As Golden Tate said in the postgame locker room, the Giants did some really, really good things in Philadelphia … and then just stopped all of a sudden.
The abrupt ending came after a roller-coaster loss in overtime, the Giants' ninth in a row. Each had its own story, and Monday night's was the proverbial tale of two halves. The Giants led 17-3 at halftime only to surrender 20 consecutive points, including the game-winner by the Eagles in overtime. The Giants dropped to 2-11 on the season while the Eagles improved to 6-7 as they keep their postseason hopes alive for another week.
Here are the turning points from Monday Night Football:
PLAY 1 (4th and 1 from Phi 43, 7:51 1st qtr): Carson Wentz rush up the middle for no gain to the Phi 43. Tackled by Dalvin Tomlinson. FUMBLE, recovered by NYG (David Mayo).
The Giants defense set the tone early. Thanks to a third-down sack by Markus Golden, the Giants forced the Eagles to punt on the opening possession of the game. On their second drive, head coach Doug Pederson, as he is known to do, kept his offense on the field for fourth down in Eagles territory. Carson Wentz and his 6-foot-5, 237-pound frame went in for a quarterback sneak but was met by a wall of defenders, including defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson, who knocked the ball away. Linebacker David Mayo recovered the fumble en route to an impressive first half that included just three points allowed by the Giants.
PLAY 2 (3rd and 8 from NYG 45, 0:35 2nd qtr): Eli Manning pass to the left to Darius Slayton for 55 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
After a scoreless first quarter, Eli Manning, who started for the first time since Week 2 in place of the injured Daniel Jones, hooked up with rookie wide receiver Darius Slayton for a 35-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. They weren't done there. Manning and Slayton hooked up five times for 154 yards in the first half, including another score – this time from 55 yards – with 35 seconds remaining. And just like that, Manning and the Giants took a 17-3 lead into the locker room at Lincoln Financial Field, where they have not won since 2013.
PLAY 3 (4th and 1 from Phi 29, 4:54 4th qtr): Carson Wentz rush up the middle for 2 yards to the Phi31. Tackled by Julian Love.
Unlike the first half, the defense couldn't come up with the stops down the stretch. Philadelphia had cut it to a 17-10 deficit late in the third quarter and then drove down to tie it with 1:53 remaining in the fourth. The 14-play, 85-yard drive, which ended with a two-yard touchdown pass from Wentz to tight end Zach Ertz, was kept alive by a fourth-down conversion well inside Eagles territory. Wentz then hit JJ Arcega-Whiteside for 22 yards and Dallas Goedert for another 28 on back-to-back plays to bring the Eagles down into the red zone.
PLAY 4 (2nd and 2 from NYG 2, 5:13 OT): Carson Wentz pass to the middle to Zach Ertz for 2 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
The Eagles won the coin toss to start overtime and chose to receive. Needing a touchdown to win it, Philadelphia carried over its momentum and opened with an 11-yard screen pass to Miles Sanders, a 25-yard run by Boston Scott, and a 13-yard completion to Joshua Perkins. In all, the Eagles marched down 75 yards on eight plays to win the game on Ertz's second touchdown.
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