Eagles Get on Top of the NFC East Again After Beating the Giants
Dallas Cowboys fans can’t get their hopes up now, after the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New York Giants 33-25 on Christmas Day, moving them back into first place in the NFC East. New York now drops to 5-10 on the season, and they’ve been officially eliminated from playoff contention. Philadelphia has a clear path to the second seed within the NFC and first place in the NFC East division if they defeat the Arizona Cardinals and the Giants once again. With the regular season almost ending, the Eagles still want to prove they are one of the best teams in the league, regardless of who they play. Let’s check on how the Eagles got the victory on Christmas.
On the Eagles' first drive of the game, Philadelphia needed just two plays before scoring in the end zone. With D’Andre Swift rushing 12 yards, then Jalen Hurts running up the middle one yard for the touchdown. It would be the complete opposite for New York as on their second drive of the game, they needed ten plays just to have kicker Mason Crosby hit a 52-yard field goal. Four seconds into the second quarter, Philly would score once more, as kicker Jake Elliott nailed a 28-yard field goal to give the Eagles a seven-point lead. Just three minutes later, Jalen Hurts would throw a 36-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith, and with Elliott hitting the extra point, Philly now had a 14-point lead with a little less than 12 minutes to go before halftime. Now right before both teams headed to the locker room, Jake Elliott extended the Eagles lead by squaring in a 21-yard field goal. ‘
During the second half, the Giants woke up and tried to make a fighting effort. Giants running back Saquon Barkley ran nine yards for a touchdown, and Crosby hit the extra point to cut Philadelphia’s lead down to ten. Before the end of the third quarter, Jalen Hurts threw an interception to Giants cornerback Adoree' Jackson, who would run 72 yards to score a touchdown. New York would try and successfully complete their two-point conversion, making it a 20-18 Eagles lead heading into the final quarter of play. Philadelphia scored four minutes into the fourth quarter when D’Andre Swift ran in five yards for the touchdown. Jake Elliott knocked down the extra point attempt to make it a 27-18 ballgame. Five minutes later, Elliott crushed a 44-yard field goal to give his team a 12-point lead. Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw a ridiculous 69-yard touchdown pass to Darius Slayton. Mason Crosby hit the extra point attempt to make the score 30-25. In the game's final minute, Elliott once again ripped a 43-yard field goal, giving the Eagles a 33-25 lead and eventually the win. Next week on New Year’s Eve, the Giants will host the Los Angeles Rams, while the Arizona Cardinals come to Philadelphia to face the Eagles.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts went 24 for 38, tossing 301 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Philly’s running back D'Andre Swift had 20 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown, and receiver A.J. Brown had six receptions for 80 yards. For the Giants, they first had quarterback Tommy DeVito in the game who went 9 for 16 with 55 passing yards. They would replace DeVito for Tyrod Taylor who ended up going 7 for 16 with 133 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception. New York’s running back Saquon Barkley had 23 carries for 80 yards and a touchdown, and wide receiver Darius Slayton had three catches for 90 yards and a touchdown.
