Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
2019 Week 14: Player by Player Review Plus a Look at the Strategy and the Play Calling
The Return of Eli
by Chris Pflum
At halftime of the New York Giants Monday Night Football showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles it looked as if this piece would practically write itself.
At the beginning of the season, we wondered just what effect getting a young and athletic quarterback under center would have on the Giants' offense.
Over the last ten games, we got to see just that with Daniel Jones taking over for Eli Manning.
The result was some highlight-reel runs and scrambles from the quarterback, and we have seen that having a mobile quarterback could help bail out the offense on broken plays.
But we also saw the issues that come when a young quarterback from a simple spread collegiate offense is put into the NFL.
Jones could make great throws when a pre-determined read was there, but we also saw instances where his mental process bogged down and his 2.88-second time to throw (per NextGen Stats) is tied for the sixth-longest in the NFL this year.
So when Jones was injured on an ill-fated read-option play and it was revealed that Manning would be returning to the starting line-up, we wondered before the game just what kind of impact having a veteran quarterback under (or behind) the center would have on the Giants' offense.
For about a quarter and a half of football, it looked as if the answer would be “profound.”
Once Manning shook off the rust and got the ball for the third time in the first quarter, he seemingly turned the clock back to the first half of the 2012 season.
He found his rhythm easily, finding receivers on time and in-stride for quick completions. In the second quarter, Manning discovered Darius Slayton, who he hit for gains of 35, 42, and 55 yards, including touchdowns on the 35, and 55-yard completions.
With the Giants' passing game hitting a groove we have only rarely seen from them; the run game began to open up. What were short gains (or tackles for a loss) became 4 and 5-yard – and even some longer – runs, and while it was the Giants' passing game that powered the offense, the running game looked the best it had since week 2.
Thanks to a breakdown in pass protection and some changes in play-calling, this brief glimpse of what could have been went away in the second half. But we also did get to see the Giants' offense with what being quarterbacked by a veteran mind.
During that brief flash of brilliance, the Giants' offense ran like a well-oiled machine against the Eagles' defense. We saw Manning efficiently scanning the field, going through his various reads and making decisions quickly.
And that was the biggest difference between Jones and Manning.
Where Jones has primarily been a one or two-read quarterback, Manning scanned the entire field while flowing within the pocket to expand throwing lanes.
His quick decisions and quick release kept pressure off of him while his subtle movements within the pocket made sure he was able to get the ball to receivers accurately.
By half-time, Manning was leading all Week 14 quarterbacks in Intended Air Yards; was second in Completed Air Yards; and was tied for seventh in release time, per NFL NextGen Stats—all while under almost no pressure and racking up 179 yards and a 14-point lead on a team favored to win by two scores.
Manning showed that a deeper, more aggressive passing attack is not only possible within the Giants' offense, but it doesn't need to be a slow-developing offense that forces a porous offensive line to pass protect for longer than it is able.
And with the Giants' quarterback getting the ball off in roughly 2.5 seconds, the Giants' offensive line lived up to their ranking as having the 14th best Pass Block Win Rate, per ESPN.
(Note: A pass block “win” is considered to be when a line or lineman holds a block for 2.5 seconds.)
By combining quick-hitting passes, running plays, and deep passes, the Giants were able to move the ball at will on the Eagles' defense. They completely stunned the crowd and had Eagles' fans raining jeers on their team even harder than it was actually raining.
Of course, the offense that did that failed to come out of the locker room for the second half, and the Giants got all of 23 yards in the entire second half.
The Giants switched to more of a “ball control” offense and didn't look to Darius Slayton again until late in the fourth quarter.
The never really sought to get back in the kind of passing rhythm they had in the first half. And as the half went on, the Giants' pass protection degraded and even Manning's 2.52 second time to throw wasn't enough to keep pressure off of him.
But for about 20 minutes we got a look at what the Giants' offense could look like under the full control of an experienced, veteran quarterback.
It was a refreshing–and exciting– change of pace to see the Giants' offense be the one dissecting an opposing defense.
