Instant Observations: Eagles-Giants
Here are some instant observations from the Eagles 19-17 win over the Giants Sunday night:
OFFENSE
* Michael Vick ended 19-of-30 for 241 yards and a touchdown. He was responsible for nine turnovers coming in, but didn’t cough up the ball once Sunday. He led the Eagles downfield late in the fourth quarter in a drive that ended in a 26-yard Alex Henery field goal to make it 19-17.
* Eagles running backs were held to one yard on eight carries in the first half. LeSean McCoy broke free early in the third quarter for a 34-yard run, though, and followed that up with a 22-yarder on the very next play to get them down to the one-yard line. But McCoy was then denied three straight times by the Giants, and the Eagles were forced to settle for the field goal.
Still, the Eagles finished with 35 rushes for 192 yards on the day.
* The Eagles finally ended the scoreless stalemate late in the first half when Vick hit DeSean Jackson in the corner of the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown. Jackson had six catches for 99 yards and a touchdown.
* Danny Watkins got beat up the gut on the Eagles’ second possession deep in their own territory. Vick was forced to throw it away, and came close to being whistled for intentional grounding in the end zone, which would have resulted in a safety.
* The Giants generally throw a bunch of DB blitzes at Vick and Sunday was no exception. Safety Will Hill shook loose on a couple occasions to put a lick on No. 7. Vick came up gimpy on one occasion but recovered quickly.
DEFENSE
* Nnamdi Asomugha missed a good portion of the game with an eye injury. He looked to be the main defender on Domenik Hixon on a big reception down the right side on the Giants’ go-ahead scoring drive midway through the fourth. Moments later, Eli Manning found Bear Pascoe for a six-yard touchdown over the middle.
Manning marched on the defense in the closing seconds. They were flagged for two pass interference infractions. Ramses Barden gave it right back with an offensive pass interference, setting up a 54-yard Lawrence Tynes field goal attempt. No good. Twice.
* Brandon Boykin squared off with Victor Cruz quite a bit. The rookie had his hands full. Cruz beat him for a 14-yard touchdown in the third quarter to tie the game at 10-10. Cruz finished with nine catches for 109 yards and a score.
* Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was on Cruz for the key 4th-and-1 play at the end of the third quarter. Manning found a wide-open Cruz over the middle for a 30-yard catch-and run that brought the Giants deep into Eagles territory. DRC quickly made amends, coming up with a pick in the end zone.
* Nate Allen appeared to have a nice day in pass coverage. He nearly came up with an interception on a deep pass intended for Hixon late in the first quarter and was generally in good position.
* Fletcher Cox continues to be a disruptive presence in the middle for the Eagles, generating multiple pressures in the game.
* DeMeco Ryans came free on a blitz midway through second quarter on a key third down, forcing Manning to throw it away.
SPECIAL TEAMS
* Bobby April’s unit again had its share of struggles. Kick returner David Wilson averaged 39 yards per return over his first four kicks, giving the Giants quality field position for much of the game.
* Jon Dorenbos played through a high ankle sprain and had a special teams tackle.
DAWKINS
Brian Dawkins came out of the smoke one more time. After the offense was introduced, a video montage of No. 20 started up on the big screen. The crowd humming, Dawkins came out of the tunnel on all fours and did his patented crawl before sprinting through the sea of Eagles players. Chants of “Brian Dawkins!” rang out.
A laser light show was broken out for the halftime ceremony. Dawkins worked the crowd into a frenzy with his heartfelt words of appreciation, and finished things off by joining in the Eagles fight song one last time. The Eagles really pulled out all the stops, as they should have.