Giants takeaways from Week 16's 34-10 loss to Eagles, including Jake Fromm's bad first start

Scratch Jake Fromm off the list of future replacements for Daniel Jones.

Any hope that Fromm was some great, undiscovered gem that everybody overlooked in the 2020 draft was dashed with his dismal performance on Sunday in Philadelphia. Not that it was all his fault. After all, the Giants’ offense has now been terrible for three quarterbacks this season. But Fromm looked very much like a player who’s only had three weeks to learn the playbook, completing 6 of 17 passes for just 25 yards and throwing an interception in a 34-10 loss.

It was so bad, he was benched a little more than seven minutes into the third quarter. Mike Glennon finished it off. And he wasn’t good either. His numbers were better (17 of 27, 93 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception) but until garbage time he actually looked worse.

At least it was a good reminder for the Giants that if they do intend to roll with Jones as their starter next season – and they do, since there aren’t any other good options at the moment -- they’ll need to bring in better backups. Because Glennon and Fromm ain’t it.

The problems Fromm experienced were basically the ones the Giants have been dealing with all season. The offensive line was its usual terrible self so he rarely had time to set up in the pocket. His receivers weren’t getting open consistently and had too many drops. And Saquon Barkley provided no help, continuing to look like a shell of himself.

It was somewhat disappointing, though, that Fromm didn’t do a better job of getting the ball into the hands of his best receivers. He threw only one pass in the direction of Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney had just two catches before Fromm was benched.

But all in all, his version of the offense looked a lot like it did under Glennon and Jones. Probably worse, though. The Giants had just 78 total yards when Fromm left the game and they finished with a season-low 192.

It was bad. It also wasn’t surprising. And now, with Glennon seemingly likely to start the final two games, there is officially nothing left to care about in this Giants season.

The Meadowlands is going to be like a ghost town when the Giants close out the regular season against Washington in two weeks.

First things first: Here are some more takeaways from yet another hideous loss …

• Two things were evident about Fromm from his first start. One is that he’s willing to stand in the pocket under pressure, which can be a good thing but wasn’t a good thing here. The pressure caused a few really terrible passes, including the floater that was picked off on the second play of the second half. The other thing is that the pre-draft scouting reports about his lack of arm strength were on the money. He was short on a lot of passes and his throws didn't come out fast.

• Maybe this is what everyone should have expected from Barkley in his first year coming back from a torn ACL, but he sure isn’t the player he used to be. He gained just 32 yards on his 15 carries and his one catch went for negative-4 yards. Yes, the offensive line in front of him is horrible and his receivers and tight ends can’t block either. But he was supposed to be above that. He just doesn’t make anyone miss anymore. It’ll be very interesting to see if he can find his old wiggle and burst next year.

• This is the Giants’ biggest offensive problem: A refusal to force the ball to their playmakers. Good teams make sure their best players get involved. The Giants? Somehow they throw only one ball to Golladay in the first half? In the second half, mostly after Glennon took over, Golladay and Toney started to get involved. But the production is still lacking. Toney was targeted nine times and had four catches for 28 yards, and Golladay was targeted eight times and had three catches for 22 yards. And it’s still like both of them are ignored until the game is well out of reach. It’s not about getting open or the flow of the game. Just design some quick slants or hooks or anything where the quarterback has to throw them the ball and then see what they can do with it. Playmakers tend to find a way to make plays. The Giants just don’t let them nearly enough, especially early.

• Linebacker Jaylon Smith is turning into a nice mid-December pickup for the Giants. Dumped by the Cowboys in October and the Packers in November, the former second-round pick has played well in his nine days with the Giants. His speed has been evident at inside linebacker, giving defensive coordinator Patrick Graham some options for inside pressure. It’s hard to say if he’s still a starter in the league, but he could be good depth, at least, for the Giants next year.

• Lorenzo Carter, who tore his Achilles last season, had a very quiet season for the Giants -- until last week. Suddenly, he’s looking like the player the Giants always expected he would be. After his huge game against the Cowboys last week -- two sacks, two tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, one forced fumble -- he had another strong game with a strip sack, three tackles and a deflected pass. It all might be too little, too late for him, but he’s making a case for the Giants to bring him back for 2022 on a low-risk, prove-it contract if he’ll accept it.

• I’d give you an analysis of the Giants’ offensive line, but what’s the point? No quarterback and no running back is going to succeed with this group. Keep left tackle Andrew Thomas and bring in four new starters for next season. It’s the only solution.

• CB Darqueze Dennard was signed by the Giants on Wednesday and may not even make it a full week. On a punt that Riley Dixon landed inside the 5, Dennard was the first Giant in the area. But he inexplicably pulled up and never made a play on the ball to try to save it from going into the end zone. Once it did, for a touchback, several of his teammates stared back at him with their arms out wide. He’s got some explaining to do for quitting on that play.

• The Eagles have the No. 1 rushing team in the NFL and they put up 208 yards on the ground against the Giants last month. They also have an erratic young quarterback and a passing offense that ranks 23rd. Yet 18 of the first 28 plays were passes. In all, they had 32 pass plays and 28 runs, which makes no sense given what they do well and what they don’t. I know, they won in a blowout. That doesn’t mean the strategy was any good. It’s just that their opponent was really, really bad.