Eagles vs. Giants Redux Recap
The Shayshawn Redemption, Dallas Goedert's Big Day, and Brian Daboll Crashes Out
You know what they say. Revenge is a dish best served in 67-degree weather in South Philadelphia. Like a John’s Roast Pork sandwich or an old Big Mac you accidentally left in your car. Two weeks after being embarrassed by New York on Thursday Night Football, the Philadelphia Eagles sent the Big Blue Frat Boys back to the Sigma Chi house. Brewskis will be pounded, but they will be pounded in disappointment rather than celebration. Jaxson Dart will shotgun a Coors Light with tears in his eyes.
The Birds won the rematch 38-20. Their performance can best be described as an “ass-whooping.” It was a level of revenge that hasn’t been witnessed since the first John Wick movie (or the second one, or the third one, and kind of the fourth one). Jalen Hurts played like Brian Daboll stole his dog and burned down his house.
This was exactly the game you wanted to see from this Eagles team two weeks after their Meltdown in the Meadowlands (trademark pending). Offensively, they imposed their will on a Giants defense that was dealing with injuries but still boasts a talented defensive line. Jalen and the boys took the wheel and kept their foot on the gas like Vin Diesel in all 50 Fast and the Furious films. The offense was like 11 Dominic Torettos out there.
Hurts continued what has quietly been a stellar season for him. He dropped 4 touchdowns on the Giants’ heads to 3 different receivers. Hurts completed 15 of 20 passes for 179 yards and came away with a 141.5 passer rating, one week after hitting a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Jalen looked calm, confident, and in full command of the offense. We’re seeing Hurts ascend to a truly special level of quarterbacking. You can hear it in the way Tom Brady talked about Jalen on the broadcast. This is Hurts’ 2nd straight game with 3 or more TD passes. He is an insane 19-2 in his last 21 games and has just 6 interceptions in that time frame.
As well as Hurts played, the story of the day was the resurgence of Shayshawn and the Philly rushing attack. Saquon had his best game of the year with a season-high 150 rushing yards on 14 carries with 1 rushing touchdown and 1 receiving touchdown. 2025 Saquon Barkley dressed up as 2024 Saquon Barkley for Halloween. He ripped off his patented explosive runs, scoring the Eagles’ first 6 on a huge 65-yard run. Newly acquired backup running back and man who plays like his name Tank Bigsby got in on the party with 104 yards on 9 carries, fulfilling his true destiny as “big Kenneth Gainwell.”
But wait…there’s more! Dallas Goedert caught 2 touchdowns, tying him with Amon-Ra St. Brown for the most touchdown receptions in the league. Jahan Dotson caught a beautiful 40-yard touchdown reception, channeling Future Sixers Legend and MVP VJ Edgecombe for a leaping catch. DeVonta Smith completely took over at times throughout this game, reeling in 6 catches for 84 yards. With A.J. Brown sitting out due to injury, the offense was cooking in his honor.
For the most part, the Eagles’ defense held Jaxson Dart and the Giants’ offense in check. Dart made big plays with his legs and had some back-breaking 3rd down conversions. But Vic Fangio’s defense managed to take their hits and punch back. The defense held all Giants receivers under 50 yards and limited the rushing attack. Most importantly, the Eagles’ pass rush delivered a performance that would make Za’Darius Smith want to unretire. The team logged 5 sacks (their most this season) with Moro Ojomo, Jalen Carter, Jalyx Hunt, and Jordan Davis all getting in on the action.
Unfortunately, there were a lot of injuries in this game for the Giants. One of which was an awful leg injury to Giants starting running back Cam Skattebo. Skattebo is a fun player who means a lot to this Giants team, so I hope he’s on the fast track to recovery.
This game registered a 9 out of 10 on the well-respected We’re Cooked to We’re Back Scale, a measurement system famously invented by Thomas Edison to evaluate the performance of Philadelphia sports teams.
This game felt like a sigh of relief. So far this year, every game has felt as stressful as doing your taxes. It’s refreshing to see the league’s most talented team finally look dominant through all four quarters. This has been the most complete game the Birds have played all season.