We might get to see that again from Manning in the coming games.
But for the future, the Giants have to hope that Daniel Jones is able to develop the same kind of vision, processing speed, and football acumen to be able to control the entire field the way Manning is able to at his best.
QUARTERBACK
Eli Manning: Well, it sure was fun seeing Manning recapture some of his magic throughout an impressive first half.
Working in difficult rainy conditions, Manning didn’t seem much affected by the weather, especially when he was hitting Darius Slayton on not one but two scoring throws.
Most impressively, both touchdowns came on third-and-longs, both coming when Manning perfectly read Philadelphia’s pressure packages and found Slayton.
The second throw was the easier one, and the prettier one, an easy moonball to a wide-open Slayton down the left sideline, but we preferred the precision of the first score.
Manning hit Slayton on an in-cut, except he put it on Slayton’s back shoulder, which took the wideout not only away from pursuit, but it surprised the DB, who fell off the tackle, allowing the score.
That’s the way to execute a quick slant throw against pressure; you give your receiver the opportunity to make a play with ball placement. Kudos to Manning on this big-time play.
Alas, after building a 17-3 halftime lead (his second touchdown came on a vintage Manning two-minute drill), the veteran played a subpar second half and was as responsible as anyone for the offense falling flat on their collective face the rest of the way.
You can’t blame the offensive line for this one, as one of the two sacks that Manning took should have been avoided, Manning failing to maintain his balance after attempting a twist move away from the pressure.
When you see all the sacks that Carson Wentz avoided tonight, and the one that Manning did not, it says a lot about the QB play that determined this game. Each player had one good half and one poor one. Wentz finished.
Manning failed when it counted. Manning also did not hold up well to the occasional pressures that came his way, while Wentz was a magician ducking and getting out of trouble.
Manning was particularly poor in the second half on third downs, he and his coaches failing to adjust to the changes that the Eagles used to stop the bleeding.
Manning finished off a wonderful first half with these numbers: 11-19-179 2 TDs 0 INTs. By game’s end, those numbers had frittered away to 15-30-203, a measly 24 yards passing in that ugly second half.
Yes, the conditions were tough, and he ran out of open receivers, but he also made bad throws, bad decisions, but most importantly his feel for the pocket completely disappeared.
He allowed himself to be affected by pressure that wasn’t really there, a problem that has reared its ugly head throughout his twilight years.
He sure showed plenty of arm strength, and his ability to read defenses remains sharp, but there’s a lack of comfort in the pocket (a good one most of the night) that affected his decision-making. Manning showed his age throughout that second half, including a fumbled snap that was all on him, and it contributed mightily to the loss.
RUNNING BACKS
Saquon Barkley: Barkley’s numbers continue to disappoint, even if his play continues to improve by the week.
His 17 carries for 66 yards (3.9 avg.) on the ground was affected by a holding penalty that robbed him of his best run of the night, a neat 17-yard burst through a nice hole on the right side.
There was still a bit too much hesitation as he approached the line of scrimmage as if he’s not trusting what he’s seeing.
This momentary delay is helping to close up the designed creases in the blocking, of which there were plenty tonight.
We’d really like to see Barkley attack these holes without hesitation, but this may just be his style of running that people will just have to accept.
He did plenty of nose-dirtying with his power runs into traffic for solid gains, at least four of these moving the chains.
On several wide runs, when he found himself one-on-one with a defensive back, it was impressive to see him power through the tackler with that power/balance combo of his lower body that can be so breath-taking.
But there were also touches that seemed to leave yardage on the field, as he seemed to make the occasional business decision that avoided contact for the dipsy-doodle.
Alas, Barkley once again did all of his damage on the ground as his three catches generated one measly yard. That lies on the coaches, who simply cannot scheme anything into this offense to get Barkley the ball in space and is one of Head Coach Pat Shurmur’s biggest failures.
Give Barkley credit for recovering an Eli Manning fumble deep in Eagles territory, avoiding catastrophe.
