On most any day, in almost every way, what the Giants put on the field Sunday on offense would have been the main reason for another depressing loss. You score one touchdown and 13 total points, you get beat on a regular basis.
But not always.
You can call the Giants’ offense new but you cannot call it improved six days after the firing of coordinator Jason Garrett. They are in no position to rank any victories, though, as they are all precious gems because they are all so rare.
And so, another offensively challenged and unsightly performance showed Garrett was far from the only problem with this mess of an attack. The production, or lack thereof, was worthy of another loss, but the Giants were saved by their defense, which rose up, fittingly, on a day Michael Strahan’s No. 92 was retired.
That defense intercepted three passes thrown by Jalen Hurts, forced four turnovers and came up with the stops it needed to secure a 13-7 victory over the Eagles at MetLife Stadium, an improbable result for both these teams.
“We knew the defense was gonna do it,’’ Saquon Barkley said. “We have one of the best defenses in the league.’’
Pardon Barkley some hyperbole there, but you get the point.
“We played really good defense and we won the game,’’ safety Xavier McKinney said.Â
The Giants (4-7) stopped the bleeding after their brutal loss at Tampa Bay. The Eagles (5-7) saw their two-game winning streak ended after a sloppy showing.
Consider that the Giants managed to squeeze out only 264 total yards. They were 3 of 12 on third-down conversions. They were 1-for-3 in the red zone, their lone touchdown coming in the third quarter on a 1-yard pass from Daniel Jones to new tight end Chris Myarick, his first NFL reception. The Giants ran for only 70 yards. There was not much of anything as far as tangible improvement, moving from Garrett to Freddie Kitchens calling the plays on offense.
“A couple of wrinkles here and there,’’ Jones said.
There was a flea-flicker pass for 20 yards to tight end Evan Engram. But the supposed emphasis on getting the ball in the hands of the playmakers did not result in a busy day for Kenny Golladay (three receptions for 50 yards). Barkley had 32 yards on one run and 8 yards on his other 12 rushing attempts.
“Offensive side of the ball, we got the win, but we can’t be satisfied with 13 points,’’ Barkley said.
The only reason they got the win is because their defense was lights-out.
Graham Gano’s 39-yard field goal put the Giants up by six points with 2:54 remaining. The Eagles quickly mounted a threat. From mid-field, Boston Scott ran for 4 yards before defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence poked the ball loose. Safety Julian Love recovered the fumble with 1:34 to play.
“Sexy Dexy made a great play,’’ Love said. “It’s like he tossed me the ball.’’
The Giants were so conservative on offense on this gift possession that they lost 8 yards on three plays. Their only accomplishment was forcing the Eagles to use all three of their timeouts.Â
“Obviously you want to be able to close those situations out,’’ Jones said. “We got to be better and do that.’’
Another defensive stand was needed. The Eagles reached the Giants’ 27-yard line but that is where the last-ditch drive ended. Hurts’ fourth-down pass to Jalen Reagor just in front of the goal line was on target, but Reagor failed to hold onto the ball, with rookie cornerback Aaron Robinson applying pressure.
“I was happy he dropped it,’’ McKinney said.
Hurts came into the game having thrown only five interceptions but the Giants picked him off three times. Darnay Holmes got him late in the first quarter with the Eagles on the Giants’ 22-yard line. Tae Crowder got him on the final play of the first half, capping a brilliant defensive series, with the Giants surviving three plays from their own 2-yard line.
“Throw the ball away,’’ Hurts said. “Give us the opportunity to get three points at worst. It’s a bad mistake by me. Simple as that.’’
McKinney got Hurts, his former college teammate at Alabama, late in the third quarter when he roamed over on a deep pass to Reagor, with Robinson in solid coverage.
“He’s very talented but we wanted him to beat us throwing,’’ Love said of Hurts.
The Giants were ahead 10-0 and McKinney’s thievery gave his offense the ball on their own 46-yard line. The first play called by Kitchens was a reverse to Darius Slayton that lost 13 yards when defensive end Derek Barnett tripped him up. The offense went three-and-out, lost 14 yards and heard boos from the crowd.
At the end, all that could be heard was cheers for the defense.
“I think that was huge,’’ Jones said. “That it helped us is an understatement.’’
It did not merely help the Giants. The defense won the game for the Giants.
