New York Giants Week 16: By the Numbers

A look into the biggest stats that influenced the outcome of the Giants' 34-10 loss against the Eagles.

Author:
Gene Clemons
Publish date:
Dec 27, 2021 7:25 PM EST

In this story:

In games like these, there are many areas to point to that led to the defeat. The difference in quarterback play was evident if we were being brutally honest. The Eagles had a plus-one starting quarterback on the field, and he outplayed both Giants quarterbacks.

Hurts threw for 199 yards and two touchdowns and no turnovers while the Giants quarterback duo of Fromm and Glennon combined for 108 yards a touchdown, and two interceptions, one that went back for an Eagles touchdown. Fromm’s audition was not what fans and the New York front office wanted to see, and Glennon’s stock continued to plummet in his relief of Fromm.

Let’s dig into the numbers and look at some of the deciding factors in this game.

First Down Efficiency

First down is such a critical down. It can set a team up for success on a drive and opens up the entire playbook. If there’s no success on first down, it is usually more difficult for a team to keep drives alive.

The Giants had 27 first down plays in this game. They averaged less than a yard per play (0.7). On a first and ten from their 28-yard line, the Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas committed a false start. On the subsequent play, Mike Glennon tried to throw a pass to Kenny Golladay; it was deflected, intercepted, and returned 29-yards for an Eagles touchdown.

Meanwhile, the Eagles averaged 3.96 yards per first downplay. That included five plays that went for nine or more yards. They also never put themselves behind the chains with negative plays on first down. Fourteen of Philadelphia’s 25 first downplays went for three or more yards.

3rd Down Conversions

Philadelphia was third in third-down conversion percentage coming into this game. They converted a first down on 46.07% of their third down plays. The Giants' defense held them to 38.46% in this recent game. It was a primary reason why the Eagles could only score three points in the first half. However, the Eagles were 66.66% on third down in the second half and scored two touchdowns.

The Giants offense converted 40 percent of their third-down attempts against the Eagles. That’s a couple of points higher than their season average of 37.91%. Going into the game, the Giants were 22nd in third-down conversion percentage. Even with their improvement today, it would not crack the top fifteen in the league. This lack of efficiency had killed many promising drives and is why Graham Gano has had so many opportunities for field goals.

The Giants offense just couldn't get much of anything done against the Philadelphia Eagles, thus earning failing grades from Coach Gene Clemons.

The Giants continue to pile on the embarrassing performances, making it harder and harder for ownership to justify a third season for head coach Joe Judge.

Giants QB Jake Fromm Struggles in Starting Debut

Jake Fromm didn't get much help from his supporting cast in Sunday's 34-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but he also didn't help himself much either.

Turnover Margin

Since their victory over Philadelphia five weeks ago, The Giants have lost the turnover margin in their last four games, so it is not surprising that they have lost all of those games. Against the Dolphins, it was 1-0 and 2-0 against the Chargers. They turned the ball over four times to Dallas’s one, and they lost that battle 2-0 to the Eagles.

They also had an interception against the Cowboys and a fumble against the Chargers that directly led to touchdowns. The two interceptions that the Giants threw against Philly led directly to 14 points for their opponent.

The interception by Fromm left guard Matt Skura gets bull-rushed by 6’0, 250-pound Eagles linebacker Genard Avery on a twist. Avery ended up hitting Fromm as he threw and made the ball hang in the air and fall comfortably into an Eagles defender who returned it to the Giants 21-yard line. The Eagles scored five plays later.

Yards Per Rush

It is essential to establish an effective run game in a game where you are down to a third-string quarterback who did not even start the season on your roster. It is equally important to limit the rushing ability of your opponent so that you can get the ball back to your offense more often. The Giants tried to do both but seemed to come up a little short on both sides of the ball.

The offense tried to establish the run, but it was ineffective. They amassed 84 yards on 27 carries. The 3.1 yards per rush was the fourth-lowest average this season. The last time they faced the Eagles, they recorded their lowest season average (2.6 ypc). So in two games versus Philly this season, the Giants have averaged 2.85 yards per carry. That is over a yard less than their average for the season (4 ypc).

The defense locked in on the Philly run attack in this game. In their first matchup five weeks ago, the Eagles rushed for 6.3 yards per carry. In this recent contest, the defense held the rushing attack to 4.3 yards per carry on almost the same amount of carries. In the first game, the Eagles ran it 33 times; in this game, they ran it 30.

Red Zone Numbers

The Giants' first and only red zone appearance occurred once the game was out of reach. During a 17-play drive late in the fourth quarter, Glennon completed a fourth-down pass to Evan Engram to get inside the red zone. They hooked up again for the Giants' only touchdown three plays later.

Fueled by a lack of offensive efficiency for New York, Philadelphia reached the red zone six times and came away with three touchdowns. The red zone has been a weak point for the Giants offense all season. Ironically, it has been a place where the defense has performed well.