For New York Giants fans and players alike, watching the NFC playoffs has been a brutal reminder of just how far this team has fallen. While the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders both punched their tickets to the NFC Championship Game, the Giants, fresh off a dismal 3-14 season, were left to stew in irrelevance.
Nobody encapsulated that frustration better than Giants left tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, who tweeted during the weekend:
These games look so fun to play in…man lol 🤞🏽
— Jermaine Eluemunor (@JEluemunor) January 19, 2025
The tweet wasn’t subtle—it reeked of longing, frustration, and maybe even a little jealousy.
It’s hard to blame him. Watching Saquon Barkley carve up defenses in the snow for the Eagles or seeing rookie QB Jayden Daniels lead the Commanders to a stunning upset of the Detroit Lions must feel like salt in the wound for a player who knows the grind of the playoffs but hasn’t sniffed them in years.
Watching Barkley and the Commanders just hits different
Barkley, once the face of the Giants franchise, looked unstoppable against the Rams, breaking off two monster touchdown runs and racking up 205 yards in Philly’s win over the Los Angeles Rams. The Eagles built their offense around him after he left New York, and it’s paying off in ways the Giants can only dream about.
Then there’s Washington. The Commanders stunned the Lions, with rookie phenom Jayden Daniels throwing darts and Mike Sainristil locking things down on defense. It’s the kind of gritty, underdog story that Giants fans used to celebrate, back when this team knew how to win in the postseason.
Instead, Eluemunor and his teammates are left to tweet about how much fun everyone else is having.
Jermaine Eluemunor wasn't the only one missing out, his teammate Greg Van Roten’s response certainly twisted the knife. Van Roten replied simply: “They are.” Short, direct, and dripping with the same frustration that has likely permeated the entire locker room.
They are
— Greg Van Roten (@its_GVR) January 20, 2025
It’s one thing for fans to feel like the Giants are watching their rivals have all the fun, but when the players themselves are openly lamenting their absence from meaningful football in January, it underscores just how far this team has fallen. The exchange felt less like banter and more like a collective sigh from a group that knows they’re not where they should be.
The Giants are still picking up the pieces from one of the worst seasons in franchise history. Their offensive line was a disaster for most of the year, and Eluemunor, while not the weakest link, couldn’t save a unit that felt more like a liability than a strength. Seeing the Eagles and Commanders thrive with cohesive, physical play in the trenches only highlights how far the Giants need to go to be competitive again.
Eluemunor’s tweet is a sobering reminder of where this team stands—not just miles away from the playoffs, but stuck in a rut where division rivals are thriving. For a franchise that once prided itself on being built for January football (or at least remotely competitive), the view from the couch has never been more painful.