Giants Can't Get Down After Eagles Rout
The 48-22 loss suffered by the New York Giants to the Philadelphia Eagles will hurt for a long time. But for head coach Brian Daboll's Giants, any mourning they might be hoping to do will have to wait a few more weeks.
"Everything we want is still in front of us," said running back Saquon Barkley, who gutted out 20 snaps despite a neck injury that threatened his availability. "We’ve got a big one next week. Everyone knows about that, and we’ve just got to come out ready to play.”
The “big one” Barkley is referring to is the Giants matchup against the Washington Commanders next week on the road. Though the Giants weren’t expected to win against the Eagles, they are thought to have a chance against the Commanders, against whom they tied two weeks ago in their Week 13 showdown.
The Commanders and Giants both have identical 7-5-1 records, but the former sits in third place thanks to their having won one division game. Yet the Commanders and Giants are clinging to the sixth and seventh spots in the NFC playoff seedings, respectively, thanks to the Seahawks loss to the Panthers on Sunday.
Both teams are also firmly in control of their own destiny which could come to a head Sunday night when they meet again at FedExField.
“We’ve got to be ready. We’ve got to do the little things better. We’ve got to double down on every single thing that if we want to accomplish what we want to accomplish and all of our goals are still in front of us, we’ve just got to come out," Barkley said.
"It’s a big week. Every week’s a big week, and it’s getting deep in the season, and we’ve got to continue to get healthy, trust the system, trust each other, and the rest will play out how we want it if we do that.”
For the Giants, who haven't won a game since they topped the Texans on November 13, the key will be overcoming the adversity that has settled upon them in recent weeks.
But though the Giants have encountered their fair share of adversity, overcoming rough moments like these defines the true character of a team and can lead to success.
“Every team kind of goes through adversity,” said Barkley. “What are we the last 1-3-1 in the last four or five games? We started hot, and now we’ve got to figure it out, and that’s life, that’s football--that’s in anything."
But for the Giants, time is running out. If they lose to the Commanders, it's not exactly a death blow to their playoff aspirations. But it's also not going to help them should the bottom of the NFC race be knotted up when the dust settles.
That's why the coming days will reveal a lot about who this team is by how it responds.
"What better opportunity to come in and go against a divisional opponent, go to their home, and try to come out with a win?" said Barkley.
Barkley knows it won't be easy. But the Giants co-captain believes that his teammates are committed to putting their noses to the grindstone to smooth out this rough path they're currently stuck in.
“The reason why I believe is that I know the talent, and I know the men we have in our locker room, and I know the hard work that they put in, the prep that we put in, and we’re going through a rough patch right now," Barkley said.
"We played against some really good teams early in the season, and we beat some really good teams, and that’s why we’re in this position to be able to put ourselves in the tournament and play meaningful games in December.
"So now we’ve got to double down, continue to believe in each other, and it starts with all of us. It starts with myself and the leaders, and get ready to come out this week and get ready for a big game.”
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