Giants Are Fading, Fall to Eagles 17-10: The New York Giants fell to the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium 17-10 on Sunday night. The 6-4 Giants are now tied at the top of the NFC East with the surging Dallas Cowboys, who currently have a better divisional record.
The Giants’ offense was pathetic, limited to 12 first downs, 55 offensive plays, 29 net yards rushing, and 249 net yards passing. And the defense came up small in the 4th quarter when it mattered most, allowing the Eagles to drive the length of the field for the game-winning touchdown.
The Eagles led 10-3 at the break. The Eagles took a 3-0 advantage early in the second quarter after a 9-play, 56-yard drive set up a successful 33-yard field goal. The Eagles scored with 1:22 before halftime after a 51-yard punt return by WR DeSean Jackson set up the Eagles on the Giants’ 14-yard line. On the very next snap, Eagles’ back-up quarterback Vince Young hit ex-Giants’ wide receiver Steve Smith for the 14-yard score.
The Giants only scored three points in the first half, and that came on their last possession of the second quarter. Before that 8-play, 50-yard drive, the Giants were held to 21 net yards and two first downs on seven possessions. PK Lawrence Tynes 48-yard field goal cut the Eagles’ lead to 10-3.
Neither team scored in the third quarter. The Giants only managed three first downs and 54 yards on their first three possessions of the second half. Meanwhile, the Eagles punted twice and turned the ball over on another drive.
In the 4th quarter, the Giants tied the game at 10-10 after a 5-play, 73-yard drive. The big plays were a 47-yard throw from QB Eli Manning to WR Hakeem Nicks. Two plays later, Manning hit WR Victor Cruz for the 24-yard touchdown.
But the Eagles responded with an 18-play, 80-yard marathon of a drive that took nearly nine minutes off of the clock and gave Philadelphia a 17-10 lead with 2:45 to play. On that drive, the Eagles converted on six third-down opportunities.
The Giants had a chance to tie the game late. Starting at their own 9-yard line after a holding penalty on the kickoff return, the Giants did reach the Eagles’ 21-yard line with 1:25 to play after a 47-yard pass from Manning to Cruz. However, on the very next play, Manning was sacked and he fumbled the ball away. The Eagles recovered and ran out the clock to seal the win.
Manning finished 18-of-35 for 264 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Cruz caught 6 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. Jacobs rushed 12 times for 21 yards. Defensively, DE Jason Pierre-Paul had a sack and defensive backs Kenny Phillips, Prince Amukamara, and Aaron Ross each had an interception. LB Mathias Kiwanuka had 7 tackles, 3 for losses.
Highlights/lowlights of the game are available at NFL.com.
Injury Report: TE Jake Ballard injured his elbow in the 4th quarter and did not return. Press reports also said his knee was also very swollen after the game. HB D.J. Ware suffered a concussion in the first half and did not return. S Derrick Martin suffered a hamstring injury. OG Chris Snee played with the flu and need an IV.
Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s Post-Game Press Conference: The transcript of Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s post-game press conference is available at Giants.com.
Post-Game Notes: Inactive for the Giants were HB Ahmad Bradshaw (foot), FB Henry Hynoski, WR Jerrel Jernigan (hip), OG Mitch Petrus, OT James Brewer, DT Dwayne Hendricks, and LB Michael Boley (hamstring).
NY Post Q&A With TE Jake Ballard: Serby’s Sunday Q&A with … Jake Ballard by Steve Serby of The New York Post
Article on LB Mathias Kiwanuka: Mathias Kiwanuka Has Grown Into a Leader Among the Giants’ Linebackers by Mike Garafolo of The Star-Ledger
Eric Kennedy
Eric Kennedy is Editor-in-Chief of BigBlueInteractive.com, a publication of Big Blue Interactive, LLC. Follow @BigBlueInteract on Twitter.
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