Notes & Stats: Giants vs. Eagles Recap

Notes & Stats: Giants vs. Eagles Recap

Notes & Stats: Giants vs. Eagles Recap

PHILADELPHIA – Notes and statistics from the Giants’ 33-25 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Lincoln Financial Field on Christmas Day:

*After trailing at halftime, 20-3, the Giants outscored the Eagles in the final two quarters, 22-13, and had a chance to tie the game until Tyrod Taylor’s pass on the game’s final play was intercepted in the end zone by cornerback Kelee Ringo.

*Taylor replaced starter Tommy DeVito after halftime, his first substantial action since injuring his ribs against the Jets on Oct. 29. Taylor completed seven of 16 passes for 133 yards, including a 69-yard fourth-quarter touchdown to Darius Slayton that is the Giants’ longest play of the season. He also gained 21 yards on two rushes.

*DeVito also threw 16 passes, completing nine for 55 yards. He took the only sack of the game by a Giants quarterback but increased his streak of passes without an interception to 137. DeVito gained five yards on his only rushing attempt. He is 3-3 as a starter.

*Saquon Barkley was the Giants’ only running back with a rushing attempt and gained 80 yards on 23 carries, including a 7-yard touchdown early in the third quarter. It was Barkley’s 33rd career rushing touchdown, moving him into a tie for eighth place on the franchise’s career list with Ron Johnson. Hall of Famer Frank Gifford is seventh with 34 rushing touchdowns.

*Barkley increased his career rushing total to 5,126 yards. That moved him past Brandon Jacobs (5,087) and into fourth place on the Giants’ career list.

*Tight end Daniel Bellinger led the Giants with a season-high four receptions, for 43 yards.

*Slayton had a team-high 90 receiving yards, his highest total since he had 90 (on six catches) in the Giants’ 20-20 tie with Washington on Dec. 4, 2022.

*The 69-yard touchdown was the longest play of Slayton”s career. It supplanted a 55-yard score on Dec. 9, 2019 – also in Philadelphia. His previous long reception this season had been a 40-yard touchdown at Washington on Nov. 19.

*Slayton’s score was the Giants’ longest offensive play since Daniel Jones’ 80-yard run on Oct. 22, 2020, which was also in Lincoln Financial Field. It was their longest touchdown since Evan Engram’s 75-yard catch-and-run in Jones’ first start, at Tampa Bay on Sept. 22, 2019. The Giants’ previous long offensive play this season was Jalin Hyatt’s 58-yard catch at Arizona on Sept. 17. They have two longer plays by defensive players, interception returns of 102 yards in Miami by Jason Pinnock and 76 yards Monday in Philly by Adoree’ Jackson.

*Jackson scored his first career touchdown and the Giants’ third defensive touchdown of the season when he picked off a Jalen Hurts pass and raced up the sideline to score with nine seconds remaining in the third quarter. Barkley’s 2-point conversion lifted the Giants to within 20-18.

*The interception was the fourth of Jackson’s career and first since Nov. 22, 2021, at Tampa Bay, where he had his previous long return – 10 yards.

*Linebacker Isaiah Simmons scored the Giants’ third defensive touchdown this season, on a 54-yard return in Washington.

*Simmons got his third career fumble recovery on the game’s most unusual play. Philadelphia’s Boston Scott was returning the second half kickoff when teammate Olamide Zaccheaus collided with him, forcing Scott to fumble. Simmons fell on the ball for his first recovery since Oct. 30, 2022, for Arizona at Minnesota.

*Linebacker Bobby Okereke (eight solo) and safety Xavier McKinney (seven) led the Giants with 10 tackles apiece.

*Jihad Ward and McKinney split the Giants’ only sack, a 6-yard takedown of Hurts.

*The loss officially eliminated the Giants from NFC postseason contention.

*This was the first Christmas Day game in Giants history.

*The Giants’ final two games are at home against the Rams and Eagles. They finished 2-7 in road games, winning in Arizona and Washington.

*The Giants have lost five consecutive games to the Eagles (one postseason game) and 11 in a row in Philadelphia (one postseason game).

*The Giants’ 25 points was their highest total in a defeat in Brian Daboll’s two years as head coach. They scored their previous high 366 days ago, in a 27-24 loss in Minnesota on Dec. 24, 2022.

*This was the fifth time the Giants allowed at least 33 points in the last two seasons – three times by the Eagles (one in the postseason) and twice vs. Dallas.

*Philadelphia totaled 465 yards; the third-highest total allowed by the Giants in the last two seasons. Dallas gained 640 yards on Nov. 12 and Miami totaled 524 yards on Oct. 8.

*The Eagles had twice as many first downs as the Giants (28-14). The 28 first downs tied Washington on Nov. 19 for the second-highest total by a Giants opponent in the last two seasons. Dallas had 32 first downs on Nov. 12.

*The Eagles took a 7-0 lead on Hurts’ one-yard tush push touchdown “run” just 1:33 into the game. It was the fastest a Giants opponent put points on the board since Jan. 2, 2022, when Chicago’s David Montgomery scored on a 2-yard run 18 seconds into the game.

*Philadelphia is the third Giants opponent to score a first-possession touchdown this season, joining Miami on Oct. 8 and Las Vegas on Nov. 5. All three instances were in Giants road games. Under Daboll, the Giants are 2-4 in regular-season games in which the opposing team scores a touchdown on its opening possession. They are 1-1 in the postseason.

*The touchdown was set up by Britain Covey’s 54-yard punt return, the longest against the Giants since Sept. 18, 2017, when Detroit’s Jamal Agnew scored a touchdown on an 88-yard return.

*The Eagles had an 18-play drive that ended with Jake Elliott’s 28-yard field goal seven seconds into the second quarter. It was the most plays in a scoring possession against the Giants since Nov. 22, 2021, when Tampa Bay’s 18-play series ended with a Ryan Succop field goal.

*The Giants trailed at halftime, 20-3, their third-largest deficit after two quarters this season. They were behind at Arizona, 20-0, and at Las Vegas, 24-0. The Giants rallied to defeat the Cardinals, 31-28.

*Kicker Mason Crosby made his Giants debut with a 52-yard field goal and two extra points.

Crosby joins Graham Gano, Randy Bullock and punter Jamie Gillan as Giants who have attempted a field goal this year. This is the first season in the common draft era (since 1967) in which the Giants had four different players attempt a field goal. The Giants had four different players try a field goal in 1965: Bob Timberlake (1-15), Andy Stynchula (3-7), Chuck Mercein (0-2) and Jerry Hildebrand (0-1). The four kickers were a combined 4-for-25.

*The field goal was the 396th of Crosby’s career. The first 395 were for the Green Bay Packers. He is 13th on the NFL’s career list, one behind Arizona’s Matt Prater and the retired Matt Bryant, who began his career with the Giants.

*Defensive tackle Timmy Horne made his Giants debut.

*Linebacker Tomon Fox made one special teams tackle in his season debut.

*Reserve tackle Matt Peart played for the first time since Oct. 8 in Miami. He had been on injured reserve with a shoulder injury.

*The Giants’ inactive players were defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches (knee), tight end Lawrence Cager (groin), wide receiver Parris Campbell, linebackers Boogie Basham and Benton Whitley, center Sean Harlow, and safety Gervarrius Owens.

Cager missed his fourth game of the season and Nunez-Roches his first.

 

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