Eagles batter Giants as defense comes through
The Eagles' postgame locker room on Monday night hardly resembled the one from two weeks ago that was mired in frustration and disbelief after a 1-3 start to the season. Two wins can enthuse a team and a city - especially when those victories bring a team from last place to first place.
The Eagles' postgame locker room on Monday night hardly resembled the one from two weeks ago that was mired in frustration and disbelief after a 1-3 start to the season. Two wins can enthuse a team and a city - especially when those victories bring a team from last place to first place.
The Eagles find themselves in a tie for first after a 27-7 win over the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field, an improbable position considering the way the team started the season. They are now 3-3 - good enough in a downtrodden NFC East - and winners of three of their last four games.
It did not happen Monday night with Chip Kelly's celebrated offense but rather with a defense that has turned from liability to strength. The defense cooled off Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who was off to his best start this season. They sacked Manning three times, forced three turnovers, and made punter Brad Wing busier than the Giants would have wanted. The Giants did not score after the opening possession.
"I thought they were outstanding - especially after that first drive," Kelly said. "Besides our opening drive, I thought our defense played outstanding all game long."
Playing against the worst pass defense in the NFL, Sam Bradford actually regressed Monday after his two best games of the season. He finished 24 of 38 for 280 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.
"Just inconsistent, missing throws," Bradford said. "There was some good, some bad. But I know for us to be where we want to be, I need to play much better."
It didn't matter with the way the defense played and with a running game that totaled 155 yards, including 109 yards from DeMarco Murray. Murray said he does not feel vindication after his first 100-yard game, but the defending rushing champion finally appears to be settling into the Eagles offense.
The story looked as if it would be different early in the first quarter, when the frenzied fans who waited all weekend and throughout Monday's workday were deflated on the opening drive. Manning completed all five of his passes, including a 13-yarder to Odell Beckham Jr. for the game's first touchdown.
As the Eagles offense is wont to do, it could not generate any early momentum. A three-and-out almost hurt the Eagles when the Giants drove into their territory after a punt. Then DeMeco Ryans ripped a catch away from Giants tight end Larry Donnell at the Eagles' 22-yard line for an interception that swung the game.
"Everybody almost took a deep breath and said, 'Let's go,' " Kelly said.
From there, the Eagles scored 27 unanswered points. The first seven came when Bradford lined up under center for the first time. When the Eagles were in that look last week, they rushed every time. On Monday, they called a play-action - and it resulted in a 32-yard touchdown pass to Riley Cooper. Cooper led the Eagles' receivers with three catches for 76 yards.
"If we can get the play-action game going, it complements the running game, and they should really help each other," Bradford said.
The Eagles took their first lead in the second quarter, when Nolan Carroll stepped in front of Manning's pass to the sideline and returned it 17 yards for a touchdown. They never relinquished their lead, but they missed opportunities to make it bigger than even the final result suggested.
After Malcolm Jenkins forced a second-quarter fumble that Ryans recovered, Bradford threw his first of three interceptions when he underthrew Cooper on another play-action pass from under center. Although the defense forced three more punts before halftime, the Eagles could muster only one field goal in the remainder of the second quarter to carry a 17-7 lead into the break.
In the second half, the Eagles kept the Giants from scoring, but the offense did little to generate excitement. Jordan Matthews fumbled away possession on the opening drive of the half, and the defense forced a punt.
When the offense took three plays to punt the ball right back, the Giants made sure the Eagles stayed on the field. A penalty on the punt gave the Eagles a new set of downs, and Murray rushed four times for 37 yards after the penalty, including a 12-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 24-7 lead. The lead was enough, and the Giants could not threaten the Eagles defense.
"This whole offseason, we put people in place so that we can win on defense," Jenkins said. "We've identified the formula for how we win on defense - that's taking the ball away, winning on third down, and playing good in the red zone."
For all the consternation about the Eagles during the last five weeks - from the inconsistencies of Bradford to the struggles of the offensive line to their inability to hold a late lead in Washington - they stumbled into an enviable position after six games.
It comes while the team still looks flawed. But they are tied with the Giants atop a bad division and all of their preseason aspirations remain possible. A big test comes on Sunday against the undefeated Carolina Panthers.
"We all know what's at stake, and we're not looking past anyone," Murray said. "We know we've got a long way to go. We know where we want to be - not just winning one or two games. We want to continue to grow."
@ZBerm
