With 2021 hopes gone, club just looking to finish strong
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Joe Judge had better hope New York Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch have already decided to bring him back as coach for a third season.
If they haven’t, the way the Giants (4-11) are playing since quarterback Daniel Jones was hurt late last month is not going to help his cause. He has a 10-21 record with two games left this season. The team is riding a four-game losing streak without Jones, and the losses have gotten uglier and uglier.
The worst was Sunday’s 34-10 setback at Philadelphia.
The Giants were competitive on one side of the ball for a half because Pat Graham’s unit held the Eagles to three points. The second half was a blowout, thanks in part to mistakes by the offense and special teams, and failures by the tired defense.
It’s hard to say whether Judge deserves a third year. Like most coaches, he works very hard. He has added good people on the roster and eliminated issues within the locker room. He just hasn’t won enough. Injuries in 2021, especially on the offensive line, didn’t help.
The Giants can’t keep turning over head coaches, though. They now have had five straight losing seasons.
Ben Mcadoo got them to the playoffs in 2016 and was fired the next year. Pat Shurmur lasted two seasons. Judge is finishing up his second.
Hired in late 2017, general manager Dave Gettleman is likely going to take a fall after this season. Judge is a question mark — and he is not talking about it.
“I think you come back every week and you go to work, and that doesn’t mean it’s not frustrations within it, whether you’re winning or losing,” Judge said.
He said working with the players to find ways to have success is having an impact. It involves showing players their mistakes and teaching them how to correct them.
He insists it’s a building process.
“Actually, the adrenaline, the kick you really have as a coach is that high you get from working with the
team and being able to share in their success,” he said. “That’s really what you live for, what a coach lives for.”
Despite the score, the defense was outstanding, especially in the first half, which ended 3-3. In the second half, the Eagles got a touchdown on an interception return. Another TD was set up by an interception, and a big punt return led to a field goal. Philadelphia had one long drive, a 10-play, 75-yard series capped by the trick play TD pass to offensive tackle Lane Johnson.
Injury report: Backup offensive tackle Matt Peart tore an ACL in the first quarter. He was starting at right tackle with Nate Solder on the COVID-19 list. WR John Ross and DT Danny Shelton also are on the list. DB Julian Love, who shared the team lead in tackles Sunday, was added to the COVID-19 list Monday.