Evan Engram’s drop costs NY Giants as defense folds down stretch of a 22-21 loss to the Eagles
That was the game the NFC East deserves.
In a division that has now combined for six wins through 25 games, the NY Giants and Eagles’ offenses were emblematic Thursday of the division in which they reside, in a 22-21 loss that the Giants quite literally let slip through their grasp at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Giants had the chance to salt out a victory on offense, leading 21-16, but instead the final 2:07 of Thursday loss was a familiar house of horrors that showed just how far away this team is from competing, even in the woebegone NFC East.
Despite putting together a five-play drive that chewed up 2:36, Daniel Jones had a perfectly placed deep ball bounce off the fingertips of tight end Evan Engram deep downfield that would have at least extended the drive and allowed the Giants to continue to milk the clock and potentially pad what was a 21-16 lead.
Instead, the Giants were forced to punt and it was Carson Wentz and the Eagles that showed championship character by making Engram and the Giants pay by methodically driving 71 yards in 1:22 before Wentz found running back Boston Scott for an 18-yard touchdown pass that was perfectly placed against Giants defensive back Jabrill Peppers to lift the Eagles to a 22-21 lead with :40 remaining.
The Giants’ defense surrendered six first downs on the Eagles’ final possession, finally breaking from the onslaught of being on the field for 32:17 and 71 plays.
Thursday was the Giants’ best opportunity to climb back into the division race, but instead, will spend the next 11 days leading up to Week 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wondering what could have been.
Scroll through for our takeaways from Thursday night’s game:
Daniel Jones’ career personified
The past two weeks, Daniel Jones’ legs have been an even bigger offensive weapon for the Giants, and entered Tuesday night as the team’s leading rusher with 204 yards on the ground.
Thursday, he added 80 more, but it should have been 95.
With 8:51 remaining in the third quarter, Jones broke off right tackle and sprinted 80 yards for the touchdo … at least it would have been a touchdown had the 15-yard line not tripped him up. Wayne Gallman ultimately punched it in for a one-yard touchdown with 6:45 remaining in the third quarter, but Gallman’s run came only after two failed attempts to punch it in and a defensive pass interference penalty gave Jones and the Giants new life.
Jones entered Thursday just a 43.8 percent passer for 56 yards with three interceptions and one touchdown in the red zone. He added two incompletions to his resume prior to Gallman’s touchdown plunge.
Much like Jones’ 80-yard dash that came up just short, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft has flashed plenty of moments of brilliance, but also made costly at times unforced errors that leave it an open question whether he can ultimately develop into one of the NFL’s premier quarterbacks.
Fortunately for Jones, Gallman bailed him out this time.
Jones finished 20-of-30 passing for 187 yards with two touchdowns, one interception, and he led the Giants in rushing with 92 yards on four carries.
Another week, another game-altering play by James Bradberry
Cornerback James Bradberry continues to build a case that he isn’t just the most impactful addition made during Dave Gettleman’s three offseasons as general manager, but the best player on the Giants’ roster, by a wide margin.
Thursday night, with 4:48 remaining in the first half, Bradberry made a leaping interception in the end zone on a pass intended for wide receiver John Hightower. Bradberry’s was Wentz’s 12th turnover of the season, and Bradberry’s third interception.
Bradberry’s interception halted a potential Eagles scoring drive, one week after his interception off Kyle Allen led to a Giants touchdown. Pro Football Focus’ fifth-ranked cornerback in the NFL isn’t just making highlight-reel worthy plays on defense — often against the opponent’s best wide receiver, he’s altering the course of games.
Evan Engram remains an enigma
The Giants’ can’t seem to find ways to consistently get and keep Evan Engram involved, and the inconsistent tight end was at least partially to blame for Daniel Jones’ seventh interception of the season.
Jones rifled a pass to Engram about two yards in front of the line of scrimmage that bounced off his hands and was intercepted by Eagles defensive back Jalen Mills with 10:03 remaining in the second quarter. The interception came three plays after Jones hit Engram in stride for a 17-yard gain.
For all of Engram’s athleticism, he just isn’t the focal point of the Giants’ offense that he’s expected to develop into year after year.
Worse, Engram has become a liability.
Between having the interception bounce off his hands, and a perfectly placed pass from Jones ricochet off his fingertips with 2:07 remaining that would have at best given the Giants a fresh set of downs inside the 2:00 warning and potentially set up an insurance policy touchdown, Engram made two of the bigger gaffes of the night.
Matt Lombardo is the site expert for GMenHQ, and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday for FanSided. Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL.