Giants, not Eagles, look like playoff team in win over Philadelphia
Saquon Barkley #26 of the Giants catches a pass in the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024. Credit: Mike Stobe
The Giants’ season is over. And they went out, improbably, on the highest of highs.
In a mostly lost season, the Giants can feel good about — finally — beating Philadelphia.
The Giants didn’t just defeat the Eagles on Sunday. They dominated them, 27-10.
So much for Philadelphia winning the previous five games and 17 of the previous 20 in the series. For the Giants, this was the kind of finale that left everyone in the locker room elated.
“Any time you win, it’s a good thing,” coach Brian Daboll said. “Obviously, it’s our last game of the year. Certainly, we’d like to be playing still. Again, their attitudes, the way they handle their business day in and day out in our building, I’m really proud of the guys. That’s a happy locker room, as it should be.”
One question: Where was this kind of performance all season?
At halftime, it was Giants 24, Eagles 0. There’s not a soothsayer in the metropolitan area who would have predicted that.
In the big picture, nothing really changes for the Giants, who finished 6-11 after last year’s surprise playoff run.
The Eagles went from 10-1 to 11-6 and will play at NFC South champion Tampa Bay this weekend. The Cowboys wrapped up the NFC East title with a win at Washington on Sunday.
For the Giants, the Week 18 finale almost felt like a playoff game for them, considering they’ve had so little success against Philadelphia in recent years. Players seemed to be enjoying the moment. They played free.
Mason Crosby opened the Giants’ scoring with a 24-yard field goal in the first quarter.
On the Giants’ first drive of the second quarter, Tyrod Taylor fumbled at the Philadelphia 27. Saquon Barkley recovered it and capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run that made it 10-0.
Taylor’s 27-yard completion to Wan’Dale Robinson (five catches for 85 yards) was the key play on the drive.
After the Giants’ defense forced a three-and-out, the offense went back to work. Taylor found Isaiah Hodgins, Darren Waller and Robinson for completions and Barkley finished off the drive with a 3-yard TD run.
After another three-and-out by the Eagles, Taylor threw a pretty pass to Barkley down the left sideline for a 46-yard gain to the Philadelphia 19. On the next play, Taylor found Darius Slayton for a 19-yard touchdown to make it 24-0 with 1:47 left in the first half.
The rout was on.
Taylor finished 23-for-32 for 297 yards with the touchdown and an interception. He twice left the game briefly and Tommy DeVito completed both of his pass attempts.
Barkley had 46 yards and the two scores on 18 carries in what might have been his final game as a Giant.
With 1:05 to play in the first half, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni started to pull his starters, including Jalen Hurts. The quarterback also suffered a finger injury.
For the Eagles, there will be another game to play. For the Giants, it’s on to the offseason.
And while this season never could measure up to last year’s run, in which the Giants not only made the playoffs but won a wild-card game at Minnesota, the entire organization will feel good about finally beating the Eagles.
The Giants’ defense had a strong finale. Safety Xavier McKinney, a pending free agent, had two interceptions.
“Finishing 3-3 in the division, that’s something to hang your hat on,” inside linebacker Bobby Okereke said. “With the fans, we gave them something to celebrate today. And it’s good momentum to start the offseason with. But we also know we’re a talented team and [our record] left something to be desired.”
Of McKinney’s two-interception day, Okereke said,” I think Xavier is a heck of a football player and a heck of a human being. I told him when I first got here that he’s the emotional leader of our defense. I have so much respect for him.”
For longest-tenured Giant Sterling Shepard, Sunday’s game almost certainly was his final one as a member of Big Blue. He was the last player out of the tunnel during pregame introductions and received a loud ovation from the fans at MetLife Stadium.
“That’s a feeling that everybody loves,” Shepard said. “If you ask any guy, they’ll tell you there’s nothing like it. And it was even more exciting today.”
Shepard had three catches, giving him 372 for his career. He moved ahead of Jeremy Shockey for fifth in Giants history.
Shepard said it was meaningful that former Giants receiver Victor Cruz was at the game and that the two were able to catch up. Cruz told him he wouldn’t miss it for the world.
“That means so much to me,” Shepard said. “I remember meeting him as a rookie. He and Odell [Beckham Jr.] were in the hallway [at the Giants’ facility] to meet me.”
Shepard smiled. “And I’m thinking, man, time flies.”
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