Kevin Patullo called his best game as Eagles’ Offensive Coordinator. It finally feels like this team is settling into an identity. After weeks of wandering in the football wilderness and collapsing in fourth quarters, the Eagles are beginning to find themselves on offense. It’s like they flew to Mexico to take ayahuasca with Aaron Rodgers. Jalen is playing like one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and the rushing attack is getting back on schedule.
Heading into the bye week, the vibes are through the roof for this team. They’ve navigated choppy waters to get here, and there’s still a long way to go. But the Eagles showed how dominant they can be when they put the pieces together. They are true chameleons, with a level of talent that makes them capable of winning anyway they want, whenever they want.
Next up is a well-deserved week off. A chance for the team to get healthy before a tough slate against Green Bay, Detroit, and Dallas. But to paraphrase the immortal words of Keanu Reeves as John Wick, “I’m thinking we’re back.”
Let’s get to the game recap.
(Feel free to skip the GAME RECAP and head to TRENDING UP/TRENDING DOWN if you watch this bad boy live)
GAME RECAP
In the words of the Rizzler, the Eagles’ first drive started with a BOOM! Saquon Barkley took the handoff out of a jumbo formation straight to the house for 65 yards. It’s the start we’ve all been dreaming of all season. NASA says the fist pumps could be heard from the moon.
After a 3-and-out from the Giants, the Eagles drove down the field again thanks to big runs from Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby. Jake Elliot lined up for a 58-yard field goal try but missed by hitting the ball off the post. There was a little controversy after the attempt as a whistle sounded in the middle of the field goal attempt. Typically, when that happens, it means the play was blown dead, and the Eagles would get another crack at the kick. But the refs denied blowing the whistle and the Giants took over on downs. The Giants answered with a touchdown pass from Jaxson Dart to Cam Skattebo, who blew past Eagles linebacker Patrick Johnson out of the backfield. Tie game.
The Birds’ offense took over with a big kickoff return to the Eagles’ 47-yard line by Will Shipley. After a big scramble by Jalen Hurts to convert on a 4th and 3, the Eagles worked their way down the field, hitting DeVonta Smith on a beautiful crossing route off play action. Later in the drive, the Eagles went for it on 4th down and ran the tush push. Hurts got across the line for a first down, but Kayvon Thibodeaux ripped the ball from Hurts’ hands. Unfortunately for New York, the refs blew the play dead due to forward progress before Thibodeaux stripped the ball. As you can imagine, Brian Daboll lost his mind.
The Eagles would top of the drive with a beautiful touchdown pass from Hurts to Barkley for Saquon’s 2nd touchdown of the day to bring the score to 14-7.
On the ensuing drive, the Giants’ momentum screeched to a halt after a horrific leg injury to Cam Skattebo. Following a 3rd and 16 pass defensed by Quinyon Mitchell, the Giants were forced to punt. After holding the Eagles to a 3-and-out the Giants took over again but had to settle for a field goal after a delay of game penalty on Jaxson Dart on a 4th down attempt. Graham Gano made the field goal to bring the score to 14-10.
The Eagles took over with 2:32 to go before halftime and went on a 7-play 58-yard drive. DeVonta Smith had a few big catches, including an 11-yard catch to move the sticks that resulted in two Giants players accidentally punching each other trying to jar the ball loose from him. Right before half, Hurts hit Dallas Goedert for the touchdown. 21-10 Eagles.
Heading into the half Jalen Hurts was 9 of 12 for 82 yards and 2 touchdowns and Saquon Barkley already had 10 rushes for 107 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The Giants went 3-and-out in their first drive after halftime, including a huge sack by Jalen Carter on 1st down (his first sack of the year). After a Giants punt, Hurts and DeVonta Smith moved the Eagles down the field on a drive that ended in a Jake Elliot 40-yard field goal to bring it to 24-10.
The Giants’ offense started to gain a little traction with backup running back Tyrone Tracy. At one point, Dart evaded a slew of Eagles defenders to float a pass over Cooper DeJean to Theo Johnson for a first down. Dart also hit a beautiful pass to Devin Singletary against Nakobe Dean to convert a 3rd down. The Giants’ drive stopped in it’s tracks after a big 3rd down sack by Jalyx Hunt. The Giants settled for a field goal to bring the score to 24-13.
