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Studs and duds from Giants' Week 7 loss to Eagles

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The New York Giants were absolutely humiliated on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Not only did Philadelphia Eagles fans dominate a large majority of the crowd, but the Eagles completely dominated the Giants on the field.

Running back Saquon Barkley exacted his revenge on general manager Joe Schoen and the Giants with a near-career-best game that he only failed to reach because the Eagles pulled their starters.

The Giants also began to quit late in the second quarter when head coach Brian Daboll decided to forego a shot at the end zone and instead went conservative with a field goal. Embarrassingly, that would end up being their only points of the game.

Here's a quick look at the studs and duds (and studly duds) from Sunday's loss:

STUD: NT Dexter Lawrence

Oct 20, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell (14) is tackled by New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II (97) and safety Jason Pinnock (27) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Oct 20, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell (14) is tackled by New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II (97) and safety Jason Pinnock (27) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

There wasn't much to be excited about on Sunday but nose tackle Dexter Lawrence once again stated his case for the Defensive Player of the Year Award. We have run out of ways to phrase and explain his dominance other than to say he's made an impact similar to Lawrence Taylor during his prime, albeit at an entirely different position. Sexy Dexy finished the game with five tackles (two for a loss), two QB hits, and 2.0 sacks. He now has a career-high 9.0 sacks and leads the NFL.

DUD: Head coach Brian Daboll

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 20: Head coach Brian Daboll of the New York Giants looks on prior to the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium on October 20, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 20: Head coach Brian Daboll of the New York Giants looks on prior to the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium on October 20, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

The argument in favor of Daboll has always been that his team doesn't quit. On Sunday, for the first time during his tenure, that was not the case. There were players visibly quitting on the field, which we'll touch on shortly, while Daboll himself waived the white flag with nearly a full quarter remaining. That doesn't even take into account his scared play-calling to end the second quarter. From an optics perspective, this is about as bad as it's been for Dabes.

STUD: LB Brian Burns

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 13: Rakeem Nunez-Roches #93 and Brian Burns #0 of the New York Giants reacts after a fumble recovery during the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals at MetLife Stadium on October 13, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 13: Rakeem Nunez-Roches #93 and Brian Burns #0 of the New York Giants reacts after a fumble recovery during the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals at MetLife Stadium on October 13, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

Brian Burns entered the game with a groin injury and that very clearly impacted him throughout Sunday's contest. He did his best to fight through the pain and to his credit, had a fairly solid outing. He finished the day with four tackles (three solo, one for a loss), two QB hits, and one sack. He was also better against the run than most of his teammates not named Lawrence.

DUD: Offensive line

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 20: Joshua Ezeudu #75 of the New York Giants defends against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first half at MetLife Stadium on October 20, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 20: Joshua Ezeudu #75 of the New York Giants defends against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first half at MetLife Stadium on October 20, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

There's no way to single a player or two out. The entire line played their worst game of the season in Andrew Thomas' absence and that can not be overstated. It began with Joshua Ezeudu and ended with the entire line being dominated, especially on the right side with Greg Van Roten and Jermaine Eluemunor. It's always difficult to grade an offensive line in real time which speaks to how poorly this unit played on Sunday because it was clear to even an untrained eye that they were being dominated.

STUD: CB Andru Phillips

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - MAY 10: Cornerback Dru Phillips #22 of the New York Giants runs drills during New York Giants Rookie Minicamp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center on May 10, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - MAY 10: Cornerback Dru Phillips #22 of the New York Giants runs drills during New York Giants Rookie Minicamp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center on May 10, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

It may have gotten lost in an embarrassing team-wide performance, but rookie cornerback Andru Phillips made several impressive plays on Sunday afternoon that potentially saved points by stopping plays and drives short. He recorded two key tackles for a loss and made a third tackle alone in the open field.

DUD: CB Deonte Banks

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 06: Deonte Banks #3 of the New York Giants celebrates after beating the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on October 06, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 06: Deonte Banks #3 of the New York Giants celebrates after beating the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on October 06, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Earlier this season, defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson lit into cornerback Deonte Banks for a lack of effort. On Sunday, Henderson played that back in the fourth quarter as Banks appeared to flat-out quit on a Jalen Hurts scramble. There were two other plays on the same drive where he made absolutely no effort. Some players may have performed worse than Banks on Sunday but none of them quit. He should have been benched.

STUDLY DUD: LB Azeez Ojulari

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 20: Azeez Ojulari #51 of the New York Giants sacks Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium on October 20, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 20: Azeez Ojulari #51 of the New York Giants sacks Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium on October 20, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

Linebacker Azeez Ojulari is a talented and capable pure pass rusher but that's about where his value begins and ends. For the second week in a row, he was impactful in Kayvon Thibodeaux's absence but that was a double-edged sword. While he registered a tackle for a loss, a QB hit, and another sack, his play against the run was as poor as his pass rush was good. Most notable, he was among those who failed to set the edge on Barkley's 55-yard run.

More STUDS:

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 20: Grant Calcaterra #81 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs after a catch against Tyler Nubin #31 of the New York Giants during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium on October 20, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 20: Grant Calcaterra #81 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs after a catch against Tyler Nubin #31 of the New York Giants during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium on October 20, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
  • K Greg Joseph

  • S Tyler Nubin

More DUDS:

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 20: Wan'Dale Robinson #17 of the New York Giants runs the ball after a catch against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium on October 20, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 20: Wan'Dale Robinson #17 of the New York Giants runs the ball after a catch against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium on October 20, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
  • LB Matthew Adams

  • LB Micah McFadden

  • LB Tomon Fox

  • CB Tre Hawkins

  • CB Nick McCloud

  • QB Drew Lock

  • RB Devin Singletary

  • WR Jalin Hyatt

  • WR Wan'Dale Robinson

This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Studs and duds from Giants' Week 7 loss to Eagles