There were three things that stood out in the New York Giants’ 23-17 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.
It’s been close to a full three months since the New York Giants have won a game. Following their 23-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, the Giants have tied a dubious franchise record with their ninth consecutive loss.
Based on how the team has looked over the last nine games, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if they were to lose their final three games of the season.
There are many reasons why the Giants are 2-11, but there were three glaring things that stood out against the Eagles.
3. They keep finding different ways to lose
Simply put, the Giants are a bad team, and as bad teams do, they continue to find different ways to lose. Against the Eagles, the Giants gave their fans a glimmer of hope as they dominated the first half, and took a 17-3 halftime lead.
It was the first time since their Week 4 victory over the Redskins the Giants led by two touchdowns. But everything fell apart in the second half.
Eli Manning was hot in the first half throwing for 179 yards, but was ice cold in the second half and finished the game with 203 yards. Darius Slayton had five receptions for 154 yards and two touchdowns in the first half but was shutout in the second half.
Monday also marked the first time all season the Giants didn’t turn the ball over but in the end, it didn’t matter.
2. Shurmur and Bettcher are horrible at in-game adjustments
It was painfully obvious that neither head coach Pat Shurmur nor defensive coordinator James Bettcher made any second-half adjustments.
Offensively, the Giants did next to nothing against the Eagles defense in the second half. Philly switched to a more zone-heavy concept after halftime. As a result, the offense did not have a drive in the second half that was longer than four plays.
Shurmur also could never find a way to get Saquon Barkley going as he finished the game with 66 yards on 17 carries and three receptions for one yard.
As far as the defense goes, Bettcher inexplicably did not scheme to stop tight end Zach Ertz despite the various injuries to Philly’s receiving corps, including an early injury to Alshon Jeffery. Ertz was wide open several times and finished the game with nine receptions for 91 yards and two touchdowns.
You would think at a certain point Bettcher would try to double team Ertz since the Eagles receiving corps was depleted. The defense also allowed Boston Scott to have his best game of the season as he rushed 10 times for 59 yards and a touchdown.
The poor job that Shurmur and Bettcher have done making adjustments is one of the reasons it’s unlikely they’ll be back in 2020.
1. Darius Slayton is the real deal
One of the few positives this season has been Slayton. Despite being shutout in the second half, the rookie wide receiver was exceptional in the first half. He continuously beat Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby, opening up the rest of the offense for his teammates. Slayton is fast, strong, and has become a tremendous route runner thanks to wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert.
For the season, he has 42 receptions for 659 yards and seven touchdowns. As a fifth-round pick, Slayton has become one of the steals in the draft with a realistic chance of compiling 1,000 receiving yards and double-digit touchdowns as a rookie.
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It’s been another tough year for the Giants, but Slayton has provided a ray of hope and established himself as a building block that will help the Giants for years to come.
