John Mara 'didn't think there was that big of a gap between' Giants, Eagles

New York Giants co-owner John Mara was admittedly surprised his team was thumped by the Philadelphia Eagles at home to the tune of 48-22 this past Sunday. 

"That certainly was a disappointment," Mara told Tom Rock of Newsday about the Week 14 result that dropped the Giants to 7-5-1 on the season. "I didn’t think there was that big of a gap between the two of us but obviously they proved that there is. We’ll see. We get to play them one more time. It was disappointing but you have 17 games and you’re going to have one or two games like that. Hopefully, it won’t happen again."

The Giants close the regular season at the Eagles on Jan. 8 in a game that may mean nothing to Philadelphia as it pertains to the standings. 

The "gap" Mara referred to involves the Eagles having a legitimate Most Valuable Player candidate in Jalen Hurts starting at quarterback while they also possess the league's best overall record of 12-1. Meanwhile, it was recently reported that individuals within the Giants such as first-year general manager Joe Schoen and first-year head coach Brian Daboll "have yet to decide what they will do" regarding the future of signal-caller Daniel Jones. 

Schoen and company declined the fifth-year option attached to Jones' rookie contract before the summer. While the Giants have options such as the franchise tag to retain Jones' rights, the 25-year-old is currently on track to hit free agency when the new league year opens in March 2023. 

"...right now I feel good about the team, the direction we are going," Mara said of the club's leadership. "You are always disappointed if you don’t make the playoffs but we are trying to take it one week at a time at this point. I know that sounds like coachspeak but that’s really the only way you can look at it right now. I just know the vibe in the building is the best that it has been in a long time. People are all pulling in the same direction." 

The Giants play at the 7-5-1 Washington Commanders this coming Sunday night, two weeks after the division foes battled to a 20-20 tie at MetLife Stadium. Heading into Thursday evening, Big Blue held the conference's final playoff spot, while Washington was above New York thanks only to winning percentages across division games.