EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Thursday night at MetLife Stadium felt like a gut punch on the heels of a Phillies gut punch at Dodger Stadium.
Shortly after the Phillies’ season ended in startling fashion, the Eagles suffered a 34-17 defeat to the New York Giants that exposed familiar flaws: stagnation on offense, defensive breakdowns in space and missed opportunities in key moments.
The Giants may have earned straight As, but here’s a full position-by-position report card of the Eagles, who might want to hide these grades from their parents.
Quarterback: C-
Jalen Hurts started strong — 14 of 18 for 164 yards and a touchdown in the first half — but the script flipped after halftime. He overthrew DeVonta Smith on the first series of the third quarter, and the offense never regained rhythm. His red-zone interception in the fourth, returned 68 yards to set up a Giants score, was a dagger.
“We’ve got to finish,” Hurts said. “We can’t start fast and let it fade. That’s on me. That’s on us. We’ve got to respond in the second half.”
Running back: C+
Saquon Barkley opened with burst and vision, including an 18-yard run that set up early points. But as the game wore on, his impact and carries waned. The ground game produced 73 total rushing yards, and too many early-down runs were stuffed to set up long third downs.
Barkley himself wasn’t the problem — the Eagles didn’t fully commit to the run. It worked well early, and then offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo & Company abandoned it.
Also, when Hurts is given an RPO (run-pass option), he almost always passes. That was the case again Thursday. It’s all just so predictable and dull.
“They made some adjustments, and we didn’t,” Barkley said. “That’s the difference between winning and losing — finishing runs, staying ahead of the chains.”
Wide receiver: A
A.J. Brown’s contested catch in double coverage down the right sideline was one of the Eagles’ few highlight moments, and he consistently won his matchups even when Hurts didn’t get him the ball in stride.
Smith had separation at times but saw opportunities missed, including that pivotal overthrow to start the third quarter. Explosive potential was there, but it didn’t translate into enough scoring drives because of the quarterback.
Tight end: A-
Dallas Goedert again proved to be a steady outlet, finishing with nine catches for 110 yards and the team’s lone receiving touchdown. His route running and hands were dependable throughout the first half. Blocking assignments weren’t flawless, but the tight ends were among the more stable units on a night when rhythm elsewhere evaporated.
Offensive line: C-
The pass protection wasn’t a disaster, but Hurts saw enough pressure to affect timing in the second half. Inside zone runs were frequently bottled up, and perimeter work wasn’t sustained long enough to stretch New York’s defense. Penalties were minimal, but physical control wasn’t there when it mattered most.
Defensive line: D+
Without their usual interior push, the Eagles were repeatedly gashed on the ground (172 yards). Rookie Cam Skattebo scored three rushing touchdowns and powered through arm tackles in the red zone. The pass rush hit quarterback Jaxson Dart just twice all night and failed to collapse the pocket consistently. This was a trench battle they lost.
Linebacker: D+
The second level never found its footing. Run fits were late, tackling angles poor, and they struggled to track Dart on designed keepers. When New York needed conversions, they found daylight over the middle or through creases between levels. The Giants converted 11 of 16 third downs, and the physicality gap was glaring.
Cornerback: D
This was a problem all night. A 35-yard touchdown strike to Wan’Dale Robinson punctuated a series of soft zone wins and leverage breakdowns. Giants receivers consistently found space on crossers, quick hitters and chunk plays. The group competed, and lack of depth was a factor, but losing situational battles on third down was the difference between a comeback and a runaway.
Safety: D+
An early coverage bust by free safety Andrew Mukuba was catastrophic and directly resulted in Giants points. Strong safety Reed Blankenship got banged-up. Intermediate windows stayed open throughout the second half. Missed run fits near the goal line compounded front-seven issues. Injuries at corner added extra strain, but the safeties didn’t do much to help either.
Special teams: C
Kicker Jake Elliott and punter Braden Mann were solid, as usual. But coverage units, which had been leaky through the first few weeks, started to gush. Also, in a game this lopsided after halftime, special teams didn’t provide a spark.
Coaching: D
The game plan mostly worked in the first half, at least offensively, until the pregame script ran out. Then, as has become a troubling pattern, the second half epitomized collapse. The Eagles were shut out after the break, finished 1-for-9 on third down, and couldn’t adjust to New York’s counterpunches.
The Philly defense missed lots of tackles and allowed a bunch of surprisingly big plays, and Giants QB Dart was rarely uncomfortable. NY running back Cam Skattebo dictated the pace.
The lack of Birds midgame adaptation was as telling as the scoreboard, and overall, the Eagles didn’t seem prepared. It was bad.
Final analysis
The Eagles have now dropped back-to-back games for the first time since 2023. What was once a midgame lull has turned into a defining trend. The urgency to correct it just went up a notch, because 2025 is undeniably beginning to resemble 2023, when the Eagles fell apart because of bad coaching.
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Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc.
