The New York Giants protected their home field against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, escaping with a 13-7 win in what was a defensive-minded battle. Giants safety Julian Love revealed New York's defensive game plan coming into the matchup, and his comments should be concerning for Philly fans.
Love told reporters after the game that the Giants planned around forcing Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts to throw the ball, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic.
Love's comments weren't meant as an insult to Hurts, but rather an honest assessment of how the Giants prepared for their Week 12 matchup. It makes sense. The Eagles entered play as the NFL's best rushing offense over the past three weeks, so denying them the chance to play to their strong suit seems a logical choice.
What's concerning is how easy it was for the Giants to implement a game plan that really isn't at all complex. Stacking the box against the run will force the quarterback to put the game into his own hands, and Hurts didn't step up when tossed into that precise situation.
Hurts completed just 14-of-31 pass attempts and threw three interceptions without a single touchdown. He was also nearly intercepted multiple times on the Eagles' final two drives of the game. He logged just 129 passing yards while rushing eight times for 77 yards.
The Giants' secondary isn't made up of world-beaters by any stretch of the term, but this group of defensive backs absolutely ruined Jalen Hurts' day, resulting in one of the worst games of the second-year quarterback's career. If the Giants were able to stop Hurts and the Eagles with such ease, Philly should be worried about what's in store going forward. Fortunately, a matchup against the Jets is on the horizon, so Philly has a good chance to figure things out offensively in Week 13.