Eagles vs. Giants: The good, the bad, and the ugly

It was simple: One team wanted to play football. The other, which happened to be the defending Super Bowl champions, did not.

The Eagles were a flat, listless team that suffered possibly their most embarrassing regular season loss in the Nick Sirianni era, 34-17, to what appears a spirited, likable New York Giants team on national TV Thursday night at MetLife Stadium.

It dropped the Eagles to 4-2 and marked the first time the Eagles have lost two-straight games since their historical collapse in the 2023 season, when they lost the last two games of the regular season—and five of their last six.

Giants’ rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart was exciting. He extended plays, threw accurately, and played with a verve that surpassed the entire Eagles’ team, who seemed collectively disinterested and bothered that they had to play on a Thursday night.

With two minutes to play, the Giants were in victory formation.

Dart completed 17 of 25 for 195 yards and a touchdown, and rookie bulldozer Cam Skattebo rushed for 98 yards on 19 carries and three touchdowns.

Entering the game, the Eagles were 10-2-1 against rookie quarterbacks since 2016. The only two previous rookie quarterbacks that beat them were Dallas’ Dak Prescott (2016) and Washington’s Jayden Daniels (2024). Add Dart to the list.

What looms more ominous is that the 2023 Eagles did not break completely into pieces until they were 11 games into the season.

The Giants manhandled the Eagles, who appeared to quit—six games into the season.

The Eagles were missing defensive tackle Jalen Carter, but he would not have made a difference. The Eagles could not field a kickoff. They could not make a tackle. They played with no energy. They have scored a total of 14 points in the second half the last three games.

This game rekindled the ghostly echo of Troy Aikman telling the nation the Eagles were … “a defeated team and they were when they came in. And there’s been no life to this group really throughout the entire ball game” during the Eagles’ 32-9 Wild Card playoff loss to Tampa Bay that ended the 2023 season.

For the sixth time this season, the Eagles were outgained. The Eagles’ defense also allowed an opponent to rush for 100 yards or more in the sixth-straight game.

But hey, the Eagles did win Super Bowl LIX eight months ago to the day (Feb. 9).

There was little good, a lot of bad, and a mountain of ugly in the Eagles’ surprising beatdown 34-17 loss to the New York Giants.

The Eagles’ fourth drive, which put them up, 17-13. The 13-play, 74-yard drive was ripped right out of the 2024 playbook. The Eagles ran the ball six times, though got very little off it, six yards. But they committed to it, and slowed up the Giants’ pass rush. The Eagles threw the ball six times, which amassed 68 yards (the Giants had one sack). Jalen Hurts completed five straight, which included two-straight 16-yard completions, one to A.J. Brown, the other to DeVonta Smith, and a 17-yard connection to Jahan Dotson. Of the 13 plays, the Eagles had to convert a third-and-seven, and a third-and-one and fourth-and-one. It marked the 14th time out of 15 chances this season that the Eagles had scored a touchdown in the red zone. It’s been between the 20s where their problems occur.

Tight end Dallas Goedert’s three catches on the Eagles’ third drive, which resulted in their first touchdown. Goedert caught three passes for 30 yards, including the three-yard Tush Push toss, which the Eagles have scored three times to Goedert this season. Goedert finished with a game-high nine catches for 110 yards and a touchdown.

A.J. Brown’s 30-yard reception on the Eagles’ third drive, on a second-and-10 play at the Eagles’ 25. Brown caught the ball between Giants’ safety Jevón Holland and cornerback Paulson Adebo at the Giants’ 45. Brown caught the ball with one hand, turning to make the catch on an underthrown pass. The play jump started the Eagles, who were trailing 13-3 at the time, and led to their first touchdown.

Saquon Barkley getting off to a great start against his former team. On the first play of the game, he went a season-long 18 yards. On the second play of the game, he ripped off a 13-yard run. It looked as if the Eagles’ offense was humming once more, finding its rhythm behind its vaunted running game. Then it disappeared.

Losing cornerback Quinyon Mitchell to a hamstring injury, replaced by Adoree’ Jackson, whose play this season had been shoddy at best.

The Eagles’ first offensive series. They reached the New York 29 on two Barkley runs and then stalled. They had to settle for a Jake Elliott 42-yard field goal. The Eagles jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but it was a victory for the Giants’ defense.

