Headlined by trash talking and statements from the New York Giants players that the Eagles team were not as good as their 4-1 record, the Philadelphia Eagles were put to the test on Sunday night against the New York Giants. Coming into the game the Giants were on a three game win streak scoring at least 30 points in each of those wins. By the looks of it, the resurgence of the Giants offense matched against an Eagles team who struggled against a mediocre Rams team, many expected the Eagles to struggle. But with the new all black jerseys in honor of the Eagles blackout Sunday, the Eagles played lights out and brought the Giants back down to earth.
The Eagles recorded a 27-0 win over the G-Men, their first shutout win since 1996 ironically against the Giants. What made this win so sweet for Eagles fans was the dominance they showed in all three phases of the game. This season the defense has been up and down along with the offense. The only consistency we have had is on special teams.
Everything was different on Sunday night. LeSean McCoy finally had his break-out game torching the Giants for 149 yards rushing. McCoy has struggled this season due to an injured offensive line. His 149 yard performance marked his sixth straight 100 yard rushing game on Sunday night football and his first 100 yard performance this season. Despite not being at full strength on the offensive line, they’ve progressed and found ways to open up running lanes for the All-Pro McCoy.
Nick Foles played one of his better games this season. He threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns both of which were in the first half. He started off extremely strong, but reverted back to some of his old ways by throwing two interceptions after his two touchdowns. Foles has had issues with interceptions this season, something that was not a problem last season. He has seven interceptions this season, but has played well in other phases of the game. He is fifth in the NFL in passing yards with 1,628 yards and is tied 10th in the NFL with 10 touchdowns. Overall Foles is having a solid year. His turnovers are a concern but with a 5-1 record there is no need to hit the panic button. For those that are skeptical, we must remember this is Foles second year playing significant snaps and his first as a year-long starter, so we must expect bumps in the road for such a young quarterback.
Special teams held up their end of the bargain as usual. Chris Maragos got his hand on one of the Giants punts for the Eagles only punt block of the night. Darren Sproles had a big 43 yard gain off of a punt return, which almost had a chance to go the distance.
But the defense stole the show, holding the red hot Giants to zero points. With a total of eight sacks, the Eagles defensive line dominated in the win. Connor Barwin had three sacks and was the star of the defense that night. They held Eli Manning to 151 yards passing and their rushing game wasn’t much of a factor either.
With the win, the Eagles finally showed that they are capable of putting together a complete performance. This has fans feeling good heading into the bye week. Despite the criticisms the Eagles have had, they are still 5-1 tied for the best record in the NFL. If they play to the level they’re capable of, they will continue to be a force in the NFL.
