Eagles secure 1st-round playoff bye with win over Giants
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) Nick Foles threw four touchdown passes in his first start replacing the injured Carson Wentz, and the Philadelphia Eagles secured a first-round playoff bye, rallying from an early 14-point deficit to defeat the surprising New York Giants 34-29 on Sunday.
Foles hit 24 of 38 passes for 237 yards and no interceptions. The Eagles (12-2) made a late stand on first-and-goal in the final minute in edging the Giants (2-12) for the second time this season, spoiling a three-touchdown, season-high 434-yard passing game by Eli Manning.
Foles hit Alshon Jeffery, Zach Ertz, Trey Burton and Nelson Agholor on scoring passes ranging from 3 to 13 yards in filling in for Wentz, who tore an ACL last week and was lost for the season after a brilliant year.
The Eagles also got two field goals from Jake Elliott and three blocked kicks from their special teams, foiling an extra point, a punt and field goal. The block on the punt set up a touchdown.
Manning finished 37 of 57 and hit Tavarres King on two touchdowns and Sterling Shepard on one. Orleans Darkwa scored on a short run and Aldrick Rosas kicked a 28-yard field goal.
Manning drove the Giants from their 25 with 3:56 to play to the Eagles 9 with about a minute to go. A 2-yard loss on a pass to Shepard, an incompletion in the end zone and 5-yard run by Shane Vereen got New York to the Philadelphia 6 with 48 seconds to play. Right tackle Bobby Hart had a procedure penalty on fourth down, putting the ball at the 11.
Manning then threw a pass to Evan Engram at the back of the end zone that was high and incomplete.
It was Manning's ninth career 400-yard game and his first since last season.
The Giants scored touchdowns on their first three possessions to take a 20-7 lead.
Darkwa capped the opening drive with 1-yard run and Manning hit King on a 13-yard TD pass on the second. He found Shepard on a 67-yard catch and run on the third.
Mistakes by Manning and special teams got the Eagles back in the game in a less than three-minute span in the second quarter.
A 37-yard interception return by Ronald Darby to the Giants 18 set up Foles' second touchdown pass, a 10-yarder to Ertz, cutting New York's lead to 20-14. Kamu Grugier-Hill blocked Brad Wing's punt on the Giants' next series. Foles found a wide-open Trey Burton on a 13-yard pass to give the Eagles a 21-20 lead. He added a 10-yard to Agholor in the third quarter.
Rosas had a go-ahead 28-yard field goal with 20 seconds left in the half for a 23-21 lead.
UP NEXT
Eagles: host Oakland on Dec. 25.
Giants: at Arizona on Sunday.
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