Philadelphia Eagles 38 – New York Giants 31

Giants Lose in Epic Fashion: This one hurts. The Giants were up 24-3 at halftime and 31-10 with just over eight minutes left in the game. But the Eagles scored 28 points in the last 8 minutes and 17 seconds, including scoring the game-winning touchdown on a 65-yard punt return with no time left on the clock.

“I’ve never been around anything like this in my life,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin after the game. “It’s about as empty as you get to feel in this business.”

“I’m in disbelief right now; I’m in shock,” said TE Kevin Boss. “The mistakes that we made were costly and I’m in disbelief right now.”

“No words, no explanation,” said DT Barry Cofield. “This is about as bad a loss as you can suffer.”

“(The locker room is) devastated and it should be,” said DE Justin Tuck. “We let one slip out of our hands. We had an opportunity to basically seal up the NFC East today, had it and lost it.”

With the loss, the Giants fell to 9-5. The Eagles improved to 10-4. And because they swept the Giants, the Eagles are in the driver’s seat to win the division with two games to play.

The first half was all Giants as New York scored four times on seven possessions. The Giants failed to move the ball on their first two drives of the game. But then the Giants drove 71 yards in 9 plays to take a 7-0 advantage when QB Eli Manning hit WR Mario Manningham for a 35-yard touchdown.

The Giants’ fourth drive ended with an interception at the New York 45-yard line. This helped to set up the Eagles’ only points of the first half, a 34-yard field goal.

But the Giants then scored 17 points on their final three possessions of the first half. Manningham scored from 33 yards out on a pass from Manning during an 8-play, 73-yard drive. With under a minute to go, the Giants added a 25-yard field goal after driving 55 yards in 12 plays. With under 10 seconds to play, CB Terrell Thomas forced a fumble that S Kenny Phillips recovered and returned 22 yards down to the Eagles’ 8-yard line. On the very next play, Manning hit WR Hakeem Nicks for the score. Giants 24 – Eagles 3 at the break.

Defensively, in the first half, the Eagles were held to 4 first downs and 74 total net yards.

The mistakes started happening in the second half. The Eagles and Giants both went three-and-out to start the third quarter. The Eagles moved from their 8-yard line to the Giants’ 46-yard line, but were forced to punt. Two plays later, Manningham fumbled and the Eagles recovered the ball at the Giants’ 25-yard line. Three plays later, the Eagles scored to cut the Giants’ lead to 24-10.

The Giants could not move the football on their next two possessions. Neither could the Eagles as Philadelphia punted once and then fumbled the ball away near midfield after a long pass completion, as Phillips forced the fumble and recovered the football. Seven plays later, TE Kevin Boss scored from 8 yards out on a pass from Manning. With 8:17 left in the game, the Giants were up by three touchdowns, 31-10.

The Eagles quickly scored on the ensuing possession as QB Michael Vick hit TE Brent Celek for a 65-yard touchdown. The two-play drive took 49 seconds.

Then the Eagles recovered the onsides kick. Huge special teams mistake #1.

It took 5 plays and 2 minutes for the Eagles to score another touchdown, cutting the Giants’ lead to 31-24 with 5:28 to go in the game. The Giants’ offense did gain two first downs and take off 2:27, leaving about 3 minutes to go in the game. But the Eagles went 88 yards in 8 plays and 1 minute and 45 seconds to tie the game 31-31. with 1:16 left to play.

The Giants received the football but could not gain a first down and punted with only 14 left on the clock. On the punt return, WR DeSean Jackson scored from 65-yards out with no time left. Huge special teams mistake #2. And ballgame. Eagles 38 – Giants 31.

“I was definitely looking out of bounds the whole way,” said P Matt Dodge. “I got the snap and tried to get it off quick. Not a good time to hit a line drive, that’s for sure…I had plenty of time, just not executing good. There’s nothing more you can say. You can’t give the most explosive returner in the game a line drive in a situation like that.”

Lowlights of the game are available at NFL.com.

Post-Game Notes: Inactive for the Giants were WR Devin Thomas (hamstring), WR/Returner Darius Reynaud, TE Jake Ballard, OL Mitch Petrus, OL Jamon Meredith, DE Alex Hall, DT Linval Joseph, and CB Michael Coe.