Eli Can’t Be Trusted

All was going well in the first half for the Giants, essentially moving the ball with ease. Everything was coming easily, mostly from the quick passes or runs from Barkley or Odell Beckham. Their lead quickly evaporated in the second half, after the Eagles made a simple adjustment.

That adjustment was to make Eli be the one who was going to have to beat them. With him struggling the way he has this year, everyone knew how that story was going to end. It ended with Manning and the Giants having a feeling of defeat as the Eagles won on a game-winning field goal from Jake Elliott.

All of this could have been avoided if the Giants continued to utilize Barkley. The Eagles pass rush caught their stride in the second half, sacking Manning twice and got in his face plenty of times. The lack of usage for Barkley after halftime, allowed the Eagles to execute their game plan to perfection.

This game showed that the Giants cannot win when they need Manning to be their primary source of offensive production. Even against an Eagles secondary sans Rodney McLeod, Ronald Darby, Sidney Jones and others–he was still unable to effectively throw the ball. This is a glaring issue for the future of the Giants.