Giants’ Unit Blasted for ‘Embarrassing Lack of Effort’ vs. Eagles

Any time you lose 48-22 at home to a division rival the aftermath is going to be ugly. That’s how it is for the New York Giants, following Week 14’s lopsided defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium.

One of the more damning assessments concerns the performance of the Giants’ defense. Specifically, coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale’s unit has been blasted for a “lack of effort” in a key area of the game.

It’s something one disappointed observer dubbed “embarrassing” from a defense that’s been struggling mightily during the Giants’ dismal 0-3-1 run.

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Defense Savaged by Critics

The blunt verdict on Martindale’s defense comes from Mike Jones of The Athletic. Jones believes “the Giants’ lack of effort in the tackling game was embarrassing: They gave up 253 rushing yards, with 144 by Miles Sanders and 77 from Jalen Hurts leading the way.”

Big Blue’s lack of resistance to the Eagles’ multi-pronged rushing attack was summed up by the visitors “averaging 8.2 yards per carry,” per Jones’ colleague Dan Duggan. The latter detailed how Martindale’s run defense continually failed in one specific area: “A big problem continues to be the edges of the run defense, as Sanders repeatedly bounced runs outside and found plenty of room to operate.”

Not being able to protect the edges let Miles Sanders set a season-high mark running to the outside, according to Next Gen Stats:

The Giants couldn’t get off blocks on Sanders’ 41-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, his second rushing score of the day. Boston Scott and Jalen Hurts also found pay-dirt on the ground, with Hurts’ TD highlighting the absence of effort Jones noticed.

Hurts went through the middle untouched from 10 yards out:

It was too easy to move nose tackle Justin Ellis (71) off the ball, while inside linebacker Carter Coughlin (52) didn’t do enough to win his blocking matchup.

Too many members of the front seven were moving at half speed as Hurts sped over the goal-line. That’s something Martindale must fix before Week 15’s crunch rematch with the Washington Commanders.

It’s a game the Giants have to have to keep their fading playoff hopes alive. Those hopes are fading largely because of how Martindal’s defense has folded in recent weeks.

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Faltering Unit Running Out of Excuses

Martindale has tried to work wonders with a unit lacking elite talent and beset by injuries. Although he’s been coaching with one hand tied behind his back, Martindale can’t accept nor excuse a lack of effort from an NFL defense.

Nor can he ignore how “the Giants have allowed 27 or more points in four of six games,” per The Athletic’s Kalyn Kahler. There are problems with fill-in players not being good enough, but Martindale’s schemes also have to be questioned.

He lives by the blitz and man coverage. It’s a risky way to travel and also a predictable one. The Eagles had no trouble exploiting what Martindale likes to do, but that didn’t cause the 59-year-old to alter his familiar script.

Instead, snap counts provided by Duggan reveal Martindale persisted with the same multiple-defensive back packages he’s used all season:

Play-callers can find comfort in leaning on what they know, but that doesn’t mean Martindale can’t get more creative to show teams some different looks. Updating the playbook also doesn’t mean the Giants can accept a lack of effort and poor tackling.

Effort isn’t a talent issue. Nor is it something that can be mitigated by the length of the injury report.

The Giants were playing above themselves even when they were fully healthy earlier in the season. That’s how they raced to a surprising 7-2 start, a record mostly powered by Martindale’s rugged and opportunistic defense.

It’s time for the defensive coaching staff to get back to basics in practice and stress technique and intensity, or the Eagles won’t be the only team to embarrass the Giants.

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