Eagles finish 3-game skid, hold NFC East title hopes alive with win over Giants

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PHILADELPHIA — Sure, after all, Jalen Hurts and coach Nick Sirianni heard the booming chants that echoed all through the Linc from Eagles followers fed up with the pass-heavy offence that stalled within the second half.

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“Run the ball! Run the ball!”

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“I feel I’d hear that too even when I had a double headset on,” Sirianni cracked.

No, after all, Hurts, Sirianni and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson weren’t going to give up to the whims of fickle followers and their play-calling proposal from manner up within the low cost seats.

So they are saying.

The Eagles finally listened, and followers went wild when Kenneth Gainwell ripped off a 22-yard run and D’Andre Swift scored on a 5-yard run — sure, a speeding rating that saved their probability of an NFC East title alive.

Hurts scored on the “tush push” that gave him the NFL document for many speeding touchdowns by a quarterback in a season and he threw for 301 yards and a landing to steer the Philadelphia Eagles previous the New York Giants 33-25 on Monday night time.

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They even saved the followers completely happy — even when the Eagles weren’t too happy with the house crowd.

“They’re purported to get loud for the defence,” Hurts stated.

The Eagles (11-4) snapped a three-game dropping streak that put Philly followers on edge — and led to a shakeup in defensive play calling. The losses to San Francisco, Dallas and Seattle primarily ended Philadelphia’s bid for the No. 1 seed within the NFC.

However the path to a second straight division title is evident. The Eagles must beat Arizona subsequent week and defeat the Giants once more within the season finale to complete atop the NFC East.

After three crushing defeats, it took a go to from the Giants to straighten out the Eagles. The Eagles are 11-0 on the Linc in opposition to New York since 2014 and beat the Giants thrice final season.

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Adoree’ Jackson gave the Giants (5-10) a late spark when he returned an interception 76 yards for a rating and Saquon Barkley transformed a 2-point conversion that made it 20-18 late within the third quarter.

Hurts and the Eagles held on due to the play calls of the followers, many dressed as Santa Claus.

It was nonetheless a largely sloppy effort, the sort that price the Eagles of late in opposition to the extra elite groups within the NFL.

“I’d like to say we’re shut,” Hurts stated. “I feel it’s trending in the best route.”

Swift’s TD made it 27-18 and it got here in useful when New York’s Tyrod Taylor — who changed Tommy DeVito to open the second half _ related with Darius Slayton for a 69-yard rating late within the fourth that made it 30-25.

With the Giants driving and on the Eagles 26, Taylor was picked off in the long run zone by Kelee Ringo on the ultimate play of the sport.

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“On these last-second performs, you might be simply attempting to get a man to get him one-on-one and an opportunity to make a play,” Taylor stated. “Their guys have been type of limiting our guys bodily with out saying an excessive amount of, from making these performs.”

Hurts finally took care of enterprise in a season the place he did not deal with the ball — his 18 turnovers are among the many worst within the NFL.

Hurts had one other misstep late within the first half when he ran for a number of extra yards moderately than exit of bounds because the clock ticked down. As a substitute of getting time for yet one more probability on the finish zone, Jake Elliott kicked a 21-yarder as time expired for a 20-3 halftime lead.

The Eagles had not scored greater than 19 factors in any of their previous three video games. And it was their highest first-half level whole of the season.

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Hurts scored his fifteenth speeding TD of the season on a 1-yard “tush push” early within the first quarter that gave him probably the most for a QB in a season in NFL historical past. Carolina’s Cam Newton held the document at 14 in 2011.

Hurts threw a 36-yard TD go to DeVonta Smith for a 17-3 lead that gave him 35 whole touchdowns this season, tying the crew’s season document. QB Randall Cunningham accounted for 35 in 1990 and Hurts matched him final season.

The Eagles obtained an early signal that their fortunes have been altering on the finish of a depressing month. Hurts had a disastrous snap sail over his head that pressured him to dash about 6 yards and chase the soccer. Hurts recovered, ran to his left and threw throughout his physique to hit tight finish Grant Calcaterra for a primary down. The Eagles had an obvious landing reversed on replay later within the drive, however settled for Elliott’s 28-yarder and a 10-3 lead.

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The Eagles had one other turnover — the sort that price them again and again of their dropping streak — when Boston Scott fumbled the second-half kickoff. With robust area place, Barkley scored on a 7-yard run that minimize it to 20-10.

Turnovers, picks, flags, one other untidy effort confirmed that — even with a win — the Eagles nonetheless don’t play like a crew primed to make a second straight run on the Tremendous Bowl.

However Hurts stated it was time to regulate the expectations.

“When you’ve the kind of guys we now have on our crew, all people goes to be wanting to develop, all people goes to be longing for extra,” he stated. “However when did profitable not grow to be the primary factor?”

UP NEXT

The Giants host the Rams on Sunday.

The Eagles host Arizona on Sunday.

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