Wentz sharp as Eagles dominate Giants 34-13
Super Bowl champs get their swagger back
NEW YORK, Oct 13, (AFP): The Super Bowl champions Philadelphia Eagles snapped a two-game skid with an impressive 34-13 NFL victory over the beleaguered New York Giants on Thursday.
Carson Wentz threw for three touchdowns as the Eagles took a 31-6 lead on their way to a fourth straight victory over their NFC East division rivals.
“Man, it feels good to get back in that win column,” said Wentz, whose eagles improved to 3-3 and moved atop the wide-open division.
Wentz connected with Alshon Jeffery on touchdown passes of 13 yards and one yard, split by a 10yard TD toss to Zach Ertz.
Corey Clement dived over for a one-yard touchdown and Jake Elliott booted field goals of 33 and 30 yards.
Wentz, who missed the first two games of the season as he continued to recover from a knee ligament injury, looked sharp and made the most of his early chance after Philadelphia linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill intercepted an Eli Manning pass deflected by Jordan Hicks.
Grugier-Hill returned the ball to the Giants’ 16-yard line to set up Wentz for his across-the-body touchdown pass to Jeffery.
“It was big for us to come out early and get on the board,” Wentz said. “We had great field position and capitalized early. That’s something we preach all the time, to start fast, and we were able to do that tonight.”
The Eagles, who had not scored more than 23 points in a game so far this season, led 24-6 at halftime and were never threatened by a Giants team that heard plenty of boos from their home fans.
Sensational rookie Saquon Barkley was a rare bright spot for New York, his 50-yard touchdown run in the third quarter cutting Philadelphia’s lead to 31-13.
But the defeat won’t silence critics of Manning or soothe tension in the team after wide receiver Odell Beckham provoked the ire of coach Pat Shurmur with negative comments to ESPN about his teammates.
As the Giants were left to ponder a season already slipping away, Wentz was hoping to build on the victory.
“It’s huge,” he said. “Being 3-3 is a heck of a lot better than 2-4.”
New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley (26) hurdles Philadelphia Eagles’ Malcolm Jenkins (27) during the first half of an NFL football game on Oct 11 in
East Rutherford, New Jersey. (AP)