The Eagles built an early lead, then held on to hold off the Giants’ comeback attempt.
Scoring
Fourth quarter: Eagles 24, Giants 19
Wentz was cleared to return after getting evaluated in the concussion protocol, returning for the Eagles’ opening drive of the final quarter. He led them on a field goal drive to push Philadelphia’s lead back to eight points.
Odell Beckham Jr. and company drove for another field goal to pull within five points with 5:17 remaining. New York’s attempted game-winning drive ended in the final minute with an Eli Manning interception.
Third quarter: Eagles 21, Giants 16
Robbie Gould’s third field goal cut into Philadelphia’s lead. The Eagles answered with a drive of their own, but lost quarterback Carson Wentz and then got stuffed on 4th-and-goal at the 1-yard line.
Second quarter: Eagles 21, Giants 13
Dominique Rogers-Cromartie intercepted Carson Wentz, setting the Giants up for their first points, a 35-yard field goal by Robbie Gould. New York added another field goal to pull within one score, but Wentz answered with a beautiful 40-yard touchdown strike to Nelson Agholor to widen the Eagles’ advantage.
New York’s first touchdown came from an 84-yard drive in the 2-minute drill, ending with a 13-yard pass to Sterling Shepard.
First quarter: Eagles 14, Giants 0
Philadelphia struck first with a 78-yard opening drive, ending with a 25-yard touchdown run by Darren Sproles, his second rushing TD of the season. Malcolm Jenkins followed by intercepting Eli Manning and taking it 34 yards to the house for a quick, two-touchdown Eagles lead.
Highlights & injuries
The Giants’ loss clinched the NFC East and the NFC No. 1 seed for the Cowboys.
Carson Wentz went to the locker room in the third quarter after a hit, evaluated in the concussion protocol, but then returned in the fourth quarter.
After returning, Wentz somehow evaded a sure sack, then ran for nearly a first down.
The Giants were flagged 15 yards for unnecessary roughness on a light touch of a sliding Wentz.
Pregame
The Philadelphia Eagles have fallen off a cliff after their 3-0 start. But while the playoffs are out of the picture for Doug Pederson’s team, the first-year coach can still play spoiler — and make a case for keeping his job — by upsetting the New York Giants in a Thursday Night Football showcase.
Rookie quarterback Carson Wentz pushed the Eagles out to 3-0 behind a sterling start, but the North Dakota State product has struggled as the league adjusted to his style of play. After starting the year with a 5:0 TD:INT ratio and a 104.8 passer rating, he’s since thrown nearly twice as many picks (13) as touchdowns (eight) while watching his rating plummet to 72.9.
So after beginning his NFL career looking like Dak Prescott, he’s since turned into Blake Bortles. Philadelphia has lost five straight games as a result.
A sixth appears imminent unless the Eagles can turn their defense around in a hurry. Opponents have scored no fewer than 26 points during that streak, and Thursday will bring one of the NFC’s best teams into their orbit. At 10-4, the Giants are the only team left in the conference who can catch the Dallas Cowboys.
Odell Beckham Jr. has been the brightest spot of a New York offense that has struggled at times this fall. The All-Pro wide receiver ranks in the league’s top four when it comes to receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns this fall, but his celebrations, complaints about refereeing, and flashy cleats have earned him nearly as much attention as his play.
He’s helped gloss over one of the NFL’s least effective rushing attacks. New York ranks 30th in rushing yards per game and yards per carry this fall. That lack of flexibility has forced quarterback Eli Manning into a mediocre performance; his passer rating, yards per attempt, and TD:INT ratio have all decreased from their 2015 numbers.
Manning should be able to boost his stats against a weak Philadelphia secondary. The veteran passer sprung for four touchdowns the last time these two teams met — a 28-23 Giants win in northern New Jersey. While the Eagles will have home field advantage this time around, they’ve got nothing to play for except pride.
The final Thursday Night Football game of the season will air on NBC, with a live stream available on Twitter and at NBC Sports.