Philadelphia Eagles 34 – New York Giants 29

Brad Wing – © USA TODAY Sports

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PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 34 – NEW YORK GIANTS 29…
The New York Giants gave the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at MetLife Stadium and had New York’s special teams not cost the team 11 points, the Giants probably would have pulled off the upset. In the end, the Eagles had defeated the Giants 34-29. With the loss, the Giants fell to 2-12 on the season.

New York’s offense started the contest off on fire as the Giants scored touchdowns on their first three possessions of the game en route to a 20-7 start. The Giants drove 75, 75, and 80 yards. Running back Orleans Darkwa capped off a 13-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown. However, the extra point was blocked by the Eagles. Quarterback Eli Manning hit wide receiver Tavarres King for a 13-yard score on a 10-play drive. Then early in the second quarter, Manning connected with wide receiver Sterling Shepard on a short pass that Shepard broke for a 67-yard scoring strike.

For their part, the Eagles started off strong with a 7-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on their first possession, aided by a 32-yard pass interference penalty on safety Darian Thompson, as the Eagles briefly went up 7-6. But then the Eagles were forced to punt twice and turned the football over on downs when the Giants stuff a 4th-and-1 rushing attempt from the Giants’ 44-yard line.

The game began to turn at this point midway through the second quarter. Manning’s pass intended for wide receiver Roger Lewis was intercepted at the Eagles’ 43-yard line and returned 37 yards to the Giants’ 20-yard line. Five plays later, Eagles’ quarterback Nick Foles hit tight end Zach Ertz for a 10-yard score as Philadelphia cut the lead to 20-14. After a three-and-out by the Giants, Brad Wing’s punt was blocked, setting up the Eagles on the Giants’ 18-yard line. Three plays later, Foles threw his second touchdown, this one from 13 yards out to tight end Trey Burton. The Eagles now led 21-20.

The Giants got the ball with 2:15 left before halftime and managed to regain the lead as New York drove 65 yards in 11 plays to set up a 28-yard field goal by place kicker Aldrick Rosas. At the half, the Giants led 23-21. Manning set a career high for passing yards in the first half of a game with 252 yards.

The Eagles regained the lead at the the beginning of the third quarter by driving 64 yards in 11 plays to set up a 28-yard field goal, giving them a 24-23 advantage. After a three-and-out by the Giants and a 34-yard punt by Wing, Philadelphia went up 31-23 as they drove 59 yards in five plays and culminated the possession with a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Nelson Agholor.

To their credit, the Giants responded with a touchdown drive with Manning finding King for a 57-yard score to cut the lead to 31-29. However, Manning was sacked on the 2-point conversion attempt. After the Eagles went three-and-out, the Giants were handed an opportunity to take the lead as the team drove into field goal range early in the 4th quarter. But the Giants’ special teams melted down again as Rosas’ 48-yard field goal was blocked. This momentum swing continued as the Eagles then drove 60 yards in 14 plays to set up a 20-yard field goal that extended their lead to 34-29 with just under four minutes to play.

Needing a touchdown, the Giants started the next key possession at their own 20-yard lines with 3:51 left to play. The Giants managed to move the ball into the red zone and set up a 1st-and-goal situation from the 9-yard line. Unfortunately, New York was stopped and turned the ball over on downs with 43 seconds left to play. The Eagles were forced to punt but the Giants got the ball back with only 13 seconds left on the clock. The game ended two plays later.

Manning finished the game 37-of-57 for 434 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. His leading targets were Shepard (11 catches for 139 yards and a touchdown) and tight end Evan Engram (8 catches for 87 yards). King only caught two passes, but they went for 70 yards and two scores. Running back Wayne Gallman carries the ball eight times for 39 yards and also caught six passes for 40 yards.

Defensively, the Giants surrendered 341 net yards (108 rushing and 233 passing). The Giants only had one sack (by defensive end Olivier Vernon) and did not force a turnover.

Special teams were a disaster. The Giants had an extra point, punt, and field goal blocked.

Video highlights/lowlights are available at Giants.com.

INACTIVE LIST AND INJURY REPORT…
Inactive for the game were wide receiver Travis Rudolph (hamstring), safety Nat Berhe (hamstring), quarterback Davis Webb, running back Paul Perkins, wide receiver Hunter Sharp, offensive guard Damien Mama, and linebacker Jeremy Cash.

Wide receiver Tavarres King (concussion), linebacker B.J. Goodson (ankle), and safety Landon Collins all left the game with injuries and did not return.

POST-GAME REACTION…
Transcripts and video clips of post-game media sessions with Interim Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo and the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

• Interim Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo (Video)
• QB Eli Manning (Video)
• WR Sterling Shepard (Video)
• WR Roger Lewis (Video)
• TE Evan Engram (Video)
• DE Jason Pierre-Paul (Video)
• CB Eli Apple

POST-GAME NOTES…
The New York Giants’ 12 defeats tie the franchise season record, set in 1966 (1-12-1), 1974 (2-12), 1980 (4-12), and 1983 (3-12-1).

The Giants dropped to 0-10 in NFC games and 0-5 in NFC East games.

The Giants’ 29 points was their highest total since a 35-30 loss to the Eagles on January 3, 2016.

The 23 points scored by the Giants in the first half was their highest first-half total since the December 7, 2014 game against the Tennessee Titans.

The Giants gained 504 yards, their highest total since they finished with 525 yards in a victory against San Francisco on October 11, 2015.

For the first time this season, the Giants scored on their first possession.

The Giants did not have a takeaway for the fifth time this season. They are 0-5 in those games.

The last time the Giants had an extra point blocked was September 2001.

Quarterback Eli Manning’s 57 pass attempts were the second-highest total of his career; he had 63 attempts at Philadelphia on December 22, 2016.  The 37 completions were the third-highest total of Manning’s career. The 434 yards were the fourth-highest total of his career.

Manning has now thrown 51 touchdown passes vs. the Eagles, his highest total against a single opponent. He has thrown for 49 scores against the Dallas Cowboys.

ARTICLES…

• Wayne Gallman on being a ‘devil child,’ The Beast and beating Alabama by Steve Serby of The New York Post