EAGLES-GIANTS WRAP-UP

Sizing up the big eagles 25-22 win over New York..

- The Eagles own the Giants. They have now won 5 in a row over New York, 17 of the last 21 games, and have tied the overall series at 86-86.

- Did the Giants tank in the 2nd half to get a higher draft pick? After torching the Birds early, why didn't Barkley get the ball more often in the 2nd half?  Beckham Jr. became invisible as well. Yes, the Eagles' defense stepped up and gave some sacks on Eli manning, or at least made him move out of the pocket. but why did New York Coach Pat Schurmer change his game-plan when it was working?

- Penalties had a big part of yesterday's game. A holding penalty on Jason Kelsey cost the Eagles a 52-yard touchdown run by Josh Adams, who is looking more like a future feature back. Lack of a penalty call also cost the G-men late, when it looked like Beckham Jr. was held at the goal line during a late Giant drive.

Turnovers were also key, and unlike most of the season, the Eagles came out on top. Malcolm Jenkins' key interception late kept the Giants from  trying a field goal.

- The Giants are a really bad team. They should've blown Philly out in the first half. They were up 19-3 at one point. If it wasn't for New York shooting itself in the foot time and time again, the G-men looked like they could move the ball a twill against a young and porous Eagle D.

New York drops to 3-8. They do need a young quarterback, but the Giants need so much more. Contending is still years away for Big Blue.

- It became clear that the Eagles need a speedy receiver, a LeSean Jackson-type who can take the top off the defense. Teams like the Giants are keeping eight men in the box and daring Philadelphia to throw bombs. Going deep would open up the running game and opening the middle for Ertz and the slot receivers.

- When Coach Doug Pederson went to the no-huddle offense it seemed to jump-start the team. Going no-huddle should be done more often, in my opinion, if only to give defenses a different look.

- Even though the giants were at the one-yard line, why did New York go for two points after their initial touchdown? It seemed to kill their momentum.

- Kudos to Jake Elliot for making the last-second game -winning field goal. If he had missed it we would've been talking about Elliot even more. He quietly booted the field goal right down the middle, giving the birds a must-win. He slayed the Giants again, after stunning them last season on a last-second 61-yarder.

- Since it wasn't a big game Fox had it's lower-tier announcers doing the game. Chris Spielman, former linebacker, mediocre broadcaster, kept saying the Eagles were 4-7, when in reality their record was 4-6. Simple but important facts.

So, what does it all mean? The Eagles go 5-6, a game behind Dallas and Washington in NFC East. Dallas plays red-hot New Orleans on Thursday Night Football, while Philly hosts the Redskins next Monday Night. A victory over the Skins would make the birds 6-6, tied with their two division rivals. A trip to Dallas awaits the week after, then a stop in Los Angeles to play the Rams.

Maybe the Eagles will not win the division and won't make the playoffs. If they do get in they get a home game but probably won't go far.Give the Birds credit for not giving up. They should have more pride, as defending Super bowl champs, then to surrender their crown without a fight. Once in, anything can happen.