Daniel Jones ‘rattled’ Giants’ loss to Eagles

Mike Francesa didn’t like what he saw from Daniel Jones and the Giants on Saturday.

The renaissance Giants season, which included the best year of Jones’ four-year career, came to an ugly end with a 38-7 thrashing by the Eagles in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs. Further, the 25-year-old quarterback looked out of sorts behind a wobbly offensive line.

“If he had lost that game last week in overtime by three points, you would’ve said, ‘Wow, what a game Jones had.’ And he did, but he was playing an inferior defense last week,” Francesa said on his podcast. “This week against a superior defense, he looked rattled. He looked shaky. But he had no chance to throw the ball. He had no chance to even run the ball. He didn’t have any swagger because he was running for his life and playing for his life on every down.”

After picking apart the Vikings’ defense in the wild-card round, Jones went 15-for-27 in Philadelphia with 135 yards passing, no touchdowns, and an interception. He also ran six times for 24 yards after rushing 17 times for 78 yards in Minneapolis.

The Giants trailed the Eagles 28-0 at halftime in a game Francesa called “a complete whipping.”

“They were completely manhandled, and let’s be honest, let’s call it like it is: the Giants quit on defense in this game,” the former longtime WFAN host said. “The Giants stopped playing.”

A 9-7-1 record, snapping a five-year playoff drought, and winning a playoff game — with a roster still under construction by first-year general manager Joe Schoen — was more than nearly everyone expected out of the Giants this season. First-year head coach Brian Daboll helped restore dignity to a franchise that went 22-59 over the last five seasons.

Francesa, however, believes the lopsided loss to the Eagles changes how the Giants’ season is perceived.

“Did the Giants have an amazing season? Yes. Did the Giants have a great turnaround season? Yes. Did they accomplish a lot by beating a shaky Minnesota team in [the wild-card round?] Yes. Does this loss take away from what they accomplished? Absolutely does,” Francesa said. “It leaves a terrible taste in your mouth.”