The Eagles dominated the Giants in Saturday’s 38-7 divisional-round win — holding the NFC East rival to just 227 yards and 13 first downs while sacking quarterback Daniel Jones five times. Cornerback James Bradberry’s first-half interception was a signal that the Giants’ Cinderella season was about to come to an end.
Now the Eagles will wait to see who’s next, and you can’t blame them for bursting with confidence. Quarterback Jalen Hurts appears back to normal after a shoulder injury — and the Eagles are 13-1 this season with him on the field — the offense is rolling, the pass rush can’t be held back and Lincoln Financial Field fans went hoarse on Saturday night, singing overlapping verses of “Fly, Eagles, Fly.”
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“We are going to get together,” a smiling Gardner-Johnson said. “Me and my boys. We will watch it together like we watched it last week to see who we are going to play.”
On Saturday night, versatile Gardner-Johnson, who plays safety and in the slot, shut down the Giants’ overachieving receivers. Jones was 15-for-27 for 135 yards and the tone-setting interception. Richie James, the Giants’ top pass catcher in the game, caught seven passes for 51 yards. Isaiah Hodgins, the mid-season pickup who had been burning defenses, had one catch for three yards.
Jones was harassed with eight quarterback hits, and the Eagles made six tackles for loss. Saquon Barkley had 82 yards from scrimmage, but he wasn’t a factor in a game that was 28-0 at halftime. The Eagles led the NFL with 70 sacks and the Giants offensive line wasn’t ready for the onslaught.
“This is a championship team because we are a complete team,” Gardner-Johnson said. “We all can play for each other. That’s the best thing we can do. We complement each other, play for each other and make sure we all have fun.
Linebacker Haason Reddick, who led the Eagles with 16 sacks during the regular season, had 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hits Saturday. He is playing the best football of his career, beating the top tackles in the game with speed and power. With defensive end Josh Sweat, who had 11 sacks in the regular season and 1.5 sacks on Saturday, the Eagles pass rush comes at quarterbacks from every angle.
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Reddick said the main reason the defense has been playing so well lately and could be a Super Bowl team is how the entire unit has come together and trusted the defensive scheme.
“We have bought in, and we are all in,” Reddick said. “We know we are in a win-or-go-home situation, and nobody wants to go home. We all want to get a Super Bowl, so we are playing with a goal in mind, and we have to keep it up.”
The Cowboys (CeeDee Lamb, T.Y. Hilton and Michael Gallup) and the 49ers (Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle) have receivers who can get open and sting defenses with yards after the catch. The Eagles, who have been successful playing man and zone coverage, have kept explosive plays to a minimum as the top pass defense in the NFL during the regular season (179.8 yards per game).
Cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry have clamped down on the opponents’ best weapons, and the Eagles soon should get back slot corner Avonte Maddox, who is recovering from a toe injury. Maddox has not allowed a touchdown this season and has helped in the run game and as a blitzer off the edge.
Slay said that the communication between the defense and understanding what defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon wants to do schematically makes them a Super Bowl-caliber defense.
“We play together, and we play as one,” he said. “We want everybody on this team to be successful. This is a new season. Some guys had amazing regular seasons, but this is a new season. We are still playing off it, taking what we did in-season and bringing it into this postseason.
“We have to continue to keep dominating and take one day at a time with whomever we play next week. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing because not many people get to be in this opportunity, so I’m thankful. I will try to do everything to help everyone go up and play even better.”
Defensive end Brandon Graham, one of the few remaining from the Super Bowl champion team, says this team has the same focus as the Super Bowl LII champs.
“We haven’t done anything yet,” Graham said. “We are one game away from getting to the Super Bowl, and we have to make sure we take care of that. We have to have that focus that we had this week. We had a great week of practice. That’s what we were talking about when we were breaking it down. It’s the focus that you have to have.
“If anything, something I took away from 2017 is making sure we keep the focus on ourselves and nobody else. When you take care of yourself and this team, it will show up on the field, and you will be happy in the end. I hope my guys can double down and do it again this week.”
Chris Franklin:
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