Eagles overwhelm Giants, 27-0

A week of anticipation and banter along the New Jersey Turnpike ended minutes before midnight on Sunday, when the final seconds of the Eagles' convincing 27-0 win over the New York Giants finally ticked off the clock.

The Giants stomped on the Eagles' logo at midfield before the game, the latest in a week of manufactured drama. The lopsided score rendered any trash talk irrelevant in an NFC East rivalry given life by the impressive early-season records for both teams.

There was no debate about which team is superior at this juncture when coach Chip Kelly jogged off the field after the Eagles' first shutout in nearly 18 years. The Eagles enter their bye week with a 5-1 record, tied for the best in the NFL.

"We're happy where we are," Kelly said. "We're pleased, but we're not satisfied."

It was the Eagles' most complete performance of the season. The defense dominated with eight sacks as the maligned secondary allowed the pass rushers time to chase Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

LeSean McCoy rushed for 149 yards, his first encounter with the century mark in 2014. The only blemish was another uneven performance by quarterback Nick Foles, who went 21 of 34 for 234 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

But the number that matters is 5-1, which never appeared in doubt against the Giants.

The Eagles drove 67 yards on the opening drive, with McCoy looking like the 2013 version. He rushed for gains of 12 and 18 yards on the first possession. The Eagles needed to settle for a 31-yard field goal, but the effectiveness of the running game presaged what would happen during the next few hours.

"The thing that really blows me away is if we weren't that good as a running team, then why is every team stacking the box?" McCoy said of criticism the running game received.

"Surprisingly . . . [the Giants] left the safety out of the box, which was different. They paid for it. When they tried to move the safety down, it was too late. We were in a groove."

The defense set the tone on the ensuing drive, when Manning was flushed out of the pocket on a third down and Connor Barwin jolted the Giants quarterback from behind. The ball popped loose, and Barwin recorded the first of his three sacks.

"We took them out of what they've been doing the last few weeks," Barwin said. "It was a total team defense win. The secondary did a great job, the front seven did a great job. It was everyone playing well."

When the Eagles drove 81 yards on the next drive, a thrashing appeared possible. The key was Foles' connection with tight end Zach Ertz, including a 15-yard touchdown. The catch was as memorable as the throw; Ertz dove and maintained body control to pull the ball in while sliding out of bounds.

The defense played a role in the rout, harassing Manning whenever he dropped back. The Eagles had three sacks in the first quarter and added two more in the second quarter.

The Eagles doubled their 10-0 first-quarter lead by halftime. James Casey tallied his first touchdown since arriving in Philadelphia as a free agent in 2013 when Foles found him on a 26-yard play-action pass.

Foles threw his first of two interceptions to thwart a second-quarter scoring drive. He threw another foolish interception in the third quarter, marking Foles' seventh interception in six games.

"I will correct those," Foles said. "They're not over my head, and that's one of the things I love about this game. You can fix things."

This interception gave Giants their best scoring opportunity. They drove the ball 3 yards shy of the goal line, where coach Tom Coughlin eschewed a field goal and tried going for seven points.

Manning tossed a fade to top receiver Victor Cruz in the corner of the end zone. Cruz could not come down with the catch, and had trouble getting up. A torn patellar tendon for Cruz added serious injury to a helpless night for the Giants.

The Eagles responded by driving 97 yards for another touchdown. Foles connected on all three passes of the drive, but the big play was a 28-yard run by McCoy. Sproles rushed 15 yards for a touchdown and a 27-0 lead with just more than 20 minutes remaining in the game. Sproles later left the game with a knee injury.

Because of the bye, the Eagles have an extra week to bask in this victory. Hours after the Dallas Cowboys registered a statement win over the Seattle Seahawks, the Eagles kept pace with a shutout over a bitter rival to maintain bragging rights until the teams meet again in the season finale.

Asked about the midweek trash talk, Jeremy Maclin acknowledged he knew about it and offered one final jab that cannot be disputed.

"27-nothing," Maclin said.

The Eagles took control of this game early and never let the Giants even think about getting back into it. Here are the one-sided first-half numbers:

EAGLES   STATISTIC   GIANTS

15   First Downs   5

100   Rushing Yards   35

174   Passing Yards   54

274   Total Yards   89

1-5   Penalties   7-54

1   Sacked   5

1   Turnovers   0

EndText

@ZBerm