Fox, kept pressure on the Eagles’ quarterbacks, totaling five sacks. Yet, while the Giants’ defense battled, the offense struggled mightily.
The Giants managed only 119 yards of total offense, the fewest in Daboll’s tenure as head coach, and 43 net passing yards, their second-lowest total under him. The team was outgained 339-119 in total yards, with 269 of the Eagles’ yards coming on the ground. The Giants also punted 11 times, their highest total since a grueling overtime loss to the Jets earlier this season.
Daboll made a quarterback change in the fourth quarter, bringing in Drew Lock in place of Daniel Jones when the score reached 28-3. However, Lock managed only six passing yards on 3-of-8 attempts.
“We made a change in the fourth quarter just to create a spark,” Daboll explained. “Daniel will be the quarterback going forward, but we didn’t do enough offensively today—hardly any yards, no points.”
Jones finished the game with 99 yards on 14-of-21 passing, and the Giants’ struggles on third down continued, converting only three of 14 attempts. Wan’Dale Robinson led the Giants with six catches but gained only 23 yards. Tyrone Tracy’s 23 rushing yards paced a backfield that was largely ineffective.
“Not good enough all the way around,” Daboll said of the offense. “We’ve got to get better on third downs, red zone efficiency, and explosive plays. It’s hard to generate points when your longest play is 14 yards.”
Philadelphia’s defense overwhelmed the Giants’ offensive line, sacking Jones and Lock a combined eight times. It was a season-high for the Giants in sacks allowed, and Daboll acknowledged the absence of injured left tackle Andrew Thomas, who was placed on injured reserve following foot surgery last week.
“Without Andrew, we tried some different things, but to sit up here and evaluate the whole performance now would be unfair,” Daboll said.
In what was a dominant all-around performance by the Eagles, their defense held New York without a touchdown for the fourth consecutive home game. The Giants fell to 0-4 at MetLife Stadium this season, their worst home start since 2018.
Looking ahead, Daboll tried to stay positive about his team’s ability to rebound.
“I think we have a strong group, and we need to have that in this league. There are a lot of ups and downs, and we’ve had more downs lately. But our guys will come back. We’ll regroup and do everything we can to be better on Monday night.”
As the Giants now sit at 2-5, their playoff hopes are slipping away, and their offensive struggles remain a significant concern. With only one touchdown scored in four home games, New York’s road ahead looks tough as they prepare to face the Atlanta Falcons next week.
Key Stats from the Game:
•Giants total yards: 119 (lowest under Brian Daboll)
•Giants net passing yards: 43 (second-lowest under Daboll)
•Saquon Barkley rushing: 176 yards, 1 TD
•Daniel Jones: 14-of-21, 99 yards, sacked 6 times
•Giants defensive sacks: 5 (Dexter Lawrence 2, Brian Burns, Azeez Ojulari, Tomon Fox 1 each)
As Daboll put it simply: “No excuses. We’ve got to play better and coach better.”
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