Realistically, the New York Giants weren’t going to be a playoff team this season. That made it hard for head coach Brian Daboll to get off the hot seat. The one thing the Giants absolutely had to do was show progress, and promise for the future.
Thursday night will go a long way toward that.
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The Giants didn’t just beat the Eagles. They completely outplayed the defending Super Bowl champs. They fought harder. They had more energy. They shut out Jalen Hurts and his offense in the second half. If you didn’t know beforehand which team was 1-4 and which one was 4-1, you’d have gotten it wrong watching the game play out in New York’s 34-17 victory.
The Giants waited a few weeks to make rookie first-round draft pick Jaxson Dart their starting quarterback, but he has changed the trajectory of the team. So have other young players, like running back Cam Skattebo, who has excited Giants fans by initiating contact with anyone on the field in a different color. He ran for three touchdowns and 98 yards in New York’s show of force. There was a sequence Thursday night in which Dart dove headfirst down the sideline to pick up a first down, then a few plays later Skattebo dragged All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun into the end zone, a few plays after running him over in the open field.
The Giants were the hungrier team. That will reflect well on Daboll, and his young group.
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Giants lead at halftime
The Eagles-Giants matchup looked like a lopsided one heading into kickoff. But so did 49ers-Rams on Thursday night last week.
The Eagles came out fast, with Saquon Barkley running for 31 yards on the first two plays of the game. Then, as has been their normal mode all season, they disappeared for awhile.
The Giants took a 13-3 lead in the first quarter. Dart ran for a touchdown, the Eagles went three-and-out and then a missed tackle led to a Wan’Dale Robinson 35-yard touchdown. The Eagles looked flat. Meanwhile, the Giants were ready to show what they could do in prime time.
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Philadelphia bounced back and took a lead, using four straight tush pushes to score the go-ahead touchdown, but the Giants answered. Skattebo scored a touchdown, then at the end of the half there was some clock management issues and time ran out on the Eagles’ drive after they reached the Giants’ 48-yard line.
The Eagles trailed 20-17 at the half. There was plenty of time for Philadelphia to regroup and overwhelm New York, which was expected to happen Thursday night. But the Giants just seemed to want it more.
Giants increase lead in 2nd half
The Giants knew by halftime they had a good shot at an upset. And they came out with that kind of energy in the second half.
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They were more physical than the Eagles. They flew around the field, and Skattebo’s second touchdown put them ahead 27-17.
When Dart got hit hard and was being evaluated for a concussion, Daboll and Skattebo both went to the medical tent to check on him personally, which is rare. That spoke to the way the Giants have already rallied around their new starting QB. Dart returned on the Giants’ next series.
The Eagles still had a shot to come back. They got to the Giants’ 15-yard line, trailing 27-17 with more than 11 minutes to go. But Hurts’ pass was picked off by cornerback Cor’Dale Flott and returned 68 yards down the sideline. Skattebo scored again after that interception and it was a rout.
The Eagles had beat the Giants in seven of the last eight meetings. Philadelphia swept New York last season by a combined score of 48-16. Maybe things are changing for the Giants. Daboll hopes to be a part of that rise, and the way his team played in Thursday’s win might end up being the reason he stays on for another season.
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The Eagles had beat the Giants in seven of the last eight meetings. Philadelphia swept New York last season by a combined score of 48-16. Maybe things are changing for the Giants. Daboll hopes to be a part of that rise, and the way his team played in Thursday’s win might end up being the reason he stays on for another season.
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.jpg?w=3800&h=2000 "Jaxson Dart Makes History, Joins Mahomes, Lamar in Elite Company as Giants Beat Eagles")
