Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart encouraged Eagles fans this week to “give it to him” in his first appearance in Philadelphia. He smugly claimed that the insults from Philadelphia Eagles fans would be no worse than those he received from SEC fans during his time at Ole Miss. Really?
It came off as ignorant. Philadelphia sports fans are a distinct entity, throwing things and even threatening players who wear a New York uniform in any sport. Hyperbolic? 18-year-old Islanders No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer was not spared from Philadelphia’s wrath in the Philadelphia Flyers’ 4-3 shootout victory over the Islanders on Saturday.
On Sunday, Dart and the Giants got theirs. It wasn’t a pretty day for either of them. The Giants took a 38-20 loss to the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field, and Dart had a rough day by going 14-of-24 for 193 yards and one passing touchdown. It was their eighth straight loss in Philadelphia.
No one could have been surprised that the Eagles returned the favor in this rematch after getting outworked by the Giants two weeks ago at MetLife Stadium. This is a proud team that won a couple of Super Bowls in three appearances and always gets up for the Giants, especially in Philadelphia.
But I kept reading in the NY press that “the Giants had arrived” after that 34-17 victory. Really?
Dart’s play may have given the Giants hope, but it doesn’t change the fact that the team is 2-6 and stinks. They have no playmakers. Their offensive line remains a problem. Their defense gives up big plays by failing to tackle and getting beaten by wide receivers. The coaching has been awful for a long time. You can have Tom Brady as the quarterback, and the Giants would still stink.
Dart was no match for the Eagles on this Sunday. He was attacked relentlessly to the tune of five sacks. He struggled to read the zone defense. He wasn’t fooling anyone. On this day, he was overmatched. His only highlight was a rushing touchdown at garbage time in the fourth quarter. He did not match his counterpart, Jalen Hurts, who threw for four touchdowns. The rookie quarterback did not elevate the Giants at any point in the game when the situation dictated it.
It did not help the quarterback’s cause that rookie running back Cam Skattebo left the game with a dislocated ankle with 8:07 left in the first half. And there’s a good chance Skattebo could be out for the year, which will make Dart’s development that much harder. The rookie quarterback is already missing a playmaker for the season with Malik Nabers out for the season due to knee surgery.
The Giants’ defense fared no better. The Eagles’ wide receivers cooked the Giants’ secondary. Saquon Barkley was more than ready to run through the Giants’ defenders. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was more than comfortable throwing the ball.
Barkley on the run (photo courtesy Delaware Online)
The Eagles boasted two running backs running 100 yards each against the Giants on this day. Barkley ran for 150 yards and a touchdown, and Tank Bigsby ran for 104 yards. In other words, it was just another typical Giants game in Philadelphia, where it was all Eagles.
Reality has set in for the Giants, too. This will be the third straight year they will miss the playoffs. They are going to have another losing season. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Jets have more wins than the Giants after Gang Green had the first win of the season in a 39-38 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
We can talk about Dart all we want, but it remains to be seen if he is of championship quarterback caliber. He hasn’t won much in his young career. He still comes off as a gimmick quarterback who doesn’t fool anyone. His running style can only take the Giants so far.
The coaching seems to be a lost cause. Giants head coach Brian Daboll and his staff always get worked by the other team’s coaching staff each week.
If the Giants end up being one of the worst teams in the league, they have no choice but to find someone better at head coach. This can’t go on; the team constantly gets outcoached. It would be a hard sell to bring Daboll back to a frustrated fanbase.
No one’s scared to play the Giants. Certainly not the Eagles.
The schedule does not get any easier for the 2-6 Giants. They play a Super Bowl contender in the San Francisco 49ers at home in the next game, and they follow it up by playing three NFC North teams in the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, and Detroit Lions. They will play the New England Patriots before entering the bye week.
If Dart and Giants thought it couldn’t get any worse after Sunday, they’d better think again.
Welcome to Hard Knocks, Jaxson. Philadelphia is just the beginning of what’s to come.
