NFC division leaders’ wild day
Eagles clinch playoff spot in NFC as two reach rare mark in rout of Giants
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. − The celebration was somewhat muted on the field.
That’s because the Philadelphia Eagles have much bigger goals than just clinching a playoff spot, which they did by beating the New York Giants 48-22 on Sunday.
The Eagles (12-1) still have the NFC East title on their radar, along with the top overall seed in the NFC playoffs, which would mean a first-round bye.
But it was a necessary first step, and the Eagles achieved it like they have throughout most of the season, by burying an overmatched opponent early.
Miles Sanders rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns, A.J. Brown had 70 yards receiving, including a 33-yard TD, and DeVonta Smith added a 41-yard TD.
In the process, both Sanders and Brown passed the 1,000-yard mark in rushing and receiving, respectively. It’s the first time an Eagle had reached either milestone since 2014.
The defense held Saquon Barkley to 28 yards on nine carries. The Eagles also sacked Giants quarterbacks seven times, led by Brandon Graham with three, including a strip-sack in the fourth quarter.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts led all of it. He completed 21 of 31 passes for 217 yards and two TDs. He also rushed for 77 yards on seven carries, including a 10-yard touchdown run.
The Eagles took an early 21-0 lead as Sanders scored from 3 yards out on the first drive, then Hurts hit DeVonta Smith for 41 yards, connecting on a 4th-and-7.
Hurts and Brown hooked up from 33 yards, coming on the first play after Giants punter Jamie Gillan was called for an illegal kick.
Then the Giants benefitted from the Eagles punting unit as a punt block enabled New York to take over at the Eagles’ 15. Daniel Jones then completed a 2-yard TD pass to Isaiah Hodgins with 2:57 remaining in the half.
But the Eagles answered with a 29yard field goal from Jake Elliott with 58 seconds left.
The onslaught continued into the second half as the Eagles opened the second half with a field goal. The Giants answered with a touchdown to pull within 27-14 with 5:40 left in the third quarter.
But the Eagles took over from there. Hurts’10-yard TD run on a quarterback draw up the middle made it 34-14. Then Sanders scored from 40 yards out with 6:01 left to make it 41-14. Then Graham sacked Jones’ backup, Tyrod Taylor, forcing a fumble that the Eagles recovered at the Giants’ 23.
By this point, Hurts and most of the starters were out of the game.