Instant analysis: Giants offense runs on empty, Saquon Barkley runs wild in loss to Eagles

EAST RUTHERFORD - There were plenty of moments in Saquon Barkley's six years with the New York Giants that he was viewed as the entire offense, the only real threat to put a defense on its heels with any legitimate chance to score.

That was seemingly the case again Sunday afternoon for Big Blue, only this time Barkley was wearing the green of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Barkley and the Eagles turned his homecoming to MetLife Stadium into a laugher by the fourth quarter, as the Giants' offense led by Daniel Jones, despite the return of Malik Nabers, spent much of an eventual 28-3 loss to Philly failing to get out of its own ways.

Jones was hesitant to pull the trigger on passes throughout. That may have had something to do with the complete implosion of an offensive line playing for the first time this season without star left tackle Andrew Thomas, who is out for the season after undergoing surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury this past week.

Josh Ezeudu started for Thomas, the first player other than the usual starting five to crack the lineup seven weeks into the campaign, and he was beaten for the first of eight sacks for the Eagles (4-2) on the opening series.

This game has been circled on the calendar for both franchises since Barkley left the Giants after six years for a free agent deal with the Eagles. The last time Barkley suited up in this rivalry was in January, the 2023 regular season finale, and he helped the Giants beat the Eagles.

Barkley's much-publicized exit and subsequent trip down the Turnpike took center stage after a much-publicized divorce thanks in part to the "Hard Knocks" cameras this spring. That included Giants co-owner John Mara telling general manager Joe Schoen that he'd lose sleep if Barkley signed with the Eagles, which he did.

And Mara's nightmare played out, as if it were according to script, even if the Giants kept the emotion out of their decision to re-sign Barkley, strictly making the call based on positional value, his age and the analytics that indicated running backs' production drops off after age 27.

None of that mattered Sunday. Well, none of it served as any consolation to what transpired.

Because Barkley took the boos early and often, heading in from the home crowd every time he touched the ball.

His resounding answer, by the time the former Pro Bowler headed to the sideline late in the third quarter, spoke volumes if this was indeed a back-and-forth between team brass and scorned one-time face of the franchise.

Barkley finished with 176 yards rushing and a second quarter touchdown on 17 carries, throwing a pair of vintage Barkley haymakers with runs of 55 and 38 yards.

The Giants (2-5) wound up having Drew Lock finish the game at quarterback for Daniel Jones, who finished 14-of-21 passing for 99 yards. That only raises questions about whether Giants coach Brian Daboll will consider making a change at quarterback for next Monday night's game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

It's not like Lock offered up anything special, but the offense under Jones has been stuck in neutral, if not going backward, for the past two weeks. The Giants have 10 touchdowns this season, third fewest in the NFL.

The Giants are averaging just 14.14 points per game this season and Daboll is calling the plays.

The Giants have not won at home this year, they've scored just one touchdown in MetLife and the fourth quarter performance against the Eagles was a sluggish, uninspired finish that brings into focus things that dog losing teams such as effort and a lack of emotion.

Jones is on the bench. The Giants did not get the ball to Malik Nabers in the second half. Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns are clearly banged up. Thomas is out for the season. Kayvon Thibodeaux is on injured reserve following wrist surgery and not eligible to return until next month at the earliest.

And Barkley flashed that talent the Giants fell in love with back when they took him No. 2 overall at their expense on Sunday with all eyes on his return.

Suddenly, this is a pivotal juncture in the season for Daboll and Schoen, and where this season goes from here.

Here's our analysis from throughout the game:

Eagles 21, Giants 3, 7:03 left in third quarter

Brian Daboll said you can't win many games in the NFL by scoring seven points in last Sunday's defeat to the Bengals.

Well, it's even more difficult to do when you score less than that.

Jalen Hurts scored on the Tush Push from one yard out as the Eagles increased their lead to 21-3. Saquon Barkley is over 130 yards rushing with a touchdown, and he has outdone the Giants' offense in its entirety so far today.

Giants-Eagles halftime stats

GIANTS

Passing: Daniel Jones 13-of-19, 93 yards

Rushing: Jones 5-20, Tyrone Tracy 2-3, Devin Singletary 1-1

Receiving: Malik Nabers 4-41, Wan'Dale Robinson 2-11, Daniel Bellinger 1-11, Darius Slayton 1-11, Tracy 3-9, Eric Gray 1-7, Singletary 1-3

EAGLES

Passing: Jalen Hurts 8-10, 98 yards, TD

Rushing: Saquon Barkley 9-75, TD; Kenneth Gainwell 5-20, Hurts 2-0

Receiving: A.J. Brown 4-74, TD; Gainwell 1-11, Barkley 1-10, Craig Calcaterra 1-5, Devonta Smith 1-(-2)

Halftime: Eagles 14, Giants 3

The Giants' offense continues to come up empty at home. Even when Big Blue gets in the end zone, they don't.

Rookie Theo Johnson caught a touchdown pass from Daniel Jones with nine seconds left in the second quarter, but he was flagged for offensive pass interference. It was a crushing turn of events for the Giants, who would have pulled within a score despite doing pretty much nothing for the entire first half.

