Saquon Barkley was on pace to have his best game of the season until the Giants inexplicably stopped feeding him the ball in the second half.
There are several reasons why the New York Giants blew a 19-3 lead and were defeated by the Philadelphia Eagles 25-22 on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
There was Eli Manning’s momentum-changing interception at the end of the first half, and the referees missing a blatant pass interference penalty on Odell Beckham Jr. on a crucial third down late in the fourth quarter. You can also make a case that the Giants should have challenged the depleted Eagles secondary deep throughout the game.
But ultimately the main reason why the Giants lost on Sunday was that they stopped giving the ball to their best player Saquon Barkley in the second half.
Barkley was unstoppable in the first half. He had nine carries for 94 yards to go along with a 13-yard touchdown reception and a stellar 51-yard touchdown run. He quickly proved that he can do it all.
THERE GOES @SAQUON!!! Barkley takes off for a 51-yard TD and the #NYGiants go up 19-3.#NYGvsPHI | #GiantsPride pic.twitter.com/hfudvP7153
— New York Giants (@Giants) November 25, 2018
This is why the Giants led 19-11 going into halftime.
But for some reason, the Giants deviated from giving Barkley the ball in the second half and focused on other aspects of their game.
He touched the ball just five times for a total of 15 yards in the second half. As a result, the Giants punted the ball on their first three possessions in the second half which allowed the Eagles to roar back from the deficit.
This is why the Giants offense couldn't do anything in the 2nd half. pic.twitter.com/foxnCojcnf
— Jason Leach (@JasonKLeach) November 26, 2018
It’s unfathomable that the Giants would only give a talent like Barkley just five touches in the second half. He was on pace to have over 200 all-purpose yards, and it was clear to see the Eagles had absolutely no answers for him.
With the loss, the Giants are all but officially eliminated from playoff contention. They would have to win their remaining games and get an abundance of help in order to get in, which is highly unlikely to happen.
Traveling back to New Jersey from Philadelphia, head coach Pat Shurmur had to ponder why he stopped giving the ball to Barkley in the second half because we sure as hell have no clue.
