The Giants came into Philadelphia leaders of the NFC East and appearing to be the clear-cut kings of the division. That notion lasted less than a quarter, as they saw their fast start quickly dissolve into a disheveled 27-7 loss. Big Blue had the look of a titan to start, following an 80-yard opening drive that was capped by a 13-yard Odell Beckham Jr. touchdown reception, but that accomplishment was soon dwarfed by unforced errors and a lack of execution for the remainder of the game. Beckham, who was questionable all week due to a hamstring malady, finished with seven catches for 61 yards and a touchdown – all of which occurred in the first half. His symmetry with Manning was only on point for that half (he corralled all of his seven targets), but he was only targeted once in the second half, mainly due to the lack of time Manning had to survey downfield. The Eagles (3-3) rattled Manning most of the night, due to an aggressive defense that picked him off two times and sacked him three times. Conversely, Big Blue was just as formidable against Eagles’ quarterback Sam Bradford (24-of-38 for 280 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions), but were unable to capitalize on Philadelphia’s miscues. It was a disappointing performance for a Giants (3-3) squad that was looking to gain firm command in the division. But now they’re in a dogfight with a surging Eagles team, with the Cowboys next on the docket. Metro takes a look back at the key moments.
What we learned:
1.Stuck in neutral
The Giants wanted to start fast to counter the Eagles’ uptempo offense, and for at least one drive, Big Blue appeared up to the task. That didn’t last very long, as their offense stalled for the remainder of the game. The ineptness was on display from the second quarter-on, including a stretch that spanned the second and third quarters, respectively, in which the Giants only tallied five first downs. New York saw Philadelphia’s time of possession triple theirs in the second half, as Big Blue infrequently crossed midfield, and could barely muster 50 yards of total offense in the second half. 2.Under siege
Manning was a marked man almost from the onset, as the Eagles were on the hunt following the Giants’ impressive opening scoring drive. The offensive line entered the game actually playing well, but fell apart at the seams early. Manning was harassed and battered all night, as Vinny Curry, Fletcher Cox, Connor Baldwin, and Co. kept the heat on the beleaguered signal caller. Manning, who started the game 10-of-10, soon cooled off as he had little time to set up in the pocket. He was flustered into two intentional grounding penalties and knocked down numerous times in the second half, as once the Eagles’ lead expanded to double digits, they had little regard for Big Blue’s running game and simply executed an all-out assault on the quarterback. 3.Self-inflicted damage
Big Blue was outplayed for most of the night, but they didn’t help their own cause by committing three turnovers, and numerous mental errors that extended Philadelphia drives. New York entered the game only committing three turnovers in its previous five games, but gave away the ball three times within the first 20 minutes. Manning’s worse play of the game happened when Eagles cornerback Nolan Carroll registered a 17-yard pick-six early in the second quarter, when he jumped the pass. Manning entered with just two interceptions in his first five games, but was picked off twice in his first 14 attempts tonight. Their franchise passer wasn’t alone, as there were three penalties that extended stalled Philadelphia drives. None were as egregious as a running into the punter penalty that kept the Eagles offense alive, which was then capped by DeMarco Murray’s 12-yard touchdown run, midway through the third quarter. The drive spanned 11 plays and 84 yards, gave the Eagles a 24-7 lead, and looked to have finally sapped the will from a Giants squad that never seemed focused or in-synch.
3 things we learned in the Giants’ 20-point loss at Philly
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