Giants Down Eagles 27-17; Still Anyone’s Division

The Birds looked to be in a great spot coming out of their bye and facing a divisional opponent they so recently conquered. Not only had they beaten the Giants three weeks ago, but they also did so without a multitude of offensive weapons that were present for this game. That makes this 27-17 result even tougher to swallow. The Eagles were downright outplayed throughout the entirety of the game and the loss brings their season record to 3-5-1. As petty consolation, they still remain the division leader in the hapless NFC East. Check out the game’s most relevant storylines below.

Daniel Jones Can’t Be Contained

Giants Quarterback Daniel Jones was on the rushing attack in this game, perhaps yearning to put his meme-worthy trip from the last matchup well behind him. He came out swinging with a 34 yard touchdown burst on the Giants opening possession and didn’t look back from there. Overall, he rushed the ball 9 times for 64 yards on the day.

While he didn’t throw any touchdown passes, that was largely because Giants running back Wayne Gallman rushed for a pair of scores during goalline situations. Jones played a sound and efficient game, completing 21 of 28 passes for 244 yards and using his legs when he needed to. Meanwhile, Carson Wentz needed 37 tosses to complete 21 passes and just topped the 200 yard mark with 208. Wentz spread the ball around as he often does, with four different pass catchers hauling in at least four receptions, though no one eclipsed 60 yards. Strangely, Travis Fulgham was held to just one catch for 8 yards on the day.

No Turnovers…But Miscues Abound

The only turnovers for the Eagles on the day were the result of failures on 4th down. For the first time all season, Wentz didn’t throw an interception or lose a fumble…and yet there were plenty of mistakes anyway. Multiple botched snaps led to important plays being derailed before they even got going. While the Birds were fortunate enough not to lose any fumbles, they did put the ball on the ground on three separate occasions, stalling drives in each case.

Drops from some of the Eagles best offensive players this year also prevented any hope of a comeback late in the game. When the Birds were down 7 and driving the ball in the fourth quarter, both Miles Sanders and Travis Fulgham committed crucial drops that contributed to the drive fizzling out. Fulgham’s frustration after his drop was apparent, as he knew the gravity of the situation so late in the game.

Clear coaching miscues also transpired during this game. One sticking out like a sore thumb was coach Pederson’s decision to go for a two-point attempt with the Eagles down 21-17 in the third quarter. Sure, the Eagles had successfully converted a two-point try in this game, but a call like that when the team can safely pull into field-goal tying range is just completely unwarranted.

All told, the Eagles had 11 penalties on the day, repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot. Even worse, the offense failed to convert a single third down going 0-9. That kind of dysfunction has to come from the top and the coaching staff absolutely needs to take some major blame for this loss.

Lone Bright Spot

While the game was largely a disappointment for the Eagles, one bright spot was their run game. Miles Sanders once again looked electric, carrying the ball 15 times for 85 yards and converting a two-point conversion. Additionally, Boston Scott was sensational nearly every time he touched the ball, racing down the sideline for a 56 yard score for the Eagles best play of the day.

Path to Divisional Title Just Got Murkier

As stated earlier, the Eagles will hang their hats on the fact that they still have sole possession of the division lead. The Washington Football Team and the New York Giants are just behind them at 3-7. Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys are at the bottom of the barrel with a 2-7 record.

Another reason this game was so critical for the Eagles is that their schedule is about to turn into a gauntlet. Their next five games are all against teams with winning records and three of the five will be away games for the Birds. Who knows how many wins it will take to win the NFC East this year, but the Eagles will surely need to take a couple of those to remain in contention. It all starts next week when they travel to Cleveland and take on the 6-3 Browns.