Giants Miserable Season Ends With a 34-17 Loss to Eagles

East Rutherford, NJ – The Giants kept it close for the first three quarters of the game, but fell apart late and failed to keep their division rivals out of the playoffs. The Philadelphia Eagles came into MetLife Stadium and got the job done, beating the Giants 34-17.

Daniel Jones completed 28 passes on 47 attempts for 301 yards. He threw one touchdown and one interception, and also fumbled once. Saquon Barkley had another solid game, as he carried the ball 17 times for 92 yards and scored a touchdown.

The Giants won the opening coin toss and deferred to the Eagles. Philadelphia’s offense was humming during their first drive, as they picked up four first downs and quickly advanced into Giants territory. 

After Wentz could not find his tight end Dallas Goedert on a third-and-seven play from the Giants 38-yard line, head coach Doug Peterson decided to go for it instead of attempting to kick a long field goal. Wentz again could not connect with Goedert, and the Eagles turned the ball over on downs.

On their first offensive series, a defensive holding penalty on Rasul Douglas gave the Giants a first down, but they could not take advantage of the good field position. Following a Riley Dixon punt, Wentz led the Eagles deep into Giants territory, but they were forced to settle for a 31-yard field.

After punting on their first four possessions, the Giants’ offense finally got some momentum midway through the second quarter. 

A 25-yard completion from Jones to Kaden Smith positioned the Giants near midfield, and a roughing the passer penalty on Douglas added 15 more yards onto the play. 

With the ball on the Eagles 40-yard line, Jones found Golden Tate for a 20-yard gain. However, the Giants were unable to fully capitalize on this opportunity, and Aldrick Rosas kicked a 37-yard field goal to tie the game.

Watch: Eli Manning leaves the MetLife Stadium field for likely his final time as a Giant.

The Eagles responded quickly, as Wentz found his running back Boston Scott for a 29-yard completion to put them into Giants territory. Scott took over lead running back duties for Philadelphia after Miles Sanders left the game in the second quarter due to an ankle injury.

 After a quarterback sneak on a fourth-and-one play kept the drive alive, Josh Perkins reeled in a 26-yard touchdown pass on a great play-action throw from Wentz.

The Giants got the ball back with 1:52 remaining in the first half, but were unable to cut into the Eagles 10-3 lead.

With the rain coming down harder in the Meadowlands, the Giants received the second-half kickoff from the Eagles. After a good mix of plays, including a couple of more completions from Jones to Smith, the Giants were back in Eagles territory.

After the Eagles defense stuffed Barkley on a third-and-one from the Eagles 37-yard line, Pat Shurmur decided to go for it. This decision paid off, as Jones rolled out and easily picked up the first down on a 17-yard run. On the next play, Tate made a great catch in the back of the end zone to tie the game.

The Eagles punted on their next possession, and the Giants had the chance to take their first lead of the game. A 33-yard completion from Jones to Darius Slayton positioned the Giants in Eagles territory again. Facing a fourth-and-four from the Eagles 38-yard line, Shurmur decided to go for it again but was unsuccessful this time.

Wentz drove the Eagles deep into Giants territory following a couple of completions to Greg Ward and a clutch third-down reception by Goedert. Philadelphia retook the lead on a 7-yard touchdown run by Scott.

Refusing to let the Eagles keep the momentum, the Giants responded immediately. Barkley, who had been bottled up by the Eagles’ front seven all day long, finally broke free and scored on an electrifying 68-yard touchdown run. Before that run, Barkley had just 10 rushing yards on 11 carries.

A Disastrous Fourth Quarter

Unfortunately for the Giants, everything started to unravel for them after that. A 41-yard completion from Wentz to Deontay Burnett put the Eagles in a good position to take the lead again, which they did on a 50-yard field goal by Jake Elliott.

On the second play of the Giants’ next possession, Jones was hit after bobbling a bad snap from Jon Halapio, and he fumbled. The ball rolled all the way back inside the Giants 5-yard line, and was recovered by Fletcher Cox. Scott then ran it in from two yards out for his second touchdown of the game, giving his team a 10-point lead.

The Giants went three-and-out on their next possession but got the ball back quickly after their defense finally stopped Wentz and the Eagles offense. This momentum did not last long, however, as Barkley could not pick up a first down on a fourth-and-two, and the Giants turned the ball over on downs.

Scott added to his career game on the next drive, as he had a 39-yard reception to set the Eagles up inside the Giants 5-yard line. He then scored for the third time in the game, this time on another 2-yard touchdown run. Scott finished the day with 138 total yards from scrimmage (54 rushing and 84 receiving).

Jones was picked off on the next possession after getting into Eagles territory. The Giants got the ball back one more time, but could not score before the clock ran out. The Eagles came away with the win and captured their second NFC East title in the last three years.

Up Next

The Giants finished the 2019 season with a record of 4-12. They are now locked into the fourth pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, with the Detroit Lions, Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals picking ahead of them.