Sunday may very well be Joe Schoen’s and Brian Daboll‘s final game as the Giants‘ GM and head coach.
Daboll did his best not to think about it as he prepared the Giants (3-13) to close out their season against the NFC East champion Eagles (13-3).
“Just focus on the things you can control,” the third-year coach said Friday. “Focus on coming out here and ending up the week on a good note and getting ready to play a game against Philly.”
But the time for Daboll to control his fate has passed. The same should go for Schoen, too. Visiting their division foe provides a good reminder of why:
The Giants have a 4-13-1 NFC East record under Schoen and Daboll since the start of the 2022 season, getting outscored 472-313 total in those 18 games. That comes out to an average score of 26.2 to 17.4 each time out.
The numbers are even more glaring in the Giants’ 12 conferences with the Eagles and Cowboys, their extra persistently competent NFC East opponents:
Schoen and Daboll have a 1-11-0 document in opposition to the Eagles and Dallas whereas getting outscored a foolish 366-188 — a mean lack of 30.5 to fifteen.7 every recreation. That features a 1-5 mark in opposition to the Eagles, getting outscored 179-100 within the collection (29.8 to 16.6).
Sunday may very well be totally different, since Eagles coach Nick Sirianni is resting 2,000-yard rusher Saquon Barkley and several other different starters with the NFC’s No. 2 general seed clinched.
So Barkley won’t be going for the NFL’s all-time single-season dashing document in opposition to his former crew — though Giants defensive position coach Andre Patterson unusually stated Friday that he was not relieved when he heard Barkley was sitting out.
“I really don’t care. I really don’t care. It’s no big deal to me,” stated Patterson, whose Giants run protection allowed 176 Barkley dashing yards and a landing on 17 carries in three quarters on Oct. 20. “We gotta worry about their five offensive linemen. Right? That’s what we gotta worry about. That’s our job… So it really didn’t matter who plays or who doesn’t play. We gotta defend whoever shows up out there on the field, and it was no big deal to me.”
The Eagles’ resolution to sit down so many starters may create a extra even competitors for the Giants. That additionally creates the chance, nonetheless, that the Giants might additional harm their place in April’s NFL Draft.
Final week’s win over the Indianapolis Colts dropped them from No. 1 to No. 4 within the order coming into Week 18.
And if the Giants beat the Eagles on Sunday, they’ve an opportunity to fall so far as No. 9 general within the remaining order when all is alleged and finished.
The Patriots, Titans and Browns all sit forward of the Giants in the mean time with the identical 3-13 document, whereas the Jaguars, Panthers, Jets, Raiders and Bears all sit 4-12 at picks No. 5 via No. 9 with a chance to maneuver up the board relying on the outcomes.
Rookie vast receiver Malik Nabers stated the Giants are “going to try our best every game that we go out there.”
“We expect to win every game,” he stated. “So we’re going to go out there expecting to win every game. We’re going to carry that win over and try to get another one.”
There isn’t any consequence that seemingly can save Daboll, although, and probably Schoen, too. And at this level, that’s the way it ought to be.
As a result of Schoen and Daboll have a 12-30-1 document of their final 43 common season video games following their 6-1 begin to their inaugural 2022 yr. That’s 13-31-1 of their final 45 together with their 2022 playoff win in Minnesota and their blowout playoff loss in Philly the subsequent spherical.
No self-respecting franchise can rationalize accepting that stage of failure.
SCHOEN’S WOE-LINE
None of Schoen’s 4 offensive line draft picks are slated to play significant snaps in Sunday’s common season finale, if in any respect.
Proper sort out Evan Neal (rib/hip), Schoen’s No. 7 general decide in 2022, and middle John Michael Schmitz (ankle), his second-round decide, are out with accidents. Guard Marcus McKethan, a 2022 fifth-round decide, is now not on the crew.
And right here was Daboll’s dismissive reply about 2022 third-round decide Josh Ezeudu’s possibilities of beginning at proper sort out on Sunday:
Query: “What do you do at right tackle?”
Daboll: “We have [Chris] Hubbard and [tackle] Tyre [Phillips].”
Query: “Why not Ezeudu there?”
Daboll: “Because we have Hubbard and Tyre to play there.”
Ezeudu began the season because the Giants’ swing sort out. Hubbard signed in the midst of the season, and Phillips signed late.
Linebacker Micah McFadden (neck), nook Greg Stroman (shin) and defensive lineman Armon Watts (knee, injured reserve) are additionally out.