Also on the very plus side, Barkley has stepped up and done something about his pass-blocking, turning himself into an aggressive attacker on the blitz pickup which yielded excellent results.
He’s turned this weakness into a strength almost overnight. That’s impressive.
Buck Allen: Getting one snap on offense, Allen executed a third-and-long pass pattern that was ignored.
Allen has apparently jumped over Wayne Gallman on the depth chart, as Gallman was a healthy scratch this week.
Elijhaa Penny: Getting perhaps a half dozen snaps, only a couple of them yielded positive blocks while a couple of pass patterns in the flat went nowhere.
TIGHT ENDS
Kaden Smith: The more we see this kid play, the more we see a solid second tight end who could play a lot of snaps and contribute as a complementary piece in this league, hopefully with the Giants.
What’s impressing us most is Smith’s blocking. He’s making consistently positive decisions with every one of his blocks and is invariably getting a piece of the right guy and sustaining contact between the tackles.
On every one of Saquon Barkley’s inside power runs for a first down it was a Smith edge block that was one of the keys.
Smith’s help blocking was also how you draw it up on the blackboard, getting good quick positioning and staying with his man for a tick or two and then handing him off to his tackle to finish off the block.
He’s a really solid team blocker, which means he’s doing a lot of little things right.
He only caught two balls for nine yards, dropping one in the wet conditions, but he plays with good stature and awareness and to these eyes would make a perfect pairing with Even Engram, if and when that very talented guy ever returns to the field.
Scott Simonson: The blocking failures of Simonson continue to disappoint us. On a help-block with Nate Solder, Simonson’s poor footwork got in Solder’s way and tripped him to the ground, allowing one of the sacks on Eli Manning.
Simonson had his hand in a couple of run-blocking whiffs as well, but his pass-blocking is as bad as it gets.
He’s got the size to be a blocking tight end, but he’s got to do something about his footwork which is just not NFL-caliber.
RECEIVERS
Sterling Shepard: Manning found Shepard on a comeback route late in the second quarter and paired a gorgeous pass right between the numbers.
Late in the second quarter, Shepard ran a well-executed reverse, but he should have tried to plow forward to get the first down instead of running out of bounds short of the marker.
Shepard put his fine blocking on display late in the second quarter as he helped spring Saquon Barkley for a first down run.
Shepard didn’t really contribute stat-wise, catching four balls for 28 yards as the rookie Darius Slayton saw the lion’s share of the pass targets in the first half.
Darius Slayton: Slayton put his deep field speed on full display when he caught an in route then broke a tackle by Ronald Darby and streaked into the end zone.
Darby executed a poor tackle here and Slayton took full advantage. Manning then went back to Slayton in the second quarter and the rookie beat a defender on a sideline pass for 42 yards.
Slayton might be the only one of the Giants receivers who can easily beat the man to man coverage and the pass was perfect.
In the second quarter, Slayton broke deep against Darby for a 55-yard touchdown pass. The safety Rodney McLeod also seemed like he should have been giving deep help, but he stood flat-footed and did not cover the route. Nice pass and catch, very poor coverage.
Manning went to Slayton late in the fourth quarter, but he was unable to get separation and hold onto the football.
Golden Tate: Facing his old team, Tate caught one of five balls in what was a quiet night.
Backed up in his own zone late in the second quarter Manning tried to get the ball to Tate on a go route.
The pass was close to Tate but just fell incomplete.
On another pass to Tate in the middle of the third quarter, Malcolm Jenkins came up and knocked the pass away.
Tate made his first grab late in the 3rd quarter on an out pattern for an 11 yard gain and a first down.
The issue Tate is having is he really is not getting any separation from the defender.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Nate Solder: Both of Philly’s sacks came off of Solder pass-blocking failures, but there were other pass-blocking missteps in Solder’s continuing-disappointing season.
His footwork—perhaps slightly compromised due to an ankle injury that landed him on the injury report this week—continues to be a major hindrance keeping that edge clean.
The veteran has had a problem all season getting walked back into his quarterback’s lap, but this week, it was more about getting beaten around the edge with quicks and speed that helped lose the game.
