The Philadelphia Eagles scored 27 unanswered points to move into first place in the NFC East standings with a win on Monday night. (Getty)
Final
New York Giants 7-0-0-0 — 7
Philadelphia Eagles 7-10-7-3 — 27
The Philadelphia Eagles are in first place in the NFC East. Let’s say that again; the Philadelphia Eagles are in first place in the NFC East standing.
After a less-than-positive start to the season, the Eagles seem to be finding their on-field groove, notching a second straight victory with a dominant performance over the New York Giants and a win that moves them into first place in the division.
The Eagles scored 27 unanswered points, taking advantage of three Big Blue turnovers and a handful of costly New York penalties to notch one of their best offensive performances of the season. Philadelphia out-gained the Giants 425-to-247, giving up just 3.9 yards a play. New York finished with just 81 total yards on the ground.
If there was a downside to the victory, it was Sam Bradford’s occasionally questionable passing decisions and three interceptions. It didn’t amount to much though, as the Giants were unable to actually put points on the board after the turnovers.
DeMarco Murray racked up 109 yards and one touchdown on the night for his first 100-plus yard performance of the season.
Click here for a full box score of the game and read on for some of the best highlights and moments from the Eagles lopsided win:
DeMarco Murray Added to the Philadelphia Lead in the Third Quarter
Surprisingly enough, giving the ball to DeMarco Murray in the red zone (sometimes) leads to pretty good things. In this case, it lead to another Eagles touchdown as Murray ran the ball in for a 12-yard score. He’s doing a pretty good job of running the ball right now:
5. 3 yards per carry for Murray tonight. #Eagles with 86 rushing yards. Murray has 53. Giants only allow 80 yards per game on the ground.
New York’s Mistakes Kept Eagles’ Drives Alive
Running into the kicker. #Eagles offense has new life on the penalty.
If you’re a New York Giants fan, Monday night (at least midway through the third quarter) was not a particularly enjoyable experience for you. Big Blue racked up some big-time mistakes to keep Philadelphia possessions alive and give the Eagles more than enough chances to march down the field and find the end zone.
Nikita Whitlock was the latest culprit in the third quarter as the do-it-all guy for the Giants ran into the Eagles punter and gave the squad a first down.
The Giants also recorded a pair of roughing the passer whistles and three first half turnovers.
Nolan Carroll’s Pick-6 Gave Philadelphia the Lead in the Second Quarter
Eli pick 6’d by @CarrollCity t.co/JdBq66E4Pj
Everyone in the entire city of Philadelphia knew that Eli Manning was trying to throw to Dwayne Harris, including Nolan Carroll and he took that knowledge to the end zone early in the second quarter.
Carroll’s pick six (the second Manning INT of the night) gave the Eagles the lead and a big-time boost of confidence after Philadelphia’s defense was put back on its heels in the early goings of the NFC East tilt.
Sam Bradford Split Two Defenders to Find Riley Cooper in the End Zone
Alley-Coop.
Riley Cooper with the TD grab!
The Philadelphia Eagles made the Giants pay for that interception and a bad personal foul, marching down the field on the ensuing possession for the squad’s first touchdown of the game.
Damontre Moore helped keep the Eagles drive alive after being whistled for a roughing the passer call on Sam Bradfrod when New York had already stopped Philadelphia on third down. The team kept going after the flag and Bradford answered with a touchdown pass of his own. It’s also the first time this season the Eagles have scored in the first quarter. Check it out:
Demeco Ryans Notched an INT By Pulling the Ball Out of Larry Donnell’s Hands
Yup, that’s a real thing that happened.
The New York Giants were rolling on their second possession of the night when Eli Manning completed another pass to his tight end Larry Donnell deep in Philadephia territory. The only problem with that? Donnell wasn’t the one who came away at the ball.
Instead, Eagles linebacker Demeco Ryans pulled the ball away from Donnell and came up with the takeaway to shut down Big Blue.
Odell Beckham Got the Giants on the Board on Their Opening Drive
Well, the hamstring seems pretty ok.
Odell Beckham Jr. got the Giants on the board on the squad’s very first possession of the game, capping off a dominant drive with a 13-yard touchdown reception from Eli Manning.
It was all almost too easy. Big Blue ran eight plays in four and a half minutes, covering 80 yards and finding the end zone without much defensive opposition from the Philadelphia Eagles.
Not a bad way to open a game.
Eli Manning didn’t throw a single incompletion on the drive. Instead, he was a perfect 5-for-5.
Game Preview
Here’s a fun fact for Philadelphia Eagles fans; this team, despite its ups-and-downs this season, are still the favorite to win the NFC East according to ESPN’S Football Power Index. You know what could even help that percentage? A win on Monday night.
The Eagles square off against the New York Giants (the second favorite to win the division) in an NFC East matchup that could have big-time repercussions on the rest of the season.
So, how does Philadelphia notch a win and, more importantly, move into first place in the NFC East standings? Stay the course.
DeMarco Murray is, finally, starting to notch some production in the run game an din the last two games he’s averaging 4.3 yards every carry. He also has a fairly good track record against the Giants. In two games last season, Murray rushed for at least 120 yards against New York. The only player to post three 120-yard rushing games against New York is Emmitt Smith.
Add into the mix that Sam Bradford is starting to look good in Chip Kelly’s offensive scheme and the Eagles are looking to start like a team that vie for a divisional title.