3 Takeaways from Eagles' Week 18 Loss vs. Giants

The Philadelphia Eagles entered Week 18 with a slim chance of winning the No. 2 seed in the NFC. They needed help, but ensuring that Philly would play at least one home playoff game would have been huge.

Instead, the Eagles are backing their way into the postseason on the heels of an embarrassing 27-10 loss to the New York Giants. A once-promising campaign has become a disaster, and New York punctuated Philadelphia's late-season collapse.

The Eagles were outplayed and out-fought from the jump, and they began pulling starters far earlier than anyone might have expected.

Here are our biggest takeaways from the Eagles' Week 18 loss to the Giants.

Injuries Loom Large for Eagles

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Eagles WR A.J. Brown

Philadelphia came into Sunday's game without running back D'Andre Swift (illness) or wide receiver DeVonta Smith (ankle). The Eagles still played most of their starters, and understandably so.

A loss by the Dallas Cowboys coupled with a victory would give Philly the NFC East crown and the No. 2 seed.

Unfortunately, more injuries occurred early against the Giants. Star receiver A.J. Brown exited with a right knee injury, and shortly after, quarterback Jalen Hurts entered the medical tent with a finger injury.

Hurts re-entered the game. Brown did not, though with the game getting out of hand early, that wasn't a major concern. The fact that Brown was able to walk to the locker room is, at least, encouraging.

Philly's overall injury issues, however, are not. Now a wild-card team, the Eagles have an uphill battle to go deep in the postseason. They're going to need every playmaker on the roster available to make that happen.

Eagles Need an Answer for the Blitz Asap

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Eagles QB Jalen Hurts is tackled by Giants LB Bobby Okereke

For as big as Philadelphia's injury concerns are, the team's inability to deal with the blitz might be even more concerning.

The Giants repeatedly flustered Hurts by bringing extra defenders, and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson never found a way to counter. The offense has struggled to field a consistent running game, and they've struggled to attack the blitz with quick passes and screens.

This is a problem that could haunt Philadelphia in the playoffs.

"Eagles have no answers against the Giants' blitz. The Giants are No. 2 in NFL in blitzes per dropback," Zach Berman of PHLY posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "No. 3 in the league? Tampa Bay, who could host the Eagles next week."

The Eagles' inability to beat the blitz is a massive issue because A.) the offense isn't 100 percent healthy and B.) the defense has become a glaring liability over the second half of the season.

Philadelphia needs to win with offense, and the blueprint for corralling that offense has been presented.

Philadelphia Just Isn't a Championship-Caliber Team

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Jalen Hurts

A little over a year ago, the Eagles fell just a few plays short of winning the Super Bowl. Entering the season, they felt like front-runners in the NFC, and that feeling remained through November.

Philadelphia entered December with an NFL-best 10-1 record, and the thought of the team playing postseason games on the road seemed laughable. Over the past month-plus, however, everything has collapsed.

The Eagles have now lost five of their last six, their defense has become a disaster, and their offense isn't making up for it. Sunday's stunning domination by New York showed that Philadelphia simply isn't a team that opponents are going to fear.

The Giants, who had just five wins coming into Week 18. proved that the Eagles can be bullied.

A loss in Tampa Bay next weekend would no longer be a stunner, and the Eagles have serious work to do in the offseason. Given how the team collapsed down the stretch, it's fair to wonder if big changes are coming, possibly even involving head coach Nick Sirianni.