With zero timeouts, the Giants decided to send out the field goal unit and Greg Joseph hit a 38-yard field goal to get the zero off the board. Still, the Giants have a lot of work to do offensively to get back in this game.

Eagles 7, Giants 0, 8:58 left in 2nd quarter

Saquon Barkley set up a touchdown for ... Saquon Barkley when he broke off a 55-yard run, coincidently up the Giants' sideline. Three plays later, Barkley got the handoff from Jalen Hurts and rode the momentum of the pile into the end zone for his fifth rushing score on the year.

Dexter Lawrence takes over the NFL lead in sacks

Dexter Lawrence promised "war" in Saquon Barkley's return to MetLife and so far he's been dominant. He has two tackles of Barkley and picked up his eighth sack on the year. That's not only a career-high, but Lawrence has now gone past Lions star Aidan Hutchinson, who is out for the second.

Giants 0, Eagles 0, End of 1st quarter

Sloppy opening 15 minutes between the Giants and the Eagles as they play "who can screw up more." The Giants have sacked Jalen Hurts three times so far, a sack apiece for Brian Burns, Azeez Ojulari and Dexter Lawrence.

Lawrence has two run stops of Saquon Barkley, whose longest run was for 8 yards.

The Eagles still have not scored a point in the first quarter through their first six games.

Josh Ezeudu set to start at left tackle

Josh Ezeudu believes he is in a much better place to step in at left tackle for Andrew Thomas this season as opposed to last year. He will get the chance to prove that Sunday against the Eagles, starting in place of Thomas next to left guard Jon Runyan Jr.

Ezeudu struggled mightily at times last year when the Giants' offensive line imploded once Thomas injured his hamstring in the season opener and missed a total of seven games. The third-year offensive lineman is getting the opportunity, rather than the Giants moving right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor to the other side, which likely would have resulted in Evan Neal starting at right tackle.

Giants-Eagles inactives

DT Dexter Lawrence (hip) and OLB Brian Burns (groin) are active and will play as expected for the Giants. As for the Eagles, CB Darius Slay (knee) is active and he will play.

GIANTS

• Tommy DeVito (Emergency 3rd QB)
• P Jamie Gillan
• CB Adoree' Jackson
• S Anthony Johnson
• OLB Boogie Basham
• OL Chris Hubbard

EAGLES

• Tanner McKee (Emergency 3rd QB)
• CB Eli Ricks
• OL Darian Kinnard
• OL Trevor Keegan
• TE Dallas Goedert
• DT Byron Young

What channel is NY Giants vs Philadelphia Eagles game on today?

• TV: FOX

Watch Giants vs. Eagles live on Fubo

NY Giants vs Philadelphia Eagles history

• Series record: Eagles lead 93-88-2
• Giants' last win: Jan. 7, 2024 (27-10 in East Rutherford)
• Eagles' last win: Dec. 25, 2023 (33-25 in Philadelphia)

NY Giants vs Eagles prediction

The pick: Eagles 16, Giants 10

Here's why: Whichever team decides to not boot away opportunities is going to come out on top. The Eagles have been fortunate to make a decisive play here or there to avoid the kind of losses that have left the Giants feeling empty inside against the Commanders, Cowboys and Bengals. The difference between Jalen Hurts and Daniel Jones is that the former continues to find ways to make a play with the game on the line to help his team prevail. The Giants have scored just one offensive touchdown at home this year and Jones has yet to put together a complete game at MetLife.

Saquon Barkley’s return to MetLife is going to grab all the attention. The last time he was in the building, he was helping the Giants beat the Eagles. He was not extremely productive against the Browns (18 carries, 47 yards, 2.6 average per carry). Neither team will have their left tackle - Andrew Thomas (foot) is out for the season, while Jordan Mailata has a hamstring.

NY Giants vs Philadelphia Eagles betting odds

Game lines and odds from BetMGM :

• Spread: Eagles by 3
• Over/under: 42.5

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NY Giants vs Philadelphia Eagles weather update

Sunny. High of 71. Chance of rain 0 percent.

NY Giants 2024 schedule

• Sept. 8 vs. Vikings, L 28-6
• Sept. 15 at Commanders, L 21-18
• Sept. 22 at Browns, W 21-15
• Sept. 26 vs. Cowboys, L 20-15
• Oct. 6 at Seahawks, W 29-20
• Oct. 13 vs. Bengals, L 17-7
• Oct. 20 vs. Eagles, 1 p.m.
• Oct. 28 at Steelers, 8:15 p.m.
• Nov. 3 vs. Commanders, 1 p.m.
• Nov. 10 vs. Panthers (in Germany), 9:30 a.m.
• Nov. 24 vs. Buccaneers, 1 p.m.
• Nov. 28 at Cowboys, 4:30 p.m.
• Dec. 8 vs. Saints, 1 p.m.
• Dec. 15 vs. Ravens, 1 p.m.
• Dec. 22 at Falcons, 1 p.m.
• Week 17 TBD vs. Colts
• Week 18 TBD at Eagles

BetMGM is the premier destination for sportsbook odds throughout the year.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Instant analysis: Giants offense runs on empty, Saquon Barkley runs wild in loss to Eagles