The Giants secured a top-six draft pick in style as they denied their bitter rivals the NFC East divisional title in a fantastic 24-10 win at the MetLife Stadium.
The Eagles now face a wildcard game next weekend as the number five seed against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the Dallas Cowboys' win in their game over the Washington Commanders in the other NFC East divisional matchup meant that they secured the divisional title and grabbed the number two seed in the NFC.
First Quarter
The first quarter was practically drama-free for both teams in the game.
The only score of the quarter came for the Giants as good play from quarterback Tyrod Taylor saw the Giants move up the field.
The play from the offense left a 24-yard field goal for kicker Maso Crosby, who converted with ease to give the Giants a small lead going into the second quarter.
The only drama that came for the Eagles was receiver AJ Brown went down with a knee injury and did not return to the game. The Eagles will hope it is not serious and he will be able to return for the playoffs next week.
Second Quarter
The second quarter was the opposite of the first. As chaos ran out at the MetLife Stadium.
With the Eagles being well known for their aggressive technique on fourth down, it was no surprise that when facing that situation early in the second quarter they elected to go for the first down instead of punting.
However, the attempt failed as Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts turned the ball over on downs after an incomplete pass.
The Giants then took their opportunity in good field position, as a 26-yard pass to Wan’dale Robinson from Taylor allowed an easy two-yard rush for Saquon Barkley to get the G-Men their first touchdown of the game.
The Giants came into the two-minute warning back with the football, and they wasted no time to get more points.
Taylor threw a fantastic 46-yard pass to Barkley just seven seconds after the warning which resulted in a short throw to Darius Slayton for yet another touchdown for the Giants.
The drama began in the last 90 seconds of the quarter however, as on their responding drive, Hurts tried a deep ball for Julio Jones. However, a world-class defensive play saw safety Xavier McKinney intercept the ball and regain possession for the Giants.
Eagles GM Nick Sirianni had seemingly seen enough as after the interception, Hurts was sent to the bench and backup Marcus Mariota was put into the game at quarterback. Their luck did not change with the new quarterback, as with his very first throw he threw yet another interception to Xavier McKinney which left the Giants in great field position to end the quarter.
However, the drama was not complete in the quarter. Straight after the Giants regained possession, Taylor’s throw to the endzone was tipped and consequently intercepted by Eagles safety Reed Blankenship, which finally drew this manic quarter of football to a close.
Third Quarter
After the exhilarating end to the second quarter, the game quickly returned to the pace that we saw in the first quarter.
Mariota managed to move the Eagles down the field nicely, leaving Eagles kicker Jake Elliott with a 36-yard field goal opportunity.
Elliott converted with ease as he scored the only points for either side in the third quarter to leave the Eagles with what was seemingly an insurmountable task in the fourth and final quarter to try and win the game.
Fourth Quarter
The Eagles did not give up their attempt to get back into the game in the fourth quarter.
Mariota yet again led the Eagles downfield, and a 16-yard pass from the quarterback was caught by Quez Watkins in the endzone to make the game just a two-score game despite the Giants’ dominance all afternoon.
Despite this, the Giants’ defence was simply too good for the Eagles. Good play from them all game had the Giants with a massive cushion, and they did not give it up.
Taylor led the G-Men downfield yet again and Mason Crosby’s 21-yard field goal ensured that there was to be no late comeback for the Eagles as the Giants secured the victory.
The Giants season is now over as they will begin preparing for what is likely to be their most important off-season in years. With big draft decisions and massive overhauls needed to improve after what has been a disappointing season.
The Eagles now face a road trip to Tampa as their playoff campaign begins next week in Florida. They will be desperate to show that despite their poor run of form at the end of this season, they are still good enough to challenge for the Superbowl this year.