EAGLES-GIANTS: Instant Analysis from Eagles OT win

Carson Wentz throws two late touchdowns to Zach Ertz to rally Eagles from 14-point halftime deficit

Half the crowd never made it back to their seats after halftime, choosing instead, presumably, to beat the traffic and get home for a good night’s rest.

From their perspective, the game looked over. The New York Giants appeared on their way to beating the Eagles for their first win since Sept. 29, which also happened to be the same day the New York Mets won their last game.

The Eagles were banged up, losing receiver Alshon Jeffery early in the second quarter with a foot injury to reduce their receiver corps to just two healthy bodies in rookie J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Greg Ward, just two weeks removed from a practice squad promotion. Later in the same quarter, Lane Johnson’s left leg got rolled up on and he was gone with an ankle injury.

Somehow, though, the Eagles rose from the soggy, rain-soaked turf and found a way to win, 23-17, in overtime.

The Eagles on the toss in overtime and went on an eight-pay, 75-yard march that ended with a two-yard touchdown pass from Carson Wentz to Zach Ertz. It was the second TD the duo connected on in the game.

Their first connection, also from two yards out, came with 1:53 to play in regulation and knotted the score at 17-17.

The Eagles didn’t score their first touchdown until 1:28 was left in the third quarter, when Boston Scott plunged in from two yards out. That touchdown made the score 17-10.

The win snapped the Eagles’ losing streak at four games and pushed their record to 6-7, which is the same mark as the Dallas Cowboys, and that means they are tied for first place in the NFC East. Technically, the Cowboys hold a percentage points lead by virtue of their win over the Eagles on Oct. 20.

It was the Eagles’ sixth straight win over New York.

For the Giants, the misery continued. They have now lost nine in a row and are 2-11.

New York led 17-3 at halftime when some fans chose to depart. Instead, they missed the Eagles’ first win when faced with a 14-point halftime deficit since they beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in week one of the 2014 season.

INSTANT ANALYSIS

THE GOOD

• It was a breakout game for running back Boston Scott, who had 59 yards on 10 carries and caught six passes for 69 yards. He provided some energy in the latter part of the game and was a spark in the comeback.

• Josh Perkins stepped up when Jeffery went down. He had some big catches late and ended with five receptions for 37 yards.

• Carson Wentz extended his streak of touchdown passes to 16 straight games when he hit Zach Ertz from the two yards out to tie the game at 17-17 with 1:53 to play in the fourth quarter. Wentz completed 33 of 50 passes for 325 yards and two scores.

• Eagles defensive end Vinny Curry had two sacks.

THE BAD

• Cornerback Ronald Darby should probably be benched for the remainder of the season. Darby was beaten on a third-and-13 throw by Darius Slayton. When Slayton made the catch, Darby couldn’t tackle him, allowing Slayton to run about 20 yards untouched into the end zone to open the scoring.

Darby again was beaten by Slayton, this time for a 55-yard touchdown with 27 seconds left in the first half to make it 17-3. Give Rodney McLeod an assist on the burn as Slayton ran right between them. Neither Darby nor McLeod seemed very interested in covering Slayton on the long touchdown.

• The Eagles defense made Eli Manning look like he deserves another contract. Both his first-half touchdowns came on the third down throws and the Eagles could not get Manning to the ground in the entire opening half.

• Not sure what Doug Pederson was thinking on Friday when he said he was comfortable going into the game with three healthy receivers if Nelson Agholor could not play. Well, Agholor (knee) couldn’t play and Alshon Jeffery got hurt.

Well, Jeffery has been hurt plenty this year, so to trust him to make it through a game was foolish. The only two receivers left were rookie J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, who entered the game with just six catches for 101 yards and a touchdown, and Greg Ward, who was on the practice squad just two games ago and has seven catches for 45 yards.

Then the Eagles doubled down on their health when they continued to let Ward return punts rather than Boston Scott.

Think about this: The Eagles dressed as many quarterbacks as they did receivers, with Carson Wentz, Josh McCown, and Nate Sudfeld all suiting up. Too bad not one of them can catch.

• Penalties continue to haunt the Eagles. It wasn’t the volume of them this week, as it was when they committed nine last week in Miami, it was the timing. Brandon Brooks was called for holding to negate a 9-yard touchdown throw to Ward that would have made the score 7-7. Instead, the Eagles had to settle for a field goal.

• Injuries continue to haunt the Eagles, too. Jeffery went out. So did right tackle Lane Johnson when a Giants defender knocked quarterback Carson Wentz into the back of Johnson’s left leg. It was announced as an ankle injury, and Halapoulivaati Vaitai replaced him.

Cornerback Jalen Mills injured an elbow late in the third quarter and did not return.