By: Kylan Watson

The Philadelphia Eagles players and coaches were saying all the right things leading up to their trip up to North Jersey to face the Giants. However, when it was time to put up or shut-up the Eagles showed that all those words mean nothing because they dominated throughout this game by the Giants who beat them 27-10. Philly did not have it for the fourth straight game and look like they might be a first round exit away from a franchise defining offseason.

Philly wanted to use this game to right the offensive ship and that did not happen in this game. The majority of the series, the offensive unit was on the field, it was a hot mess. Besides one offensive drive that ended with an AJ Brown fumble the Eagles did not have it. On that drive Brown left the field with an injury (knee injury), and on the next one Jalen Hurts tweaked his finger and that ended it for the starters in this game. The Eagles are not playing like a team that just a few weeks ago was one of the most dominant teams in the NFC. They look like a team that will be having a top-three pick in the upcoming NFL Draft in the spring. If it were not for a dominant start to this season, they would have one of the worst collapses in Philly sports history let alone Eagles history. There is not much to say about this one on the Eagles side Marcus Mariota connected with Quez Watkins for the only offensive touchdown for them in this game. Before these last few games, most people would have confidence in the Eagles winning this game, but Philly is looking very fraudulent heading into the postseason. A season that once had promise might be put to rest in Florida by Baker Mayfield and the Eagles will have to make some very big changes to personnel and the coaching staff to get this ship back afloat. Right now, it is capsizing, and Philly has no one to blame but themselves.

On what the team can do to improve heading into the playoffs, “All you can do is look in the mirror and go back to work. I know people get tired of hearing that. The only thing you can do is go back to work and have honest discussions,” said Eagles Center Jason Kelce.

The Giants got to burst the final hole in the dam that is the Eagles season and now the hopes have been washed away. Philly’s defense was carved up like ribs during a summer barbecue as he found whoever was open and it ended up in touchdown drives. On one particular sequence on a third and long Taylor found a streaking Saquon Barkley who somehow got open on a blown defensive scheme to put the Giants in business for what would be their last touchdown drive of the game. In what world do you put a line-backer on Saquon and expect it to turn out well and it ended the way everyone knew it would him burning the Eagles for a big play. That has been the bane of the Eagles’ existence throughout the last few weeks, an inability to make the big play and get off the field. Now a positive in this game they did get off the field and force a punt, something that did not happen at all last week against the Arizona Cardinals. To the Giants credit they made the Eagles pay for every mistake and got a statement victory heading into a big offseason for them as well.

The questions will continue for the Eagles and criticisms will only get louder as this team looks like they are a first round exit away from a lot of people not being here next season. They will need to attack the middle of the field against a Tamp Bay defense that is vulnerable to attack on that end of the field and use the run game and wear them out. Additionally, on the defensive side Baker Mayfield is prone to mistake if the Eagles can sack him something they have failed to do in their previous games. If they can shutdown his first few reads, they can get turnovers, sacks, and shutdown Tampa’s explosive offense. If they can do that, they can get a big playoff win and show that they are not dead yet.