Solder’s run-blocking was decent, but the coaches rarely ran the ball in his direction.
They gave him help and they schemed to limit his impact but eventually, he had to be left alone and that’s when the wheels inevitably fell off the rail.
Mike Remmers: Also getting help with his pass-blocking, Remmers held up his edge much better and in fact did not allow a single pressure all night.
He was solid in his pass retreat and he seemed to better bend his knees and thus hold up to power much better.
Remmers even had some successes in the running game. Most every one of Barkley’s rushing yards came behind Remmers, who did a nice job of blocking down on people and creating space.
We haven’t said that much about Remmers this year. We’d say that he had his best run-blocking game of the year, and overall perhaps his most complete effort.
Will Hernandez: There wasn’t much wrong with Hernandez’s game. It was a nice bounce back from his disappointing game last week.
The coaches left Hernandez alone on practically every snap, and he did not disappoint.
His pass-blocking was really good, but so was his run-blocking where he was isolated on a defensive tackle most of the night and consistently took him out of the action.
The coaches only called one pull, which Hernandez executed smartly until he got to the hole and was submarined by a smallish linebacker, which essentially blew up the run.
Kevin Zeitler: Also playing an overall positive game, Zeitler was once again much better on the pass block, which has been his story all year.
His run blocking remains more of a positional game than a power one, which is a problem in the running game. Zeitler is not a road grader like Hernandez, but he’s assignment-true and reliable.
He gets another plus grade for helping keep the front of his quarterback’s pocket rather clean throughout.
Zeitler had to leave the game late with an ankle injury—he was spotted in a walking boot and on crutches after the game—so his status is up in the air.
Jon Halapio: Halapio had a tough couple of plays in the first quarter, getting called for a stupid hold that negated Saquon Barkley’s best run of the night, and on the very next play getting in Barkley’s way when the back was going to reach the second level with speed, except Halapio forced his stumble that negated the play.
Otherwise, Halapio had a pretty good game, especially in pass protection where he did a good job of combo and help blocking, thanks to a whole lot of quick decisions and alert play.
The big guy’s run-blocking had its hits and misses—mostly misses. He remains very much a dark hole on a unit that regularly underperforms.
Nick Gates: Getting all of Zeitler’s snaps after the veteran’s injury, Gates stepped right in and played solid ball.
His bulk and strength handled any power that the Eagles threw his way, while he showed plenty of mobility and technique to keep his man out of the picture.
With Zeitler leaving the game in a boot, look for Gates to finish up the season at right guard, his natural position, if Zeitler can’t go.
It will be an audition for 2020, an extended look into what Gates can bring to the position. If it’s a positive (and we think it will be), the Giants may finally have stumbled onto a longshot contributor to this troubled unit.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Leonard Williams: Williams led the defense with five solo tackles, as he was especially proficient against the run.
His pass rush was intermittent and remains something that’s in need of improvement, but his power push consistently maintains lanes and helps control the pocket.
He lined up nearly as often at defensive end in a 4-man line as he did inside in a 3-man grouping.
The Eagles had their success on the ground (118 yards) often via misdirection that some better linebackers would have controlled.
Williams is a tough force to move and uses his long, powerful arms and power frame to control blockers. Think the similarly-long Chris Canty in his prime.
Williams committed a personal foul when he hit the quarterback with an elbow and will likely get fined for it. This roughing call was the first one called on the Giants against a quarterback this year—last year they had seven such penalties.
He also nearly became a hero when he knocked a Wentz pass high in the air late in the game, but the ball fell harmlessly to the ground.
Williams still has to find a way to get home on the pass rush, especially if he wants the big bucks in his looming free-agent year.
Dalvin Tomlinson: For the last half dozen games we’ve been most impressed by Tomlinson’s ability to control the middle of the line of scrimmage.
This week, he continued his fine play, accumulating five total tackles, playing consistently tough if not dominating at the point of attack, and surfing the line of scrimmage with power and discipline.
