Jenkins’ pick a game-changer for Eagles’ defense

PHILADELPHIA >> At the point of the season where there wasn’t another play to design or mirror to look into, Doug Pederson had one last plea for his ragged, injured defense. Make a play.

Make a big play. Somebody. Anybody. For that, in a 25-22 Eagles victory Sunday over the New York Giants, there would be Malcolm Jenkins. The Eagles having been tormented throughout the first half yet only behind by eight in its final minute, the Giants were moving again. In five plays, they had driven 27 yards, well into field-goal range, or better. That’s when Eli Manning, from the Birds’ 27, tried to find Odell Beckham with a long pass … and Malcolm Jenkins made a game-changing interception.

“The biggest thing is, we were kind of on our heels for the whole first half,” Jenkins said. “We got to a point where we said, ‘Look, we know we have guys in the back end scrambling a little bit because the Giants are in their hurryup offense.’ It put us in a little bind in terms of communicating. It’s loud.

“Hats off to (defensive coordinator) Jim Schwartz for giving us the opportunity to go and play fast.”

Jenkins’ interception with 17 seconds left had the scaredstraight Eagles content to retreat to the locker room, satisfied that they were only behind by one score.

It also gave them the energy to win the second half, the game, and a chance to bump back into the NFC East championship race.

“Malcolm is a great leader,” Pederson said. “One of the things that I’ve talked to our leaders on the football team about and challenged them to do is find a way to make plays in big situations. I think you saw that from time to time today. And that was one of them. That really sparked the defense going into the second half.”

With his secondary so torn by injury, Pederson’s secondhalf plan was to keep his defense rested as much as possible. That, he would do by running the ball and, in turn, running the clock. But after a first half that had some familiar elements from their 47-8 loss a week earlier in New Orleans, the Eagles’ defense limited New York to three points in the final 30 minutes.

“We’re just doing things simple and better,” Fletcher Cox said. “Up front, we were getting after the quarterback. When Eli Manning holds onto the ball, we are given that opportunity. If it wasn’t a sack, it was a hit. When he moved around in the pocket, I think that played a big part in the game. I think the biggest turning point for our defense was that pick by Malcolm before the end of the half.”

The Eagles generated just two sacks, one apiece from Chris Long and Michael Bennett, and had only the Jenkins interception, the first by an Eagle since Oct. 11 against the Giants in New Jersey. But after being mutilated in New Orleans, the secondary was useful, particularly in the second half, when Manning would throw for just 61 yards.

“They just showed a toughness that they were going to fight for 60 minutes,” Pederson said of his defense. “And that was the message at halftime: We’ve got 30 minutes to go, and they were going to hang tough.”

The Eagles were boosted by the return of Timmy Jernigan, who played his first game of the season after a careerthreatening back injury.

“He brings a lot,” Cox said. “He was getting off the ball, flying around, making tackles and having fun.”