New York Giants - Philadelphia Eagles Gameday Blog
After finally getting in the win column last Sunday against the Washington Football Team, the Giants had a short practice week to prepare for another critical test as they're set to face the Eagles with a chance to move up in the standings.
Last week the Giants leapfrogged over Washington to get out of last place in the division. With a win over the Eagles, they can hop into second place and sit just half a game out of first place heading into Sunday action.
For Giants head coach Joe Judge, the game is arguably his most significant professional test considering the short turnaround the team is dealing with. It will double as a homecoming for Judge, who grew up in Philadelphia as an Eagles fan.
Judge isn't retaining any fond feelings for his hometown team, however, and is ensuring that any family members that show up to the game on his behalf share that sentiment.
"Anybody who shows up that I either grew up with or have blood ties with, they have to wear blue," Judge said.
"I respect their love for the Eagles from being in the town, but hey, look man, you ain't showing up cheering against my kids' Christmas. You better come out in some blue cheering for us."
Join in on the discussion below with your fellow Giants fans as led by Giants Country writer Jackson Thompson (@Jacksonbht), who will update you throughout the game.
And don't forget to keep it right here for our complete postgame coverage.
Giants: What to Watch For
- Aim for the seventh consecutive game with at least two sacks. The Giants 15.0 sacks through Week 6 are tied for 5th in the NFC.
- Look to improve to 216-174-10 all-time in October.
- Darius Slayton aims for third consecutive game with at least four receptions and 50 receiving yards vs. Philadelphia.
- Evan Engram needs 57 yards receiving (1,943) to reach 2,000 for his career.
- Graham Gano needs one 50+ yd field goals (4) to surpass Aldrick Rosas (4 in 2018) and Josh Brown (4 in 2014) for most 50+yd field goals in a season in franchise history.
Pregame
Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard could make his first appearance since Week 2 tonight as he's been activated off of injured reserve and will be active against the Eagles.
How much the Giants chose to use Shepard is unknown, as the team might want to be cautious with their veteran and oft-injured wide receiver in his first game back.
Shepard would surely be a boost regardless, as he's been somewhat of an Eagle killer in his career, racking up 485 yards and four touchdowns in seven career games against the Eagles.
Shepard would also figure to take some pressure off of fellow Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton, who seems primed for a matchup against Eagles cornerback Darius Slay.
The other Giants wide receivers haven't stepped up to the task in recent weeks, leaving Slayton as the main priority for opposing defenses.
Quarterback Daniel Jones has lacked a true number two receiving threat opposite Slayton over the past few weeks and Shepard could be just what Jones needs tonight for some offensive balance.
Meanwhile on defense, one inactive player that the Giants are sure to miss is cornerback Darnay Holmes, who is inactive tonight with a neck injury. Holmes was making steady progress in coverage over the course of the season but the Giants will instead have to look to their veterans to hold down Holmes' typical duties.
Veteran cornerback Logan Ryan could be in for a large workload in the slot tonight as defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will continue to try and find ways to utilize his rotating defensive backs effectively.
First Quarter
The Eagles offense marches down the field on an 11-play 75-yard drive, capped off by a one-yard touchdown run by Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, bad start for the Giants' defense.
Eagles lead 7-0.
The Giants opening drive on offense is stalled at midfield but a Riley Dixon punt pins the Eagles back at their own 11-yard line to start their next drive.
The Giants' second defensive series is much improved from their first, as they force a three-and-out capped off by a sack by rookie linebacker Cam Brown, the first of his career.
The Giants offense will now take over at the Eagles' 39-yard line as Jones will look to lead a game-tying touchdown drive.
On the first play of the drive Jones hits Tate for a 39-yard touchdown. The touchdown is Tate's first of the year and it comes against his former team. It is the first receiving touchdown by any Giant not named Slayton this year.
Game is tied at 7.
Eagles right guard Sua Opeta, an undrafted free agent making his first career start tonight, committs a holding penalty against Giants defensive tackle Austin Johnson which wipes away a four-yard carry. It also gives the Giants defense an opportunity against an Eagles offense with a long down and distance to come up with a stop.
The Eagles offense overcomes the penalty and picks up the first down on just two plays to keep the chains moving.
Giants linebacker Devante Downs gets to Wentz and forces an intentional grounding penalty to force a second-and-26. The Giants pass rush has been in the Eagles' backfield a lot in this game, and even on plays when it doesn't finish with sacks, it is still making an impact one way or another.
Second Quarter
The loss of Holmes is showing up big for the Giants defense, as bad coverage by backup cornerback Corey Ballentine allows the Eagles pick up a first down on a pass to a wide-open Greg Ward.
The Giants defense bends but doesn't break, as it holds up to keep Philadelphia out of the end zone and force a 31-yard Jake Elliott field goal.
Eagles lead 10-7.
Shepard records his first catch since Week 2 on 3rd-and-5 to give the Giants a first down. The Giants will be looking to get him involved as much as possible to help take some of the pressure off the other Giants receivers.
Giants tight end Evan Engram can't hauls in a routine short pass from Jones and knocks it into the air for an Eagles interception by safety Jalen Mills. Jones is credited with another turnover on a play that was not even necessarily his fault, instead it was Engram with the grave mistake and it costs the Giants a chance to get points and puts the defense back on the field.
One player that is quietly having a surprisingly good game is defensive tackle B.J. Hill, who is typically a reserve rotational defensive tackle, but is making his presence known with two tackles already having played the majority of defensive snaps so far.
Giants edge rusher Markus Golden gets his first solo sack of the season bring Wentz down for a five-yard loss.