He also contributed two pass rushes that resulted in heavy hits on the quarterback, a part of his game that is finally bearing fruit in this his third year.
He also had a big role in short-yardage, including forcing the fumble on 4th-and-short that resulted in the defense’s lone turnover of the night. It’s no secret that Tomlinson’s game suddenly blossomed when Leonard Williams came aboard.
Keeping these two together with the rookie Lawrence sure seems like the way to go with this organization. They make a powerful trio.
Dexter Lawrence: The rookie continues to make plays throughout his impressive season that tonight included three solo tackles, a ton of power control of his gaps, probably the biggest hit all night on the quarterback while he was scrambling, a big knockdown of a pass at the line of scrimmage, and drawing a huge red zone holding penalty (that was likely a makeup call for the one that the refs earlier ignored on Leonard Williams).
We continue to give this big rookie high marks for his consistent game that included making a big hit in short-yardage by deftly avoiding a block, his quick move something you don’t often see from a 340-pound human.
B.J. Hill: Getting plenty of rotation snaps up front tonight, Hill made his presence known on a couple of occasions and contributed solo play.
He fought his way into one tackle and caused havoc on several other plays with disruptive upfield attacks, something we haven’t been seeing out of Hill very often this year.
If the Giants keep the anticipated “troika” of Williams-Tomlinson-Lawrence, they could do a lot worse than continuing to develop Hill as a rotation option in this defense.
EDGE RUSHERS
Markus Golden: Producing yet another positive game, Golden had one sack (unblocked), missed two other sacks (when Wentz ducked under his tackle attempt), and finished with four hits and a ton of physical edge play.
Again, Golden isn’t the edge disruptor that his defense really needs, but he is that blue-collar, every-down type of effort guy who never stops coming or fighting.
He can be handled by solo blockers, but he always finds a way to get in the QB’s face. He’s also this defense’s best edge contain defender. He’s doing a great job of building up his resume for a long-term deal.
He’s currently working on a one-year deal with the Giants, a make-good contract that has been one of Dave Gettleman’s better off-season moves.
Keeping Golden will be difficult as he continues to out-range himself dollar-wise, but we remain a very big fan of his game.
Lorenzo Carter: On the opposite edge, Carter’s game has been growing quieter by the week.
He’s being easily handled on the pass rush, while his run defense continues to lack physicality. Seeing him lined up on the edge in short-yardage or the goal line is just inviting a power attack in his direction.
He continues to be handled easily by a tight end’s block, and that’s just not good enough when you’re playing outside linebacker in this defense.
We earlier championed a move of Carter to the inside, but his long legs may be a hindrance there. We’d still give that a try as he’s such a smart and disciplined player whose height might be an intriguing asset inside.
His one lonely tackle tonight despite numerous snaps is just not getting it done. We are intrigued about seeing Carter lined up alongside Ryan Connelly in next year’s defense.
He’s an unknown inside, but you can’t hit a home run if you’re not out there swinging.
Oshane Ximines: Looking like one of the answers to this defense’s lack of edge pass rush, Ximines recorded not one but two big sacks, one from either edge.
Both sacks came from different inside rushes. On the first one (our favorite), Ximines attacked veteran tackle Jason Peters with an aggressive left-arm swipe that knocked Peters off balance.
From there Ximines closed down inside of Peters and collapsed the pocket for the resounding sack.
Next, Ximines lined up on the strongside edge and maneuvered neatly inside of his tackle’s pass pro to knife into the quarterback’s grille for the sack.
We liked how Ximines was able to finish off both plays with a power wrap-up. Wentz is not an easy quarterback to do that to. These were the rookie’s only two tackles of the night, but they were two very big plays.
His edge contain against the run remains a work in progress, as he was caught inside on a couple more occasions, yielding edge space, which has been a running theme of his all year.
Teams continue to target him with edge runs whenever he’s on the field. He’s got to start doing something about it.
OFF-BALL LINEBACKERS
Alec Ogletree: Compiling an impressive nine tackles, Ogletree accumulated them in multiple fashions.
