EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. − The celebrations were muted because the Eagles have much bigger goals than clinching a playoff spot, which they did by beating the New York Giants 48-22 on Sunday.
“Oh, we did? Sweet!” Eagles punt returned Britain Covey said when asked about making the playoffs.
Added Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni: “Actually they said that to me in (the locker room). I’m like, ‘Oh that’s nice.'”
Then Sirianni explained there are much bigger goals ahead. 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.
And as wide receiver A.J. Brown put it: “Of course you want to get in the playoffs, but we’re not really thinking about the playoffs right now. But we are trying to makes sure our car is all gassed up before we get to the playoffs.”
Not only is the Eagles’ tank full after dismantling the Giants, but the engine is purring and they’re going full throttle on all three of their cylinders − offense, defense and special teams.
Miles Sanders rushed for 144 yards (his second career high in three games) and 2 touchdowns, Brown had 70 yard receiving, including a 33-yard TD, and DeVonta Smith added a 41-yard TD on a 4th-and-7 dime from Jalen Hurts on the second drive of the game. That gave the Eagles a 14-0 lead, and Hurts called it “a pivotal moment in the game.”
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 both a running back and wide receiver reach that milestone since 2014.
But just like the reaction to making the playoffs, there wasn’t an overjoyed reaction from either Sanders or Brown.
“It’s a pretty big deal,” Sanders said. “It’s a good thing for the team, for the organization. It’s a key to us winning all these games. As long as everybody keeps doing their job, I don’t think anybody can beat us.”
That’s because the defense held Saquon Barkley to 28 yards on 9 carries. The Eagles also sacked Giants quarterbacks 7 times, led by Brandon Graham with 3, including a strip-sack in the fourth quarter.
On special teams, the Eagles overcame the loss of punter Arryn Siposs to an ankle injury after his punt was blocked. They used kicker Jake Elliott to punt and wide receiver Britain Covey to hold on field goal attempts. Both went off without a hitch.
And of course, there was Hurts.
He completed 21 of 31 passes for 217 yards and 2 TDs. He also rushed for 77 yards on 7 carries, including a 10-yard touchdown run on a quarterback draw, where he ran up the middle untouched into the end zone.
“I don’t want to get into anything more than what it is,” Hurts said. “I think the most simple thing that we’ve been trying to do is just trying to grow. Try to go out here and execute. It’s good that we’ve prepared in a way that we’ve been able to execute at a high level. We just want to continue to do that.”
But you’d be hard-pressed to find a better play than his touchdown pass to Smith on 4th-and-7.
Hurts checked to Smith before the snap, saying that he saw something “advantageous.”
Then he stood in the pocket, absorbed the Giants’ blitz and threw the ball just as he was getting hit.
“I didn’t see it. I was on the ground, to be honest,” Hurts said. “I’m happy that it went our way. But I know the safety was rushing over there. He was headed that way really fast, with some urgency.”
That safety, Julian Love, appeared to go for the interception rather than knock the ball down. He missed and Smith caught it, and continued into the end zone.
Soon after, the Eagles led 21-0 as Hurts and Brown hooked up from 33 yards, coming on the first play after Giants punter Jamie Gillan was called for an illegal kick.
The last bit of suspense ended just after the Giants pulled to within 27-14 with 5:40 left in the third quarter.
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. So Gardner Minshew led the brief scoring drive, which was capped by Boston Scott’s 3-yard TD run with 3:09 left.
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That was more than enough for the Eagles.
“Right now, we’re worrying about being 13-1 next week,” cornerback Darius Slay said. “We can’t think too far ahead. Once you get thinking too far ahead, the (stuff) can get sour. We’re going to make sure everybody is worried about what we can control right now, and that’s enjoying these couple days off and getting ready for Chicago.”
2 milestones in 2 plays
Brown and Sanders came into the game needing 50 and 76 yards, respectively, for 1,000 yards for the season. They got there on successive plays in the third quarter.
On 2nd-and-10 from the Giants 47, Hurts hit Brown for 9 yards, giving him 1,001 for the season. It’s his third time over 1,000 yards in his four NFL seasons. On the next play, Sanders gained 15 yards, giving him 1,012.
For Sanders, it’s his first time over 1,000 yards in his four seasons. His previous best was 867 yards in 2020. Sanders is at 1,068 yards. Brown is at 1,020. His career high is 1,075 in 2020 when he was with the Tennessee Titans.
The Eagles’ last wide receiver to reach 1,000 yards was Jeremy Maclin in 2014 when he had 1,318 yards. Tight end Zach Ertz had 1,163 yards in 2018. The Eagles’ last 1,000-yard rusher was LeSean McCoy, who had 1,319 yards in 2014.
Who’s the punter?
The punting units had memorable moments.
Midway through the second quarter, the Giants were punting from their 43. But Jamie Gillan was called for an illegal kick. Gillan dropped the ball as he was kicking, which would have made it a fumble. But instead of recovering the ball, he kicked it on the bounce. Gillan was called for a 10-yard penalty the Eagles took over at the Giants’ 33.
Then it was the Eagles’ turn as Siposs was punting out of his end zone. The Giants’ Elerson Smith blocked it. Siposs picked up the deflection and started running. He was pushed out of bounds at the 15, where the Giants took over. Siposs hurt his ankle on the play and was helped off the field. He didn’t return.
Elliott’s only punt went for 35 yards.
Big chance for Brightwell
The Giants determined before the game that star running back Saquon Barkley would play through his neck injury. But it became clear early on that Barkley wasn’t going to get his usual workload, and that benefited Gary Brightwell, who starred at St. Georges in Delaware.
Brightwell was already the Giants’ kick returner. But he was also the running back on the Giants’ second series. His first carry went for 14 yards and his next went for 3. He finished with 5 carries for 23 yards. Brightwell came into the game with 9 carries for 50 yards.
Brightwell is one of two Delaware high school players on the Giants. The other, wide receiver David Sills from Red Lion Christian, was not on the game-day roster.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
