Brian Daboll’s Tyrod Taylor QB call too late, Giants dig early hole in 33-25 loss to Eagles

Unless the Giants are into moral victories, Christmas Day was another Brotherly Love Bah-Humbug for ‘Big Blue,’ a 33-25 loss to the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field that officially eliminated the Giants from the playoffs.

Brian Daboll refused to entertain a quarterback change after last week’s blowout loss in New Orleans. Then he benched Tommy DeVito at halftime on Christmas Day in Philadelphia eight days later and put veteran Tyrod Taylor back in.

The Giants (5-10) forced turnovers on special teams and defense in the second half — and scored a defensive touchdown on an Adoree Jackson pick-six — to roar back from a steep halftime deficit.

Then a 69-yard Taylor touchdown pass to Darius Slayton drew the NFC East rivals within five points with fewer than six minutes to play. But Daboll’s adjustment and the Giants’ play-making was too late.

Eagles corner Kelee Ringo intercepted Taylor in the end zone on a last-ditch effort as the clock hit zeroes. And the Giants were officially eliminated from playoff contention.

A red-hot Daboll seemed upset afterward about the officiating, but he should be more upset that he hasn’t kept a single Giants-Eagles game close at the start during his tenure.

The Giants’ chances of winning Monday’s game never rose higher than 18%, according to NFL NextGen Stats.

“Just did it to try to spark the team,” Daboll said of his decision to bench DeVito for Taylor.

The Giants now have an 0-4 record against the Eagles with GM Joe Schoen and Daboll running the show. The Giants have been outscored 141-70 by the Eagles head-to-head in those games.

It’s been 21-0 Eagles, 13-0, 21-0 and 17-3, respectively, in the first four drives of those four meetings. If only they stayed in these games early, they might have a chance.

“We knew we were gonna find a way to get back in the game and we were able to,” Slayton said. “We just weren’t quite able to seal the deal at the end there.”

The Giants’ futility against their top rivals is a major problem, though.

Under Schoen and Daboll, the Giants are 0-8 against the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys combined, losing those games by a combined score of 281-123.

Taylor was ticked off at the referees at the end.

“I think there [were] a couple of flags that could have been thrown,” Taylor said. “But it’s not my place.”

DeVito handled his benching with class.

“I respect it,” he said. “There’s no feeling [one] way or another. Listen, I was hoping Ty was gonna go out there and ball and we would win the game. It’s nothing more than that.”

But the Eagles (11-4), despite snapping a three-game losing streak, would have lost to a lot of teams playing as sloppily as they did Monday. They squandered a 17-point halftime lead, beginning by fumbling the opening kickoff of the third quarter.

Kick returner Boston Scott dropped the ball when he collided with Olamide Zaccheaus, the Giants’ Isaiah Simmons recovered, and Saquon Barkley punched in a TD run from seven yards out to draw within 20-10 with 13:41 remaining in the third quarter.

Taylor took over as the Giants’ quarterback on that first drive coming out of halftime, a decision that even surprised the FOX broadcast. Daboll had kept it a secret from them, too.

The QB change wasn’t the reason the Giants then drew to within 20-18 with nine seconds remaining in the third quarter. That was due to Jackson’s 76-yard interception return for a touchdown, picking off Hurts when Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert slipped on his route.

But when a 5-yard D’Andre Swift TD run and Jake Elliott’s third field goal extended Philly’s lead to 30-18 with 6:04 to play, Taylor brought the Giants back in it.

The veteran quarterback unloaded a 69-yard TD bomb to Slayton over Eagles safety Reed Blankenship, bringing the Giants within five points at 30-25 with 5:22 to play.

“It was a heck of a throw by Tyrod, a bomb by him,” Slayton said. “I was able to run under it and get us within striking range.”

Elliott’s fourth Eagles field goal put the home team up, 33-25, and gave the Giants the ball back with 1:10 to play for their final drive.

The Giants trailed 20-3 at halftime, no strangers to falling behind big early in Philly.

Daboll’s offense went three-and-out to open the game. A 54-yard punt return by the Eagles’ Britain Covey set up a Hurts 1-yard TD run on the famous Tush Push play for a 7-0 Philadelphia lead with 12:27 remaining in the first quarter.

The Giants’ next drive stalled for a 52-yard Mason Crosby field goal and a 7-3 deficit due to a too-many-men-in-the-huddle penalty and a Darren Waller drop.

Then two Jake Elliott field goals, and a 36-yard Hurts-to-DeVonta Smith TD pass coming off another Giants three-and-out, buried the Giants 17 points behind at the break.

There were signs before halftime of a potential Eagles collapse.

Hurts confusingly stayed in bounds on a scramble while trying to set up a shot at the end zone at the end of the second quarter.

The clock should have run out on the half, but a penalty on Bobby Okereke stopped the clock and bailed out Hurts, giving the Eagles three points.

Philly’s ineptitude persisted the second both teams took the field for the second half. But Daboll’s Giants had dug too deep a hole, just like every other time they have met.