He was often the only linebacker who seemed capable of running down and/or finishing off a tackle.
Ogletree’s close and finish were consistently refreshing on a night where the tackling was seriously lacking.
Most of his tackles came against the run and often on the edges where his athleticism really shines.
He also produced several big-time blitzes (the ultimate strength of his game), but Wentz ducked under one of his sack attempts, another time allowing Wentz to get off a pass when Ogletree failed to attack the ball in his hands.
A stouter wrap-up (see how Oshane Ximines does it) would have gotten the veteran the sack.
Several of Ogletree’s tackles came in coverage, an area in which Ogletree continues to struggle.
He ran down a wide-open tight end in the first half to prevent a touchdown. We’re not sure if it was Ogletree’s blown coverage but we have a sneaking suspicion as it’s a common failing of his.
On the game-winning touchdown pass to Zach Ertz, Ogletree didn’t have a clue what was going on and left Ertz alone in the end zone for the score.
All you have to do is run a receiver in front of Ogletree to distract him (he always reacts to it) and run your primary right where Ogletree is supposed to be for the easy completion.
David Mayo: Mayo may have found his way to five tackles but we’re still waiting for him to finish off a play of any variety.
His severe lack of agility in space was exploited on the edges throughout tonight’s game. He made all of his hits between the tackles but rarely stepped up and made the play that needed to be made.
Mayo also has a hesitation in his game that prevents him from getting to the right spot on time. He usually gets there because he’s smart and disciplined, but he’s usually late and/or just can’t finish off the play due to his mediocre athleticism.
Deone Bucannon: Getting perhaps 15-20 snaps today, Bucannon got in on two tackles but badly flubbed a tight end coverage, leaving Zach Ertz all alone in a scramble drill when he and fellow vet Janoris Jenkins miscommunicated on the coverage.
We think Ertz was Bucannon’s responsibility on this one. He ran down several wide runs out of bounds to account for his tackles, but Bucannon’s lack of impact in coverage is making this late-season audition of a significant failure.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Julian Love: Zach Ertz ran an out pattern on the second play from scrimmage, but Love was right there and kept him short of the first down.
Unfortunately, this stop didn’t help as they easily executed a quarterback sneak for a first down on the next play.
In the second quarter, Miles Sanders easily got by Love for the first down. Love needed to “break down” in front of Sanders then make the play.
This means to come under control on the front of the ball carrier so you can lower your shoulder and make the tackle.
Otherwise, we thought Love had a solid first half for Love as he ran down Carson Wentz as he tried to run for a first down. We really his aggressiveness but he still has a lot to learn.
On a pass to Greg Ward early in the fourth quarter, Love came up and completely whiffed on the tackle. Again, he came after the ball carrier out of control.
On the game-tying touchdown to Ertz, Love was in single coverage with him and was beaten at the point of attack. Why he didn’t have inside help on this, we do not know.
Janoris Jenkins: Jenkins knifed into the backfield on the first possession to stop Miles Sanders in the backfield for a small loss.
This was a nice play against the run which we often do not see from Jenkins.
In the third quarter, Jenkins came up on Sander and made a tackle at the line of scrimmage for a short game. Jenkins usually is not that good in run defense but played well in this one.
The good tackling ended early in the fourth quarter as Boston Scott caught a flat pass and completely faked out Jenkins as he tried to come up and make the tackle.
Sam Beal: Beal made a good tackle on third and long early in the first quarter which kept the Eagles short of the first down. This was a big play as on fourth down the Eagles tried a sneak and the ball for the first down and came up short.
Ertz caught a ball in front of Beal early in the third quarter. On this play, we’re not really sure why Beal was not tighter in coverage.
With under seven minutes left in the game, Beal was called for illegal contact and an automatic first down. Again, we’re not sure why the Giants weren’t just covering the first down marker here instead of jamming the receiver at the line of scrimmage.
A few plays later, Beal got caught holding receiver J.J. Acerga-Whiteside, who somehow made the grab anyway for the first down.
This was poor coverage against a receiver who is not very good.
