By Florence mafomemeh

Philadelphia Eagles – 38, NY Giant – 7. That was the lopsided score that brought to an end the Giants’ Cinderella run in the 2022 NFL season and NFC Divisional Round. 

It was such a sloppy game as the Eagles, one of the best teams all season, was just too much for the Giants to handle. They came into the game as the underdogs hoping that they could pull it off and get to the championship. 

But Coach Brian Daboll’s Giants were baffled from the start and looked nothing like the team that beat the Minnesota Vikings 31-24 the week before for their first postseason win since their Super Bowl victory under Tom Coughlin 11 years ago.

The Giants, who had been expected to rebuild this season, couldn’t recover from Philadelphia’s explosive start. Matt Brieda had an 8-yard TD run for the Giants in the third quarter. Daniel Jones was 15 of 27 for 135 yards and a pick.

Though the Giants were completely blown out by The Eagles, one of the league’s heavyweights all season, Big Blue ended the season with their heads high as it was a surprise for them even to reach this point.

The Giants showed progression for sure. They won nine games — they had won 10 in the previous two seasons combined — and their most important players shined. Barkley, who had been plagued by injuries since his rookie year in 2018, revived his career, finishing fourth in the league in rushing yards (1,312). Jones played more efficiently and whittled his turnovers, and he seemed to thrive under Daboll, who as offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills helped develop Josh Allen into an elite quarterback.

But on Saturday, the supporting cast struggled. Barkley rushed for 61 yards and Jones took five sacks as the offensive line crumbled. Jones threw for just 135 yards as the receivers failed to create space against Philadelphia’s secondary and dropped passes.

The Eagles sent the Giants to the off-season with big decisions to make regarding their key players and top assistant coaches.

Both Jones and Barkley are set to enter free agency in the spring unless they are signed to long-term contracts, and Daboll’s top assistants, offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and defensive coordinator Don Martindale, have drawn interest for head coaching jobs across the league. With a projected $54 million in cap space and a year of experience implementing their system and culture, Daboll and Schoen are poised to employ an improved roster in 2023. But they face key decisions through the spring and summer that will determine if the team will still be viewed with a Cinderella narrative or as an actual contender.