Stat Sheet: Numbers that made a difference

Here are some numbers that made a difference in Sunday's unbelievable Eagles-Giants game:

Penalty yards for the Eagles on five infractions. Sure, a few were costly. Rookie linebacker Jamar Chaney got flagged for encroachment on third and 2 to give the Giants a first down that ended with a touchdown. But it wasn't as if the game hinged on the Eagles' making mistakes that should never happen. Hey, players fumble. But they should not throw punches at the opponents or celebrate touchdowns with antics. And the Birds did not do that on this Sunday.

Tackles for Chaney. Maybe the rookie middle linebacker wasn't perfect in stepping in for the injured Stewart Bradley. But any player who makes 12 unassisted tackles and four assisted stops is doing his job. He also forced a fumble that the Birds recovered and turned into a touchdown and did not stick out as troublesome. Yes, he had a bad penalty. We'll overlook that.

Touchdown catches this season for Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. The perfect complement to DeSean Jackson, Maclin caught two TD passes - seven receptions overall - Sunday to account for the most in a season since Terrell Owens had 14 in 2004. And there are still two games to play. If Jackson is the most exciting player on the team, Maclin may be the most consistent after Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy.

Andy Reid won his 128th career game, including playoffs, to pass Mike Ditka for 24th place in NFL history. And what a way to do it. After the game, Reid had to struggle to maintain his gruff demeanor and nearly broke into a grin addressing reporters. Let's see Ditka do that.

Combined yards on two punt returns by Maclin and Jorrick Calvin. At this point, to heck with the danger of losing Jackson to injury on punt returns: The Eagles need him back there. And so do the fans.