Beal’s tough game continued, as in overtime Ward, the only remaining wide receiver that the Eagles had, made a catch for the first down.
We realize Beal is still trying to get his feet wet, but he needed to play much better against these subpar Eagle receivers.
DeAndre Baker: Baker delivered solid coverage against Alshon Jeffrey late in the first quarter, leaving Carson Wentz with nowhere to throw the football.
Baker closed well on a sideline pass on third down late in the second quarter forcing the Eagles to punt.
He continues with good coverage against wide receiver Greg Ward midway through the third quarter. The Eagles were really hurting at wide receiver and Baker did a good job keeping Ward in check.
As Wentz rolled out and bought himself time early in the fourth quarter, he eventually fired the ball down the field to J.J Arcega-Whiteside.
Baker had good coverage the whole way on Arcega-Whiteside and knocked the pass away. The pass interference was challenged, which made no sense and was withheld.
Antoine Bethea: Bethea had good coverage on Ertz late in the first quarter as he closed on the play leaving the Eagles short of the first down.
Ward almost had a touchdown early in the fourth quarter but Bethea was able to step in front of him. He did not knock the pass away, but he affected his vision enough for the pass to fall incomplete.
Bethea came up with a big play on second and goal late in the 4th quarter when he knocked the pass away resulting in a third down. This solid play was quickly forgotten by a touchdown pass to Ertz on the next play.
Michael Thomas: Thomas did a nice job stretching the play on a sweep and bringing down Sanders for a short gain late in the second quarter.
Zach Ertz made a catch against Thomas late in the second quarter. Ertz almost got to the first down marker, but Thomas came up with a nice tackle to keep him short.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Aldrick Rosas: Well, the good news is that the Giants kicking game is back in good stead.
Rosas converted a 34-yard field goal and both extra-point attempts without stress, his kicks finally showing that right-down-the-middle style that so embodied the kicks of his great sophomore season last year.
Four of Rosas’ kickoffs became touchbacks. He seemed to be trying to tempt the Eagles returner out of the front of his end zone with high mortar-type kicks, but he put each one far enough into the end zone to be ignored.
That lone successful mortar kickoff of Rosas’ to the goal line was returned for 28 yards, so perhaps he was better suited going for the touchback, as his coverage unit has not been as sharp as it was last year.
Riley Dixon: Coming off a much-earned 3-year contract extension just announced this weekend, Dixon continued to perform yeoman duties with his punting for the team, having to do it nine times and averaging a very respectable 46.1 gross and a 43.6 net.
Two of his punts were fair-caught, two were downed inside the 20 (including one at the 4-yard line!), and he yielded only 23 yards on his three returnable punts.
Dixon has a real nice rhythm going with his punts, a confidence level that can at least be partly attributed to the comfort level he is feeling with his new deep snapper.
Colin Holba: This replacement for Giants legend Zak DeOssie has upgraded all the kicking units with the “snap” on his snaps as well as their accuracy, most importantly on his short snaps for placekicks.
It’s likely no coincidence that since Holba took over the short-snapping duties, Aldrick Rosas’ kicking has looked markedly smoother.
Give Holba credit for bringing the consistency that the aging, injured DeOssie had failed to produce most of the year.
Da’Mari Scott: Getting the punt return start, Scott had a chance to field 2-3 punts that he just looked incredibly reluctant to field.
He seemed completely okay with letting the ball hit the turf, which in the difficult conditions perhaps were just good basic decisions.
However, he did leave some yardage on the field with his passivity, which is perhaps why the coaches replaced him with Golden Tate on the Eagles’ last three punts.
Scott’s lone early return was a clumsy-looking 8-yarder that could have raised the stress-level in the coaches' arteries on this very wet night.
We could see the coaches giving Scott another shot at this thing next week under better conditions, but the kid has got to start doing something out there if he wants to hang around much longer.
Cody Latimer: Getting the kickoff return job, Latimer was content to allow all four of the Eagles’ front end zone kickoffs to stay right there for the touchback.