Saquon Barkley finished the third quarter with a big 28-yard run, but was limping afterward. He left the game with a groin injury but was said to be okay after the game. It was Tank time. After Hurts took a huge 21-yard sack, Tank Bigsby made up all the lost yardage and ran for a first down. Bigsby took the Eagles down the field and Hurts topped it off by hitting Dallas Goedert for a 17-yard touchdown, Goedert’s second of the day. 31-13 Eagles.
The Giants worked down the field before Josh Uche hit Jaxson Dart’s arm in the pocket as he was throwing the ball. Ruled a fumble on the field, the ball was recovered by Jordan Davis. Unfortunately, the refs turned over the call and the Giants retained the ball. Afterward, Dart was sacked by Burds of a Feather Favorite Moro Ojomo, on 3rd down the Giants completed a big pass to Darius Slayton for a touchdown on 4th and 11. The refs ruled offensive pass interference on Slayton after pushing off Quinyon Mitchell, and the touchdown was taken off the board.
The Eagles got the ball back and drove down the field again thanks to in part to big runs by Tank Bigsby. Jalen Hurts hit Jahan Dotson on a beautiful 40-yard pass where Dotson leaped over his defender to grab the ball for the touchdown. 38-13 Eagles.
The Eagles put in their backup defenders, who gave up a touchdown on a Jaxson Dart run, but by that point, the game was already over.
TRENDING UP
The Eagles Running Game: The Birds had over 270 rushing yards against the Giants. That’s by far their best performance of the season. Saquon looked like the reigning Offensive Player of the Year. Tank Bigsby looked like a strong backup running back, capable of taking some touches off of Saquon’s plate. Speaking of…
Tank Bigsby RB2: Listen, the man’s name is “Tank.” He quite simply is built for this. I’m familiar with Tank’s game. I used to watch him play in Jacksonville because I’m a degenerate fantasy football player (why else would you watch the Jacksonville Jaguars). Tank had games where he’d carry the Jaguars’ offense and one of my 6 fantasy football teams to victory. If he can fulfill his destiny as the RB2 who was promised, it can add another weapon to the Eagles’ offensive arsenal and help keep Saquon as fresh as possible.
The Offensive Line: The big boys had a big day. If you gave me the ball on a hand off today I could make it threw one of those giant holes created by the Eagles’ offensive line to gain at least one yard before being tackled into dust. Literally upon contact I would cease to exist (counter to Tank, I am not built for this). The line looked fresh and even backup center Brett Toth made some big plays in the running game. The line held up well in pass protection against a strong Giants defensive line and gave Hurts all day to throw the ball. Here’s hoping we’ll get Cam Jurgens back after the bye week. But overall, this line led the way literally and figuratively for a huge day for the Birds.
The Value of Dallas Goedert’s Next Contract: The Eagles almost didn’t resign their starting tight end Dallas Goedert this offseason before agreeing to bring him back on a one year deal. Goedert has responded by playing like one of the best tight ends in the league. Goedert is tied for the league lead in touchdown receptions with 7 and has at least 1 touchdown catch in 4 of 7 games. Goedert is the Birds go-to option in the redzone as Kevin Patullo continues to dial up creative touches for him that lead to touchdowns. Safe to say this offseason, the man named after a city is in for big money. His living room will literally look like this:
Jalyx Hunt: Eagles fans have been waiting with baited breath for Jalyx to break out. And it seems like he’s finally starting to figure it out. One week after getting a pick 6, Hunt was all over the field today. According to Devin Jackson of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Hunt had a career-high 9 pressures today and one sack. The Giants also averaged only 3.8 yards per run when they ran to Hunt’s side. His performance helped lead the way for a season-best performance from the Eagles pass rush. If the lights come on for Big Pimpin’ it could bolster a pass rush unit in need of some juice, especially with Nolan Smith returning from injury after the bye week.
