The New York Giants could have hardly dreamed up a better "Thursday Night Football," performance, and for it to come against the reigning Super Bowl champions, and led by a pair of rookies, makes it all the better. Jaxson Dart played by far the best game of his career, Cam Skattebo scored three short-yardage touchdowns, and the Giants beat the Eagles, 34-17.
Dart finished 17 for 25 passing for 195 yards and a score and added 13 carries for 58 yards and a touchdown to earn his second win in three starts. Dart took three knees to close out the game in celebration. Skattebo had 110 yards from scrimmage, and Brian Burns had a pair of sacks to bring his season total to seven, tying Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto for the league lead. This was the first time the Giants scored five offensive touchdowns in a game against the Eagles since 2012.
"This city, this place is starving for wins, and we feel it," Dart told the broadcast postgame. "Me and Skatt talk about it all the time, just trying to stack these, and quite honestly we felt like we [let them down] last week, and this is a special one for sure."
After leading 20-17 at halftime, the Giants absolutely took control on both sides of the ball. Given the ball in plus territory, Dart and company cashed in on a 1-yard Skattebo touchdown -- his second of the night -- to take a 27-17 lead.
But the "knockout punch" proved to be knocked punches, delivered in quick succession. The Eagles moved into the red zone early in the fourth quarter, but Jalen Hurts threw late and inside on a Jahan Dotson out route, and "late and inside" is a deadly combination of those attempts. Cordale Flott picked it off and returned it 68 yards all the way to the Eagles' 23. Aided by a Kelee Ringo pass interference in the end zone, Skattebo punched it in from 1 yard away again to all but end it. AJ Dillon's fumble on the ensuing drive did, in fact, end any chances of a Philadelphia comeback.
It was a very different tale than the back-and-forth first half.
On their first drive, the Giants marched 75 yards on eight plays, the final of which was Dart's 20-yard touchdown run. Dart's athleticism was on display again on the very next drive, as he evaded multiple rushers before finding Wan'Dale Robinson for a 35-yard touchdown.
Then the Eagles responded. A big pass to A.J. Brown helped kickstart a drive that ended in a Jalen Hurts 3-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert, and the visitors took the lead on their very next possession, when they got down the field with chunk plays through the air but finished off the drive with four straight "Tush Pushes."
But Dart & Co. weren't done, going 67 yards in 15 plays, with Skattebo running in from 4 yards away to give New York the lead back, and they would hold onto it until the final whistle.
The Giants went 11 for 16 on third down, and Dart was absolutely outstanding in those situations. It started early with a 34-yard completion to Lil'Jordan Humphrey on third and 12, and about a minute later, he juked out All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun on his way to the end zone.
On a third and 3 in the third quarter, Dart avoided the rush and scrambled smartly for 4 yards and a first down. That drive ended in a touchdown. On the next possession, he delivered a dart, for lack of a better word, to Robinson over the middle for 15 yards on third and 2. A minute later, he delivered a 22-yard dime to Theo Johnson on a third and 12.
One of the best things a quarterback can do is excel under pressure, and excelling can take different forms. Sometimes it's bad play avoidance; Dart had three turnovers last week in a 26-14 loss to the Saints, and the Giants as a team had five. This week, they had zero -- and were actually +2 in that department -- and Dart was sacked just twice for a loss of 1 yard total.
But when it's positive playmaking under pressure, that is really special, and Dart showed that several times, including on this touchdown:
Dart is also only the third quarterback to have at least 50 rushing yards in each of his first three starts, joining Hurts and Lamar Jackson. His ability to improvise and extend plays -- and even make positive plays -- when under pressure was an element that was completely missing under Russell Wilson.
Dart is the most noticeable change for the Giants, especially when considering their recent history at the quarterback position. But the most shocking changes might be in the trenches. The Giants ran for 172 yards (98 from Skattebo, 58 from Dart) and limited the Eagles to just 73 yards on the ground. One season after Saquon Barkley had 176 rushing yards in his first game at MetLife Stadium as a visitor, he managed just 58, and 18 of those came on Philadelphia's first offensive play of the game.
