Giants legend says sitting starters in Week 18 cost New York vs. Eagles

New York Giants legend Tiki Barber once again criticized the team's decision to rest starters for Week 18, this time after Saturday's 38-7 playoff loss at the Philadelphia Eagles. 

"The reason that it bothers me is because in Week 18, they had an opportunity to prepare themselves, to gather a data point, which they neglected to capitalize on because they didn't want to get anybody hurt," Barber explained during Monday's edition of the "Tiki And Tierney" WFAN program, per Lou DiPietro of Audacy. "It didn't mean anything, so you sit guys down – but (wide receiver) Isaiah Hodgins never played in Philadelphia, at least not as a Giant. (Tight end) Daniel Bellinger has never played in Philadelphia, at least not as a Giant. And (offensive tackle) Evan Neal never played in Philadelphia, at least not as a Giant." 

The Giants were already locked in as the NFC's No. 6 playoff seed before the regular-season finale at Philadelphia on Jan. 8. Nevertheless, Barber insisted before that contest that New York should've played to win against the Eagles as a warmup for the postseason tournament. Big Blue went in a different direction and lost 22-16 at Philadelphia but then earned a 31-24 victory at the Minnesota Vikings in the wild-card round of the playoffs. 

This past Saturday's game was a laugher, and Barber said Monday that "the Giants were unprepared to play" at Lincoln Financial Field.

"You have wide receivers stumbling around, you have (quarterback) Daniel Jones looking unsure, and you have offensive linemen who are good getting pushed back into the pocket," Barber remarked. "When you don't execute on any level offensively for basically an entire half, and mostly the entire game, it can't be just because you're not good enough and that team is better than you." 

Barber wasn't the only noteworthy local personality to blast the Giants after they scored a single touchdown in Saturday's blowout. According to Justin Tasch of the New York Post, sports radio icon Mike Francesa said during his BetRivers podcast that Jones was "rattled" and "shaky" against a dominant Philadelphia defense. 

"They were completely manhandled, and let’s be honest, let’s call it like it is: the Giants quit on defense in this game," Francesa added. "The Giants stopped playing." 

It's worth noting that the Giants attempted to defeat the Eagles in Week 14 on Dec. 11 but were smashed 48-22 at MetLife Stadium that Sunday afternoon. Barber's take aside, the evidence suggests Philadelphia is simply much better than New York ahead of Super Bowl LVII.