TRENDING DOWN
Officiating: This just in: the Zebras are blind! I don’t like complaining about officiating, but this season it feels like refs have been getting progressively worse. There were multiple moments in this game where the topsy-turvy officiating led to some terrible calls and non-calls. The first atrocity happened during a Jake Elliot missed kick when a whistle was blown in the middle of the play. Usually a mid-play whistle results in a re-kick, but the refs neglected to give the Eagles another shot. Then there was a late hit by Brian Burns on Jalen Hurts scramble that wasn’t called. On the same drive, Kayvon Thibodeaux ripped the ball from Jalen Hurts hands on a tush push before Hurts was down. Luckily for my heart rate, the refs ruled that Jalen was stopped by forward progress seemingly before the play was over. Bad call, great result for Eagles fans. The Coup de Grace was an overturned fumble after Josh Uche clearly hit Jaxson Dart’s arm before it was moving forward. The refs called it a fumble and then reversed it. I understand refs making the occasional bad call. The game moves fast. But they are literally trained to make the right call more often than the wrong one. And to provide valid justification for those calls. At this point it’s dramatically affecting the outcome of games.
Jalen Hurts Haters: Jalen Hurts is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Tom Brady raves about Jalen on these broadcasts like he’s his long-lost son. Hurts has won 19 of his last 21 games. He rarely turns over the ball, and in the past few weeks has been playing with the same confidence we saw in the Super Bowl. It’s time to admit his dominance. It’s time to acknowledge his ability to put his ego aside for the sake of the team and win anyway he can is a superpower. The haters must be sick right now.
HOT TAKES
It makes me sick to say this, but the Giants have a bright future. I seriously doubted Jaxson Dart’s ability to be a starting quarterback in the league. That opinion was entirely based on my disdain for Brian Daboll and the New York Giants. But Dart is looking like the real deal. His scrambling ability and athleticism give him a high floor. The unfortunate loss of Cam Skattebo to injury in this one hurts. But it looks like the Giants have the two players who can drive their culture forward. When Brian Daboll gets fired, then this team will be cooking with gas.
The Eagles are getting closer to finding their identity. I wrote weeks ago that it would take time for Kevin Patullo to develop as a play caller. It looks like Patullo is finally hitting his stride. In this game, the Eagles leaned on tenants that have worked in the past few weeks, like under-center play action and the RPO game, especially with Dallas Goedert. Patullo also continues to try new things, like a jet sweep to kick returner Xavier Gipson. Now that the lights have come on for the running game, the Eagles can have it anyway they want. They are a team that can beat you anyway they have to. With a strong rushing attack that powers their superstar wide receivers or an elite passing attack that opens up running lanes. The defense continues to bend but not break. With a bye week to get healthy on both sides of the ball, this Eagles team is only going to look more dangerous.
There’s going to be a lot of weird trade talk about A.J. Brown this week. There’s been a strong narrative out there that A.J. is unhappy and it’s only a matter of time before he’s traded. By all indications, A.J. Brown is beloved by fans, teammates, and coaches. The Eagles are undoubtedly a better team with A.J. Brown on the roster. He’s one of the most dominant receivers in the game who means so much to this team. Trading him would be a mistake and I think Howie Roseman knows that. The Eagles are in the business of winning back-to-back Super Bowls. Trading a top wide receiver is not the way to do that. So let’s not be weird!
THINGS ONLY I CARE ABOUT
Brian Daboll is the King of Crashing Out: Brian Daboll is literally Anger from “Inside Out.” He gets so angry at the refs that it seems like he might spontaneously combust. The man crashes out like no one has ever crashed out before.
Players Who Play Like Their Nickname: One of the reasons we love a Tank Bigsby is because the man plays like his name sounds. He literally plays like he took a mushroom from Super Mario Brothers. Which reminds me, we need more nicknames for football players that match their playing style. Think of the classic nicknames like Megatron, The Honey Badger, Sweetness. Or even D’Brickashaw Ferguson was literally a brick wall (well not literally but you get my point).
What Ages You More, Being a Coach or Being President: Both seem hard, but what makes you go gray faster?
Exhibit A. Here’s Nick Sirianni in his first year and Nick Sirianni this year compared to Barack Obama at the beginning and end of his first term.
For a little sweetener, here’s Brian Daboll at the beginning of his head coaching career with the Giants versus Brian Daboll this year.
Dude. LMAO. I loved this.