After nearly letting a 17-point halftime lead slip away for good, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New York Giants 33-25 on Christmas. It was their 12th consecutive victory over the Giants and snapped a three-game losing streak. Now at 11-4, the win also keeps the Eagles as the favorite to win the NFC East.
The Giants, meanwhile, fell to 5-10 and could once again be turning to a new starter at quarterback after Tommy DeVito was benched at halftime for backup Tyrod Taylor.
Here’s a breakdown of the Christmas clash:
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles and their fans were hoping Monday’s game against the Giants would serve as a get-right game after dropping three straight.
While they did pull out a win, their performance cannot exactly be described as confidence-inspiring.
Untimely miscues have been a theme of late, and Philadelphia committed a couple of them in the second half. They lost a fumble on the opening kickoff in the third quarter, and quarterback Jalen Hurts threw a pick-six to Adoree’ Jackson when tight end Dallas Goedert stumbled making a cut, allowing the Giants to pull within two.
Silver lining: Fortunately for the Eagles, they have the easiest closing schedule in the NFL with a home game against the 3-12 Arizona Cardinals up next before wrapping up the regular season at the Giants. With the Cowboys (10-5) having dropped their last two games, Philadelphia is the favorite to claim the NFC East.
Buy a breakout performance: Britain Covey has been among the leaders in punt return average for much of the season, but had his best game of the season with three returns for 66 yards, including an electric 54-yard return to set up an Eagles score on their first possession. The second-year player out of Utah also saw a bump in playing time at receiver and hauled in his first NFL catch.
Promising trend: With linebackers Zach Cunningham and Nicholas Morrow sidelined due to injuries, Shaquille Leonard got the start and registered his first sack since the 2020 season while adding a couple tackles for loss and a QB hit. Back issues have hampered the former All-Pro player of late, but he offered some hope Monday to a beleaguered linebacker corps.