Gunner Olszewski’s 37-yard kickoff return after the Eagles got out to a 3-0 lead.

Jalyx Hunt’s dropped interception on the Giants’ second play on New York’s first possession on a second-and-seven at the Eagles’ 42. The Dart pass literally hit Hunt in the hands, and he dropped it.

A.J. Dillon muffing a kickoff, after the Eagles got down, 34-17, with 9:39 to play. Tank Bigsby muffed an earlier kickoff return. It is a matter of concentration, which the Eagles right now seem to poorly lack. Dillon later lost a fumble with 6:50 to play.

Hurts throwing his first interception in 305 passes, dating back to the Eagles’ 34-6 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 10, 2024. Giants’ cornerback Cor’Dale Flott made a great play on the ball, cutting in front of the underthrown pass intended for Jahan Dotson on the sideline for a 68-yard return, before Barkley caught him from behind. The turnover led to Cam Skattebo’s third touchdown and a 34-17 Giants’ lead.

The Eagles starting the second half three-and-out, four-and-out, and three-and-out for a total of 20 yards. The Eagles were outgained in the third quarter, 97-10. The Eagles’ five drives of the second half ended this way: Three-and-out, four-and-out, three-and-out, interception and fumble.

The Giants simply outmuscling the Eagles on their second drive of the second half. Skattebo ran right through Zack Baun, and over Baun for a one-yard touchdown. Jackson made no effort at all to tackle Skattebo, a human bulldozer who if he were wearing midnight green would be an instant fan favorite in Philadelphia. The players that were willing to tackle, Skattebo ran through, and the Eagles’ defenders unwilling to tackle, like Jackson, he ran by as if they were invisible.

Hurts missing Smith wide open, like he missed Brown last week in the Denver loss, on the Eagles’ third play of the third quarter on a third-and-six on the Eagles’ 11. It was a blown coverage by the Giants, and Smith ran through the Giants’ secondary. In retrospect, the way the Eagles played overall, it would have been a band aid on a water fall.

Tank Bigsby muffing yet another kickoff return, right after the Giants went up 20-17 going into the second half.

The Eagles’ first half defense. They allowed the Giants, which ranked No. 27 in the NFL entering the game in touchdowns scored a game, averaging 1.8, to score three touchdowns on their four drives. The Giants concluded the half carving up Vic Fangio’s defense with underneath stuff, pounding the Eagles for 15 plays, running off 5:37 in traveling 67 yards. Dart looked like a veteran, handling Fangio’s various looks, converting five of six third-down conversions for the half, and converting three on the final drive of the half.

Dart’s 35-yard, first-quarter touchdown pass to Wan’Dale Robinson. Safety Andrew Mukuba blew a tackle, the Eagles’ defensive line failed to take down the scrambling Dart, who went the street ball route and found Robinson alone on the sideline. Entering the game, Dart had not completed a pass over 20 yards. He completed three passes for over 20 yards in the first quarter alone.

Kelee Ringo was a target the entire game He got manned up by the Giants’ Lil’Jordan Humphrey on a third-and-12 at the Eagles’ 22 in the opening quarter. Humphrey high-pointed the ball, and Ringo was right there with him, and could do little to stop it. Dart had not completed a pass for over 20 yards. In the first quarter alone, he completed three passes for over 20 yards. Two of those three completions came against Ringo, who was the Giants’ pigeon. On a third-and-six from the Giants’ 37 on their last drive of the first half, Dart hit Humphrey again with a nine-yard pass and a first down. It was obvious what New York’s intentions were: Find No. 7 in Eagles’ white and attack. Ringo was later called for defensive holding on Humphrey early in the third quarter. On a third-and-eight, Ringo’s interference call with 9:47 to play all but ended the game for the Eagles. It led to Skattebo’s third touchdown and a commanding 34-17 Giants’ lead with 9:41 left to play.

Dart darting through the Eagles’ defense for a 20-yard touchdown run on a third-and-eight, for a 7-3 Giants’ lead. Zach Baun was supposed to be spying Dart, and was caught out of position and had a bad angle as Dart blew by him.

The Eagles’ second offensive series, a three-and-out, which produced minus-10 yards. The Giants’ Brian Burns topped it off with an eight-yard sack at the Eagles’ 23. Burns beat Eagles’ left tackle Jordan Mailata inside.