Hope has been hard to come by being a Philadelphia Eagles fan this season, yet there was a strong sense of hope heading into the game last Sunday against the Giants.

Going into the game the Birds were riding high off two straight wins against New York and the Cowboys. Having a bye week to allow key players like running back Miles Saunders and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery gave fans just another ray of hope heading into their ninth game of the season.

Yet, a swift veil of sadness and frustration blanketed my soul after watching this game. The Eagles, sitting at 3-4-1 before their game against the 2-7, were just off. Coming off a bye week you would think this team would look strong or at least decent. But, I was wrong, every Eagles fan was wrong.

The first play of the game gave me a jolt of excitement. A Brandon Graham sack on Giants quarterback Daniel Jones gave me life. Then disaster struck and the Giants drove down the field with ease, scoring a Touchdown off a 34 yard run by Daniel Jones. The defense folded almost instantly, showing no answer for Jones in either the pass or run game.

Unfortunately, this was a trend in the next possession as well. The Eagles allowed the Giants defense to dive down the field with ease. Penalties and big plays gave the Giants prime field position for an easy touchdown run by running back Wayne Gallman Jr.

The defense did settle down before the break however, forcing a 3-and-out and holding the Giants scoreless for the remainder of the half.

The offense was a whole different issue. Lack of discipline with costly penalties for this offense coming off a bye week should not have happened. On top of this, Philadelphia’s veteran center Jason Kelce provided three dreadful snaps that halted momentum for the Birds on three separate drives.

Adding more fuel to the dumpster fire that was the offense was Doug Peterson’s playcalling. When the Eagles looked like they had a promising run game on their first drive, momentum was stalled when they changed their philosophy to hero ball. Deep passes that Wentz just could not make this week with his crumbling offensive line.
Field position was a major factor for the Eagles when starting their drives, but regardless of this factor the play calling was still abysmal. Philadelphia did not score the rest of the half and faced a two score deficit heading into the locker room.

The dark clouds were blessed when rays of sunshine poured through them. Philadelphia came out firing at the start of the third quarter. They leaned into the run game and second string running back Boston Scott broke through for a 56 yard touchdown run. With a completed two point conversion, Eagles were within three points.

But the defense decided to pack it up during the second half. Letting the Giants score in what felt like record time. Allowing Jones to throw anywhere he wanted down the field showed the holes in Philadelphia’s secondary and line backing core. Gallman Jr. also had a field day in the running game and once again the Eagles found themselves down by double digits.

The Eagles defense did recover on their next outing, stopping the Giants forcing a 3-and-out. Yet, they were bailed out several times by multiple penalties committed by New York. They allowed six more points off two field goals, but still showed no signs of life.

The offense put themselves within four points after scoring another touchdown. Going for two was a bad choice and after that touchdown, any momentum they had crumbled and disaster after disaster struck. Play calling kept stunting drives in New York’s territory as Philadelphia seemingly abandoned the run as the game neared its end.

I can’t say I am shocked that the Eagles were defeated today in the Meadowlands. The biggest issues have lied with the inconsistency of our defense. Defensive coordinator Jim Scwartz had no answer for Daniel Jones in the passing or running game. The defense showed massive holes in the run defense, allowing over 200 yards on the ground. Big plays and penalties were also a crux of the defensive woes for Philadelphia. This secondary is still not where it needs to be for there to be a consistently winning team in Southeast Pennsylvania.

The offense struggled. The returning Alshon Jeffery was a non factor and the playing calling drove me crazing. The run was working with Saunders and Boston Scott, yet it was consistently abandoned for attempted drop backs in an already crumbling offensive line. No turnovers were a plus, but Wentz is still not entirely himself or so it feels. I am hoping for a more positive performance next week against Cleveland.

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