The Eagles played some of their backups during the fourth quarter of a 28-3 win over the New York Giants on Sunday. Philadelphia’s starters rested for the final 10 minutes because they dominated the first three quarters and had a 25-point lead.
During the first five weeks of the season, the Eagles finished with a 3-2 record. They won all three games by less than a touchdown, lost to the Atlanta Falcons in a nail-biter and were crushed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a Week 4 loss. The expectations surrounding the Eagles have changed, with some believing they might not even be a playoff team.
They could struggle to win the NFC East or make the playoffs as a wild-card team because the conference has a lot of good teams. With a win over the Giants, the Eagles remain in the mix at the top of the NFC. If the Eagles lost to the Giants, they would have been two games behind the Washington Commanders in the division.
The Eagles have elite talent at multiple positions and good starters across the board, but a lot of problems have popped up this year, including a lack of pass rush, missed tackles and first-quarter offensive struggles. A few of those issues, including the offense not being able to score in the first quarter, continued against the Giants. But a lot of improvements were made, too.
Running back Saquon Barkley led Philadelphia’s offense with 176 rushing yards and a touchdown, and wide receiver A.J. Brown caught a 41-yard touchdown during the second quarter. The Eagles finished with a season-high eight sacks and held the Giants’ offense to a season-low 119 total yards. Six different players brought down Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, including rookie Jalyx Hunt.
“I’m just happy about what I already know about this team. It just seems like everything is coming together, everybody just believing in one another,” Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham said. Man, like I told you, I’m happy that it’s showing up. Cause we work every week.”
After a slow start to the season, many wondered if the Eagles would be able to turn things around. When asked about their early-season struggles, tight end Grant Calcattera explained that it takes “a little bit of time” for a team to find out “who they are.”
“We’re a tough team,” Calcattera said. “We played so good on defense. We ran the ball so good. We capitalized in the passing game when we needed to.”
The Eagles have not given up a touchdown in the last two weeks.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has gotten some of their young defensive players to play better. Second-year defensive tackle Jalen Carter finished with two sacks against the Giants, and linebacker Nakobe Dean, who has struggled the past few weeks, made 11 tackles and racked up two sacks. Rookie cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean both stood out.
With offensive tackle Jordan Mailata being put on injured reserve last week, it was reasonable to think Philadelphia’s offense could regress. Surprisingly, the Eagles rushed for 269 yards and three touchdowns.
“We practice hard,” said Eagles offensive tackle Fred Johnson, who has replaced Mailata. “We go hard every day. It’s very rewarding when we see the fruits of our labor. It just motivates both sides of the ball. Offense goes out and scores. Defense (doesn’t let them score a touchdown). … It just gives us that added motivation.”
Multiple players, including Mitchell and DeJean, said the Eagles had a great week of practice.
“We’ve always had it in us,” DeJean said. “Today, it came out a little bit. There’s still a lot more we need to clean up to be even better. It’s a good step.”
Eagles defensive tackle Thomas Booker said beating the Giants “will absolutely boost their confidence in subsequent games.” Over the next 11 weeks, the Eagles will face better teams than the 2-5 Giants. They can’t celebrate this victory for too long.
“Guys feel good (about the performance), but it’s not something that we’re going to throw a party over or anything like that,” Eagles linebacker Ben VanSumeren said. “This is the
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