If Latimer is slow to get up to speed under optimum conditions, who knows what he would have looked like in this week’s slog.
Give the coaches credit for instructing him to avoid returns, as Latimer is not the answer back there in any way, shape or form.
Golden Tate: Getting three late-game chances to return punts, Tate only got one legit chance and did not look at all comfortable in that 3-yard return.
With three games left, we’d prefer to leave Tate off of this duty and give young Mr. Scott all the chances in the world to show what he’s got.
Cody Core: The best special teams play of the game was turned in by Core, who downed a Riley Dixon punt at the Eagles 4-yard line with a very quick-handed slap-back of the ball as it was bounding into the end zone.
Core was also blocked into the Eagles returner on another punt, making the tackle in the process, the refs ignoring the block in the back that put Core there.
Antonio Hamilton: This gunner who has been lining up across from Core most of the year to give the Giants one of its better gunner tandems in quite some time, made one of the punt coverage tackles while also downing two of Dixon’s punts.
I ON STRATEGY
by Mike Iannaconi
It’s only fitting that the Eagles came to score in the fourth quarter and overtime with passes to their tight end, Zach Ertz. The Giants have been unable to adequately cover a tight end all season.
The other area that continues to be wide open is the middle of the football field. The final touchdown combined both of these, a tight end over the middle and Ertz did not have a defender within five yards of him.
The coverage was so bad here it is tough to tell who was actually responsible.
This game should have been different because somehow, the Eagles entered the game with only three healthy tight ends, and when Alshon Jeffrey went down with an injury, they were down to two, with one being a converted quarterback.
The plan at that point should have been one thing: stop tight end Zach Ertz. Ertz was targeted 13 times in this one and made 9 receptions.
If you have watched the Patriots of late the opponents are taking away Julian Edelman and the running back out of the backfield forcing them to rely on their inexperienced wide receivers. This has caused the Patriots offense to sputter.
In this one, the Giants task was actually much easier. All they needed to do was stop one man, Zach Ertz. This gets down to defensive strategy and making the necessary adjustments before and in-game to react to the stress and weaknesses of the opponent.
The Giants linebacker play has been atrocious. Eagles 2018 sixth-round draft pick Boston Scott had 128 combined yards, primarily in the second half.
The Giants did not have an answer for this unheralded player, and that was concerning.
Linebackers Alec Ogletree and David Mayo continue to be unable to scrape the line of scrimmage and leave themselves free to properly play the run and they no ability to cover anyone down the field.
In this one, they were often responsible for the back out of the backfield or the tight end and we continue to find them out of position.
One of the many issues the Giants have is in zone coverage. They often just play in space, covering no one. As a play progresses a zone turns into man-to-man coverage as you need to cover the player in your zone, not simply cover space.
The defensive backfield was not much better, especially second-year cornerback Sam Beal, who could not cover the Eagles wide receivers.
This is an issue as the receivers they were playing are third- or fourth-level receivers who Beal should be able to compete against.
Some moments from Eli Manning that made us smile were marred by the play of the defense.
We liked that Manning threw the ball down the field and Darius Slayton was the biggest benefactor as he finished with 5 catches for 154 yards.
The Eagles defensive backfield is not good. The Giants took advantage of this in the first half but were unable to get untracked in the second half.
We would have kept more people in to block and simply worked Slayton down the field.
The Giants seemed to let the Eagles off the hook by not continuing to challenge them down the field. In this disastrous season, the one thing we have found is Slayton may truly be a number two receiver who hopefully can make a long term impact with this team.
Early in-game, the Giants delivered a heavy dose of Saquon Barkley in the run and pass offense. He finished with 66 yards on 11 carries.
He was running well and appeared at times one small step away from breaking a big one.
As the game unfolded, they went away from Barkley in the passing attack.
He did do a nice job in the blitz pickup, but we would have rather seen the tight end used in pass blocking and Barkley used on pass plays down the field.
The Eagles were having enough problems with Slayton, it would have been a perfect time to put pressure on them with Barkley down the field.
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