The New York Giants (5-9) are set to visit the Philadelphia Eagles (10-4) on Monday afternoon in a Week 16 matchup at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Eagles opened the week as 10.5-point home favorites, and that spread has increased with the New York-listed at +13.5 underdogs.
With this matchup on tap, we sat down with Giants Wire managing editor Dan Benton for five questions.
1.
Are the Giants closer to a return to being a postseason contender, or are the G-Men headed for a full-scale rebuild? What ultimately has gone wrong in 2023?
GW: The Giants feel like they’re in a relentless rebuild cycle dating back to about 2014. The fall from grace this season is a similar story: Overwhelming injuries, historically bad offensive line play, poor tackling, dropped passes, poor coaching, and underperforming rookies. It’s the same exact stuff that has plagued the Giants from GM to GM, head coach to head coach, and quarterback to quarterback. It’s a hampster wheel and if I were forced to choose, I’d say the Giants are closer to another full rebuild than they are to being consistent playoff contenders.
2.
Tommy DeVito is the underdog story of this regular season. Is the former Illinois quarterback a viable starting option for 2024? If not New York, can you see DeVito landing a starting job next season?
Tommy DeVito is a fun story but he won’t be starting for the Giants (or anyone else) in 2024. He’ll return to the Giants and compete for the backup spot behind Daniel Jones, who will again assume the role of starter when he returns from a torn ACL. DeVito is a strong game manager and doesn’t turn the ball over, but he’s not a viable long-term option…yet. He’s smart enough and committed enough that he’ll eventually develop into something more but for now, this remains DJ’s team contrary to what so many want to believe. Of course, none of that will even matter if the Giants don’t fix the worst offensive line in NFL history.
3.
Give Eagles fans seven building blocks for 2024 and beyond as the Giants retool.
Dexter Lawrence, Andrew Thomas, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Wan’Dale Robinson and then a combination of three players coming in via free agency and/or the 2024 NFL draft. I’d like to make the argument for Daniel Jones but I’d imagine he’s gone after 2024 — which is a positive for him. The Giants are a black hole for quarterbacks, so it’ll be nice to see him have a chance to succeed elsewhere. I also envision Saquon Barkley leaving because he, too, would like to experience winning sometime and that’s not going to happen in East Rutherford for him. But this goes to show just how devoid of talent the Giants actually are.
4.
How has Wink Martindale performed this season? Will he return as Giants DC in 2024?
Wink Martindale is a national treasure and should be protected at all costs. He’s done the best he could with lacking personnel but his defense has been wildly inconsistent. At times and for stretches, they are dominant. At other times, they resemble a doormat. He simply doesn’t have enough players to run the type of aggressive defense he’s known for and the offense’s ineptitude certainly doesn’t help because it results in the defense playing an overwhelming amount of snaps. I’d like to believe he’s back in 2024 but the reports of friction between Brian Daboll and Wink are very real.
5.
Give us one under-the-radar player to watch on offense and defense.
I don’t really know if Wan’Dale Robinson is “under the radar” at this point, but he’s really beginning to round into shape after an ACL tear and is starting to display the type of qualities the Giants thought they were getting in Kadarius Toney. He’s fast, shifty, tough, runs great routes, has good hands, and can pretty much do it all. On defense, inside linebacker Micah McFadden is having a breakout campaign and should be earning some Pro Bowl consideration. With the exception of the Saints game, he’s been dominant alongside Bobby Okereke — especially against the run. He needs a little more work in coverage but his leap from Year 1 to Year 2 has been pronounced.
6.Bonus
Who wins and Why?
There will be no Christmas miracle for the Giants this year, and that means the string of Eagles dominance will continue. Philadelphia is coming in losers of three straight and the Giants represent a get-right game. They’ll be treating this like a playoff contest in from of their home fans because, for Philly, it is. Unfortunately for Big Blue, this one won’t be close. Eagles 29, Giants 10.