The Giants pressure helps make another big defensive play as Wentz makes an ill-advised pass to the endzone while under duress from Leonard Williams. Cornerback James Bradberry capitalizes with an interception in the end zone to hold Philadelphia scoreless and give the Giants a chance to get some points before halftime.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
It's Bradberry's third interception of the season and a league-leading 12th pass defended. Bradberry has been one of the best offseason acquisitions in the NFL so far as he's anchored the Giants' cornerback corps as a major defensive difference-maker.
Rookie offensive tackle Matt Peart comes in the game to man the right tackle spot in place of veteran Cameron Fleming. However, he and fellow rookie offensive tackle Andrew Thomas allow a big combined sack to Eagles edge rushers Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett.
The Giants are hoping for improvement from their rookie tackles and the only way to get there is to throw them into the fire of NFL action, but that action is coming at the expense of Jones.
After a defensive stop to help put the Giants in position to tie the game, Giants running back Dion Lewis commits a huge fumble that now puts the Eagles in Giants territory with less than 40 seconds in the half.
Faultering before the half has become a staple for the Giants this season and they keep that trend going tonight, as the offense now has a very short field to defend thanks to the Lewis mistake.
The Giants somehow manage to break that trend with some huge plays on defense to force a 29-yard field goal try. But Elliott, who once kicked a 61-yard game-winning field goal against the Giants, botches the chipshot field goal as the Giants escape with a three-point deficit at halftime.
Halftime
The Giants go from disaster to miracle before the half and are alive and well despite lacking in nearly every statistical category so far in this game.
The Elliott miss is not something the Giants can count on to bail them out in the second half however, as their offense continues to stall at inopportune moments while key skill players continue to committ costly mistakes.
Outside of one explosive play to Tate, which is the play of the game so far for the Giants, the offense has looked like its same old unproductive self so far. Giants running backs have only racked up 12 total of the team's 31 total rushing yards so far as offense has had to rely on trickery and scarmbles by Jones for the bulk of its rushing production.
Jones has played well, and his only turnover was not his mistake, but Engram's.
The defense has played a strong first half, especially inside the red zone and hasn't allowed a touchdown since the Eagles' opening possession.
The strength of the Giants, their defensive line, has been the difference in the game so far, and along with a big play by Bradberry, is the reason the Giants are in this game.
Third Quarter
Thomas' struggles continue as he allows Eagles linebacker Nate Gerry to come through untouched and essentially kill the Giants' opening drive of the half.
Fortunately for the Giants, the defense is able to come up with a tough 3rd-and-1 stuff to force another Eagles punt and another chance for the Giants to tie or take the lead to start the second half.
Eagles rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts make his first appearance of the night, picking up two yards on a quarterback draw.
The third quarter has been a back-and-forth defensive slugfest to this point as neither team has managed to pick up a first down on two possesions each. The Giants will get the ball back for their third possesion of the half still just trailing by three but they'll have to go a long way, starting at their own 12-yard line.
Jones gets an open field in front of him for an 80-yard run, the longest Giants run of the season but clumsily trips over his own feet and costs the Giants a chance at their longest touchdown of the season.
They call that a bad good play.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The trip doesn't ultimatley cost the Giants a touchdown as they are able to punch the ball in from the one-yard line and cap off an explosively bizzare drive for the Giants.
Giants lead 14-10.
The Jones run and trip in many ways epitomizes the NFC East as a whole this season.
Fourth Quarter
Giants running back Devonta Freeman has suffered an ankle injury and is questionable to return.
The Giants come up with a goal-line stand to preserve the lead as cornerback Logan Ryan breaks up a pass in the end zone in coverage against tight end Hakeem Butler.
Officials could have very easily called a pass interference on the play and there would have been no questions about it, but the officials allow the play and the Giants take over with a chance to extend the lead in the fourth quarter.
The Giants are putting toghether their longest drive of the game at the right moment, as they've already run 11 plays while burning 6:51 off the clock and are in the Eagles' red zone.
Jones connects with Shepard to extend the Giants' lead to double digits, capping off a 15-play 75-yard drive and burning 7:50 off the clock.
Giants lead 21-10.
The touchdown is Shepard's first of the year and fifth against the Eagles in his career, but the first since 2017.
The Giants offense looked as good on that drive as its looked all season and it came at a perfect time as the Giants are now in command down in Philadelphia for a chance at a huge win.
Giants undrafted rookie cornerback Madre Harper gives up a touchdown to Ward and then commits an unnecessary roughness penalty after the play to move the Eagles two-point try up to the one-yard line.
Fortunately for the Giants, linebacker Blake Martinez and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence are able to shoot through and bring Wentz down on the two-point try to keep the Giants lead at five.
Giants lead 21-16.
The Giants were only able to burn 2:36 on their ensuing drive and are forced to punt after another bad drop by Engram on a pass that should have given the Giants a first down.
Then, an unnecessary roughness penalty against Balentine against Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson gives the Eagles another 15 yards for a chance at the game-winning touchdown with two minutes left.
Wentz has two timeouts to work with and will have to go 60 yards to win the game.
Wentz connects with running back Boston Scott for a go-ahead 18-yard touchdown with 40 seconds left. Jones will have 40 seconds to try and get the Giants in range for either a tying or go-ahead field goal pending the two-point attempt.
The two-point try is unsuccessful.
Eagles lead 22-21.
Will Hernandez commits a holding penalty that will take six seconds off the clock and back the Giants up another 10 yards.
Jones fumbles and the Eagles recover.
Eagles win 22-21.
