Teams are supposed to get players back after the bye week, however, for the Giants, this week has been just like the rest with injuries. In practice this week Kenny Golladay has joined the injured, however, it will only be for this week. Golladay will have missed 5 games so far this year, and with a huge 20 million cap hit per year, this is not the kind of production that the Giants need. Golladay is supposed to be the Giants number one receiver, being able to work the entire field, and get open no matter who is covering him. Right now the only thing covering him is a blanket. Rumors have been swirling that he could be traded before the trade deadline.
The week the Giants took on the same team they played before the bye, the Philadelphia Eagles. The difference between this week and week 5 is the fact that two players, Peppers and Engram, received break out story lines. Peppers had the chance to go to superstar status as long as he made 2 tackles for loss, interceptions, forced fumbles, or sacks. Engram had the easier storyline as all he had to do was get 3 touchdowns or 150 yards rushing or receiving.
The game plan that coach Burn cooked up revolved around both of these players accomplishing the tasks that they needed to. The game started out badly with the Eagles throwing until they got a large lead, as the defensive gameplan went exactly the way that the Eagles could have hoped. Bringing pressure against one of the best quarterback and offensive line combinations isn’t a good idea, however, this would be the easiest way to get Peppers his goal. On offense it was like the Eagles knew that Engram had a development story as they highlighted to guard him on every play.
With the game going badly, after multiple interceptions and bad throws by Jones, the Giants brought in rookie quarterback Slovis. In the fourth quarter with less than two minutes left, Engram was 1 yard away from completing his goal. The Giants completed the play, however, Engram was hurt and unable to go back into the game. As the game clock hit 0:00, Engram was sitting on the sidelines, with a final statistic of 12 receptions for 149 yards. Engram could be visibly upset on the sidelines as not only did he not complete his goal, he was told that he is now out for the next four weeks. After the game, Coach Burn could be heard throwing things around the locker room, saying things we can’t repeat in this article.
Peppers on the other hand wasn’t even close to completing his goal. He had a few tackles, but he wasn’t targeted most of the game and was too far out in the run game to make a difference. The rest of the Giants offense and defense had little to no impact in this game. Jones finished the game with 5 interceptions, making his grand total 11 versus the Eagles in two weeks. Jones has devolved this season and is making the Giants really think about if he is the right quarterback for them or not. We could see rookie Slovis playing more and more in the future this season
With 4 straight losses in the last 4 games, the Giants have found themselves in a terrible slump that could derail their entire season given their upcoming schedule. If they dont pull it together then in just a short few weeks they could find themselves already out of the playoffs with a month or more left to play. Up next they will face off against the Dallas Cowboys.
