Even when something looks like it will come easy for the Philadelphia Eagles, it doesn’t come easy.
The Eagles seemed to have a much-needed easy win against the New York Giants. They were big favorites and led by 17 points at halftime. An inexcusable delay of game penalty on Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke, when it looked like the clock would run out in the first half after Jalen Hurts didn’t get out of bounds on a scramble, led to a gift field goal. That seemed like the type of mistake that bad teams make in a blowout loss.
Then the second half was basically like the rest of the 2023 Eagles season. It was a slog filled with plenty of inexcusable mistakes. Though this time it ended with a close 33-25 win.
The Giants, who benched Tommy DeVito and turned to Tyrod Taylor, made it a game in the second half. They hit a few big plays and the Eagles had to hold on to win.
The Eagles should be happy with their 11th win that puts them on the verge of another NFC East title. In reality, it’s the latest sign that this Eagles team is nowhere near as dominant as the one from last season.
Philadelphia struggles in 2nd half
Everything looked good for the Eagles in the first half. Hurts scored on a “Brotherly Shove.” DeVonta Smith scored on a nice run after catch after a good ball from Hurts in the middle of the field. The defense held down DeVito. Philly got a bonus three points on Okereke’s penalty. It seemed there wouldn’t be any stress.
A ridiculous turnover to start the second half was a sign that the game wasn’t over.
The Eagles fumbled the opening kickoff of the second half. Boston Scott was returning it when Eagles receiver Olamide Zaccheaus was pushed back and couldn’t stop his momentum. Zaccheaus crashed hard into Scott, who fumbled. The Giants scored shortly after.
The Giants hit a huge play late in the third quarter to make the game even tighter. Cornerback Adoree’ Jackson juggled a Hurts pass before finally securing it and returning it 76 yards down the sideline for a score. The Giants trailed just 20-18 after three quarters.
What was happening in Philadelphia? Nothing much, just the 2023 Eagles doing everything the hard way.
Eagles maintain the lead
The Eagles seemed to have things calmed down in the fourth quarter when a D’Andre Swift touchdown and Jake Elliott field goal pushed the lead to 30-18. But then Giants receiver Darius Slayton caught a 69-yard touchdown, the team’s longest offensive play of the season, and there was still life. The Eagles’ secondary has been a problem all season, and letting the Taylor/Slayton combination hit a play like that was another example.
Philadelphia put together a drive after that, eating up plenty of the clock and finishing with a field goal to push the lead to 33-25. But the Giants had 1:10 left. The Seahawks put together a 92-yard game-winning drive last week in a similar situation against the Eagles, and it’s not like Philadelphia can trust its secondary to close the door this season.
The Giants completed a fourth-down pass to keep the game alive, but the clock was running as Darren Waller tried to get off the field and a lot of time was lost. The Giants had just one play left and Taylor’s final pass was intercepted. The Eagles held on for the win.
Last season the Eagles barely missed on winning a Super Bowl. They were the best team in the NFL from Week 1 until the fourth quarter of that Super Bowl. They brought most of the roster back and had a lot of wins to start the season. If you looked at just the 11-4 record, you’d think it was a reasonable sequel to last season’s juggernaut.
But this isn’t last season for the Eagles. Not even close.
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