Daniel Jones, Giants Have Fans Optimistic About Future Despite Lopsided Eagles Loss

The New York Giants' fantastic season ended with a massive thud Saturday as the Philadelphia Eagles jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead en route to a 38-7 victory over Big Blue in the NFC Divisional Round.

The Eagles outgained the Giants 258-64 in the first half, scoring touchdowns on four of their five drives.

Any concerns about quarterback Jalen Hurts' sprained right shoulder were completely extinguished as the third-year pro accounted for three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) and 188 total yards (154 rushing, 34 passing) while leading a smooth and sharp attack. The Eagles' running game also waltzed through the Giants' defense (268 rushing yards, three scores) in the process.

On offense, New York could not protect quarterback Daniel Jones, who was pressured all night and took five sacks (1.5 each from Josh Sweat and Haason Reddick). Only two players (wide receiver Richie James, running back Saquon Barkley) finished with more than one reception.

New York showed some signs of life after a Matt Breida eight-yard touchdown run capped a 10-play, 88-yard drive with 6;15 left in the third quarter. But the Giants never got past the Eagles' 49-yard line for its final three drives as the offense reverted back to its first-half form. Philadelphia added 10 more points down the stretch with running back Kenneth Gainwell hammering the final nail in the coffin on a 35-yard rush after the two-minute warning.

The end of this season couldn't have been much worse for the Giants, especially against a hated NFC East rival that has now beaten them 25 of the last 31 times dating back to 2008.

It was also a huge callback to Earth after the Giants went into Minnesota and defeated the host Vikings 31-24 in the Wild Card round behind a 301-yard, two-touchdown day from Jones.

However, some perspective is needed.

The Giants entered this season with two winning seasons (2012, 2016), one playoff appearance (2016) and no playoff victories in the last decade. The team started over this season with a new general manager (Joe Schoen) and head coach (Brian Daboll).

Expectations certainly weren't high for the team in year one of the rebuild, although there certainly was tremendous talent left over from general manager Dave Gettleman's era (e.g. offensive tackle Andrew Thomas, defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence and cornerback Adoree' Jackson).

Jones and Barkley were coming off disappointing 2021 campaigns, but those two had previously flashed the talents that led to them becoming high first-round draft choices.

Ultimately, the Giants engineering a surprising and exciting run to the playoffs with those playes leading the way.

Jones had his best season yet, accounting for 22 touchdowns (just five interceptions) and completing a career-high 67.2 percent of his passes. Barkley ended the year with 1,650 total yards and 10 touchdowns. Thomas and Lawrence earned All-Pro bids. Jackson became a shutdown corner, although his presence was clearly missed when he suffered a knee injury returning punts midseason.

Unsung heroes emerged all year too in players such as wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins, cornerback Fabian Moreau and linebacker Jihad Ward.

Rookie edge-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux also shined and had two of the biggest plays of the year with massive strip sacks against the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Commanders, the latter of which led to his own scoop-and-score for a touchdown in a 20-12 win.

All told, the Giants went 9-7-1, more than doubling their win total after a 4-13 season in 2021. They earned the No. 6 seed and their first playoff win in 11 years.

Despite a rough day from Jones (15-of-27, 135 yards, one interception), the Giants figure to have their quarterback of the future when looking at his entire body of work from 2022. New York also has building blocks in Thomas, Lawrence, safety Xavier McKinney, Thibodeaux and more. Head coach Brian Daboll also had a great year in his first season at the helm.

Yes, this was a brutal end to the year, but the future should be bright in New York. Twitter noted how the arrow is pointing up for the Giants as their season came to an end.

The Giants have a lot to look forward to this offseason. Per Over the Cap, New York has the third-most effective cap space in football. In addition, the Giants hold an extra third-round pick in this year's draft as a result of them trading wideout Kadarius Toney to the Kansas City Chiefs. New York is scheduled to begin its draft at No. 25 overall now barring a trade.