Giants are on feeling-blue streak vs. soaring Eagles
This could have been so juicy. Instead, it is as dried out as 4-day-old Thanksgiving turkey.
This could have been dripping with more than the usual venom that ordinarily oozes out of the Giants-Eagles rivalry. Instead, the Giants are so dismal that they manage to suck the life out of so many intriguing scenarios, turning a game that should be filled with revenge vibes into just another Sunday for Giants’ fans to hope their team can get in and out without too much indignity emanating from MetLife Stadium.
Remember the way the 2020 season ended? The Giants did their part by beating the Cowboys, knowing their 6-10 record might be good enough to actually win the NFC East. All the Giants needed for this to happen was an Eagles victory over Washington later that day.
The Giants had a real chance, until Eagles coach Doug Pederson decided to take his foot off the accelerator and not give his team its best shot to win. He benched quarterback Jalen Hurts for seldomused Nate Sudfeld, the Eagles imploded, Washington won the division, and the Giants were exasperated and angry.
Pederson was fired a few days after this fiasco. Judge, on cue, would not go down memory lane with any of this when asked about it this past week. He has so much more to concern himself with as his team takes a nosedive.
It is incredible how the hope the Giants created by winning two of three games dissipated as soon as they came off their bye week. They were outclassed at Tampa Bay, 30-10, and so pathetic with the ball that a day after the game Judge fired offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. Freddie Kitchens, the senior offensive assistant (and former Browns head coach) is expected to take over and call the plays, though Judge played coy as far as revealing Garrett’s replacement, talking about a collaborative effort. No one is expecting any miracles. “It’s too late to say this is a fresh start, you know what I mean?’’ receiver Kenny Golladay said.
The Eagles (5-6) are on a roll, winners of two straight games and three of their past four, to plow into NFC wild-card contention. They have a shot at overtaking the Cowboys (7-4) in the NFC East, which would be something, considering this is supposed to be a rebuilding season in Philadelphia. The Giants (3-7) are going nowhere and once again will not put all their top offensive playmakers on the field, with Kadarius Toney listed as doubtful, and Sterling Shepard and Kyle Rudolph out.
The Giants averaged 18.9 points a game this season with Garrett calling the shots — after averaging 17.5 points in 2020. There is only so much that can change in a few days.