It came down to what it almost always comes down to.
The Giants lost and lost and lost some more. They forgot how to win. This always spells doom for the person paid to prevent this from happening.
In the end, this is what made Monday’s events inevitable. Pat Shurmur was fired after a 4-12 season followed a 5-11 season, failure that was just not going to cut it.
Beating the Eagles in the season finale — instead of losing, 34-17 — would not have prevented the ax from falling. The nine-game losing streak that lasted all through October and November and well into December made it clear to the decision-makers that Shurmur was not the right man to coach the team moving forward.