The Philadelphia Eagles expected to leave MetLife Stadium with an easy victory on Thursday night but were instead dealt a slap to the face from the New York Giants. There is a lot of finger-pointing that goes around after such losses, but the Eagles were clearly limited by a few coaches and players who let the team down.
Truthfully, the result was more about the Giants elevating their game than anything the Eagles did. New York entered the game off a disappointing loss to the New Orleans Saints and responded by delivering on every promise Brian Daboll made throughout the week. Nobody gave them a chance, and they showed up to fight more than Philadelphia did.
The loss merely capped off arguably the worst day in the history of Philadelphia sports. Within hours of the Eagles' embarrassment, the Philadelphia Flyers also dropped their season opener to the Florida Panthers, while the Philadelphia Phillies' season ended in the most frustrating way imaginable.
Bad days happen, but the Eagles' loss is the most inexcusable of the three. They now find themselves on a two-game skid for the first time since December 2023 and were not even competitive against a team that was projected to finish last in the NFC East.
The Eagles have a lot to straighten out before Week 7, most notably from the top. With so much going wrong, it is difficult to pin down just a few reasons why the game went the way it did. This one might be a game that Nick Sirianni might feel better about just tossing the entire film in the trash.
Nick Sirianni
The Eagles simply did not show up, and that comes from the top. They looked like a team that expected an easy night and had no answers when the Giants landed the first blow on the chin.
It was an undisciplined performance on all three phases, and Sirianni could do nothing but scream expletives from the sidelines. Philadelphia was clearly not well-prepared for this game.
Despite the narratives entering the season, Sirianni got out-coached by Brian Daboll. The Eagles dominated time of possession in the first half before Daboll turned the tables in the second, and Sirianni had no answer.
Nobody would have thought before the game that Cam Skattebo would nearly double Saquon Barkleuy's output, but it was rinse and repeat for the Giants, with clock-draining drives ending in touchdowns followed by quick three-and-outs for the Eagles.
Whether it was the key offensive mistakes or crucial special teams blunders, the Eagles looked like a team that was still mourning their loss to the Denver Broncos. Philadelphia has now played three straight halves of uninspiring football, which is clearly an issue that Sirianni needs to address.
Vic Fangio
The lack of preparation falls on Sirianni, but defensive coordinator Vic Fangio deserves nearly as much blame. The Eagles' defense was even less prepared than their offense was, and Fangio had no answers throughout the game to stop a limited Giants offense.
Since the Giants lost Malik Nabers, their offense has relied heavily on simple run schemes and quick throws. The Eagles knew this coming in but could do nothing to stop it. Philadelphia missed 11 tackles in the game, an inexcusable number for a winning team.
The Eagles played without Jalen Carter and lost top cornerback Quinyon Mitchell early, but that excuse is pitiful. The Giants' receiving corps were comprised of Jalin Hyatt, who had zero catches on the year entering the game, and Lil'Jordan Humphrey, whom they recently elevated from the practice squad. New York also played most of the game with backup center Austin Schlottmann snapping the ball to Jaxson Dart.
Again, the credit goes to Dart and the Giants' offense, but there is no reason that the Eagles' defense should have looked as helpless as it did.
Kelee Ringo
Almost every Eagles defender could find themself on this list, but it is impossible to overlook Kelee Ringo's shortcomings. Philadelphia needed Ringo, especially when Mitchell went down, but the lights seemed too bright.
To be fair to Ringo, the Eagles' entire secondary posted a dud in Week 6. With the Giants relying on simple, quick throws to keep Dart in rhythm, there were not many blown coverages, but New York won nearly every individual battle.
But with Mitchell's injury forcing a shuffle to the rotation, Ringo was the only player unaffected, and he still was arguably the worst defender on the field. Whether it was recent practice squad member Lil'Jordan Humphrey or renowned bust Jalin Hyatt, Ringo simply could not keep anyone in front of him.
It got to the point where it seemed like Dart was targeting Ringo every time he needed a big play. If that was his strategy, it worked. The Giants notably drew a pass-interference penalty on Ringo in the end zone late in the fourth quarter that led to Skattebo's third score to ice the game.
AJ Dillon and Tank Bigsby
The Eagles fell short in all three phases, but none of their mistakes were more obvious than they were on special teams. They were fine defensively, on punt and kick coverage, but Philadelphia's return game was atrocious.
For whatever reason, none of the Eagles' kick returners could field a kickoff on Thursday night. Perhaps Giants kicker Jude McAtamney has a unique knuckleball, but neither Tank Bigsby nor AJ Dillon could hold on to the ball.
On a night that the Eagles' offense needed all the help it could get, Bigsby and Dillon routinely gave them poor starting field position. Although it was not on special teams, Dillon added salt to the wound with a fumble to end Philadelphia's final drive of the game.
Giants get ANOTHER turnover.
PHIvsNYG on Prime Video
Also streaming on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/1P5imnNfr0— NFL (@NFL) October 10, 2025
Dillon's fumble ended the same possession that he started by dropping the kickoff out of bounds at the 5-yard line. It would not be too much of a surprise if he were released before Week 7.
Fans can question why Dillon was in the game to begin with, but that falls back to the coaching decisions of Sirianni. Even if there was an injury to Saquon Barkley, the Eagles have no shortage of running backs, particularly with Bigsby now on the roster.
