Linval Joseph Sacks Matt Barkley – © USA TODAY Sports Images
New York Giants Defeat Philadelphia Eagles 15-7: The New York Giants defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 15-7 on Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The victory was the second win in a row for the Giants and their first road victory in eight games. The Giants are now 2-6 overall and 1-2 in the NFC East.
With the Cowboys falling to the Lions, though New York is still in last place in the division, the Giants are unbelievably only two games out of first place in the terrible NFC East.
“The key to the turnaround has been our enthusiasm,” said safety Antrel Rolle after the game. “After the 0-6 record, the coaches and players got together and we got on the same page. There were a lot of in-depth conversations. There was a lot of speaking as men to men, understanding your strengths and weaknesses and just the coaches and players being on the same page at the same time. As well as the coaches trusting the players and the players trusting the coaches and I think it’s definitely shown in our performance.”
The Giants did not score a touchdown, but controlled the game, holding advantages in total net yards (325 to 201), net yards rushing (88 to 48), net yards passing (237 to 153), total offensive plays (71 to 58), and time of possession (38:05 to 21:55). The Giants only committed one turnover (on special teams), while forcing three turnovers. On the downside, the Giants were penalized 11 times for 92 yards and were 0-2 in red zone opportunities.
For the second game in a row, the Giants’ defense shutout an opponent. The Eagles had 11 offensive possessions in the game. Three ended in turnovers, two on downs, and six with punts.
Four of the Giants’ six first-half possessions resulted in field goals. After a three-and-out on the Giants’ first drive, New York got the ball back three plays later with an interception by Rolle. The Giants then drove the ball 57 yards in nine plays to set up a 40-yard field goal by PK Josh Brown. The Eagles went three-and-out on their second possession and the Giants responded with a 7-play, 45-yard drive that ended with a 44-yard field goal by Brown. The Eagles picked up one first down and punted and the Giants went 48 yards in 12 plays, resulting in yet another Brown field goal, this one from 33 yards out. The Eagles picked up one more first down on fourth possession and then punted. Up until this point, halfway through the second quarter, the Eagles only had accrued two first downs in the game. The Giants responded with a 9-play, 53-yard drive and a 46-yard field goal by Brown.
With 2:24 left in the half, QB Matt Barkley replaced the ineffective QB Michael Vick. The Eagles quickly drove from their own 20-yard line to the Giants’ 2-yard line with 1:14 left in the half. But on 1st-and-goal, Barkley was sacked by CB Terrell Thomas. Barkley fumbled and LB Jacquian Williams recovered the loose ball at the Giants’ 12-yard line.
At the half, the Giants led 12-0.
The Eagles received the football to start the third quarter and Philadelphia again moved the ball, driving from their own 25 to the Giants’ 26-yard line. But after a sack by DE Mathias Kiwanuka, Barkley’s 4th-and-10 pass fell incomplete and the Giants took over on downs.
Neither team could pick up a first down on each of their next two possessions, resulting in four punts. At the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter, New York put together their final scoring drive of the game, driving 32 yards in nine plays to set up a 27-yard field goal as the Giants went up 15-0 with 12:23 to play.
Both teams then exchanged punts again. The Eagles went for it on 4th-and-20 with 5:20 left in the game from the Giants’ 46, but the play only picked up five yards. The Giants could not run out the clock and with 4:19 to play, long snapper Zak DeOssie’s snap went over punter Steve Weatherford’s head and the Eagles recovered the loose ball for a touchdown. Giants 15 – Eagles 7.
Rolle recovered the Eagles’ onsides kick. Despite a delay of game penalty, the Giants were able to at least pick up one first down before punting with 36 seconds left in the game. Two plays later, safety Will Hill ended the game by picking off a deep sideline pass by Barkley at the Giants’ 38-yard line.
Offensively, QB Eli Manning finished the game 25-of-39 for 246 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Wideouts Victor Cruz (seven catches for 86 yards) and Hakeem Nicks (7 catches for 51 yards) were the leading receivers. RB Peyton Hillis carried the ball 20 times for 70 yards while RB Michael Cox chipped in with 19 yards on nine carries.
Defensively, Terrell Thomas had a team-high 11 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble. Safeties Antrel Rolle and Will Hill both had interceptions, and Rolle also had a sack. DE Mathias Kiwanuka and DT Linval Joseph each had sacks too. LB Jacquian Williams recovered a fumble. The Giants had four sacks overall, coming into the game with only six on the season.
On special teams, Josh Brown was 5-for-5 on field goal attempts. But the Giants gave up their fourth special teams touchdown this season.
Video highlights are available at NFL.com.
Injury Report: WR Victor Cruz left with a stinger but returned. X-rays were negative.
Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s Post-Game Press Conference: The transcript and video of Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s post-game press conference are available at Giants.com.
Player Post-Game Media Q&As: Transcripts and video of post-game media Q&As with the following players are available at Giants.com:
Post-Game Notes: Inactive for the Giants were QB Ryan Nassib, RB Brandon Jacobs (hamstring), RB David Wilson (neck), TE Adrien Robinson (foot), OC Dallas Reynolds, DT Shaun Rogers (knee), and CB Jayron Hosley (hamstring).
