Giants rest key regulars, lose regular-season finale to Eagles

PHILADELPHIA — This is almost all you need to know about coach Brian Daboll and the Giants’ approach to Sunday’s game: Third-string quarterback Davis Webb led the offense onto the field about an hour before kickoff as pregame warmups commenced.

When the game started, Webb orchestrated a three-play drive that ended with a punt.

But these Giants, who rested key regulars, were still game. They rallied in the second half but lost to the Eagles, 22-16, at Lincoln Financial Field.

“I thought our guys competed all the way to the end,” Daboll said. “Tough game.”

Webb’s signature play was a physical one: With 10:04 to play, he capped a 10-play, 59-yard drive with a 14-yard scamper into the end zone. Webb trucked Eagles safety Reed Blankenship on his way to the touchdown.

Webb also found Kenny Golladay for a 25-yard scoring pass with 1:38 to play. It was Golladay’s first touchdown reception in two years as a Giant. He was defended by five-time Pro Bowler Darius Slay on the play and made an acrobatic reception.

“It felt good, a long time coming,” Golladay said. “It is what it is. I was just happy I was able to go out there and make a play.”

Without key players, including quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley, both healthy scratches, the Giants’ offense had some difficulty finding its footing.

But there are bigger moments ahead.

For the first time in six years, the Giants have a postseason game to prepare for. As the NFC’s sixth seed, they will play the Vikings in their Minnesota dome in the first round of the playoffs next weekend.

The Giants lost to the Vikings on Christmas Eve, 27-24, on Greg Joseph’s 61-yard field goal as time expired.

Perhaps the rematch will be equally compelling.

“We’ll need our best week of preparation,” Daboll said.

There were signals during the week that Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen would decide that rest for some of the players who are crucial to the team’s success would be prudent.

That turned out to be so, as Jones, Barkley, tackle Andrew Thomas, defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence and safety Julian Love were healthy inactives. Outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari and Leonard Williams also were inactive; both have been battling injuries.

Said Daboll: “Some of those guys have played a lot of football, so we gave other guys some opportunities.”

Webb was activated from the practice squad on Saturday and made his first career start on Sunday. He was a third-round pick of the Giants in the 2017 NFL Draft.

While the game carried no significance for the Giants, the opportunity surely meant a lot to Webb. The son of a coach, he likely will be on the sideline someday in the same capacity. He also is plenty versatile. Last year, when he was playing for the Bills, Webb and Damar Hamlin were scout team safeties, tasked with giving game-day looks to Josh Allen and the starting offense.

For the Eagles, there was more at stake. Much more.

With quarterback Jalen Hurts sitting out the previous two games because of injury, the Eagles had a third and final chance to secure the top seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. They succeeded. They also secured the conference’s lone first-round bye.

Hurts, who may have been rusty, finished 20-for-35 for 229 yards and an interception. He was sacked three times and ran nine times for 13 yards.

Webb’s final numbers were 23-for-40 for 168 yards and a touchdown.

This has been a season of tremendous change for the Giants, seemingly all in good or very good ways. The coaching staff is cohesive. The players have a voice and, importantly, they believe they have a voice. Standards are communicated and understood. “Be a Pro” has become a mantra, one seen on messaging in the facility.

As rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux said: “There’s a way to teach people, there’s a way to help people grow, there’s a way to help without taking away their spirit, putting shackles on their personality. I give this whole [organization] from ownership all the way down the credit because they allow us to live [in the moment] and to shine our light.”

About that: If you take a step back and think about the transformation the Giants have undergone, if you think about the two coaches who preceded Daboll winning a combined 19 games in four seasons, if you think about the lethargy at MetLife Stadium, only then can you fully appreciate what Daboll and his staff have done this season.

It is with anticipation that the Giants and their fans will await the first true offseason under Schoen and Daboll. They will have the opportunity to rework the roster where needed and truly start to build in their vision.

First, however, there is a playoff season to embrace.

By Kimberly Jones

kimberly.jones@newsday.comkimjonessports

Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.