Meanwhile, a normally stout Eagles pass rush was completely neutralized, and on the rare occasions it did get pressure, Dart was able to minimize its impact. Yes, Philadelphia was without Jalen Carter, but to see them be so quiet all night, even when they brought blitzers, was a surprise and a testament to the group up front for New York. And that leads us to ...
Philadelphia lost Quinyon Mitchell to a hamstring injury in the first half, and he did not return. The Eagles were already having issues finding an outside cornerback opposite Mitchell, and now they may have to find one opposite where he would normally be and one to replace him. Ringo and Adoree' Jackson got the lion's share of the reps after Mitchell left, but Ringo struggled with a pair of costly penalties.
The offensive line, which paved the way for Barkley with such mauling power last year, is nowhere near that level. The Eagles really miss the injured Landon Dickerson at left guard; he has had multiple ailments over the past few months, and Brett Toth, who did not play a single snap last year, has not been up to par. Right guard Tyler Steen, taking over for Mekhi Becton, has been a step down, too.
Barkley is averaging 3.4 yards per carry and 1.0 yards per carry before contact this year. Last year, those numbers were 5.8 and 2.6, respectively. Everything just feels disjointed.
The defense lost several players over the offseason, too, and the lack of depth really showed -- without Carter, before Mitchell departed, and especially so after. Last year, the Eagles had the third-highest pressure rate when they didn't blitz. This year, they are 22nd in that category.
The Eagles' chances looked very slim down 34-17, and now they have all but disappeared after A.J. Dillon fumbles fighting for a first down. After 17 first-half points, Philadelphia hasn't scored in the second half, and there are big questions to address.
This might be the nail in the coffin. Right after Kelee Ringo committed pass interference on Jalin Hyatt in the end zone, Skattebo pounds it in from the 1-yard line, his third score of the game.
This is the first time the Giants' offense has scored five touchdowns in a game against the Eagles since 2012.
The Eagles moved into the red zone, where they are usually so good, but not this time: Cordale Flott stepped in front of a Jahan Dotson out route, and Jalen Hurts made a late, inside throw. And when you throw late and inside on an out route, this tends to happen:
That was Hurts' first interception in his last 305 attempts, which had been the longest active streak in the NFL.
Giants fans can take a sigh of relief.
How's this for history? The Giants have scored four offensive touchdowns in a game against the Eagles for the first time since ... 2017! They had gone 14 straight games with fewer than four touchdowns since then, but Jaxson Dart has been terrific, the running game and pass protection have been solid, and New York is 15 minutes away from a really impressive win.
Dart just went down awkwardly on a sack, getting crunched between Azeez Ojulari and Patrick Johnson. Johnson, who got credited with the sack, hit Dart initially, and on his way down, Dart's head/neck collided with Ojulari.
Russell Wilson is the Giants' backup and is now in the game. He started the first three games of the season. Dart is in the blue medical tent.
The Giants' physical run game is starting to wear on the Eagles, and Cam Skattebo just battered his way in from 1 yard away to give the Giants a 27-17 lead. Seven of New York's nine plays on the drive were runs.
Skattebo is up to 51 rushing yards, and New York as a team is up to 105 on the ground.
The Eagles forced a three and out to start and had a huge chance to take the lead back. DeVonta Smith got wide open deep down the field, but Jalen Hurts missed him.
The deep ball has long been a strength of Hurts' game, but that hasn't been the case this year, and it showed up in a huge way right there.
The Giants aren't going anywhere. New York just ground out a 15-play, 67-yard drive capped by Cam Skattebo's 4-yard touchdown burst up the middle.
Dart converted three third downs -- two with his arm, one with his legs -- on what was a really impressive drive. The kid can play, and he has worked himself out of some muddy pockets with aplomb.
The Eagles have had major issues finding an effective cornerback to play outside opposite Quinyon Mitchell. Now, they might be down Mitchell, too. The standout 2024 first-rounder is questionable to return with a hamstring injury, per the broadcast.
Kelee Ringo and Adoree' Jackson would see more action with Mitchell off, or maybe the Eagles can slide Cooper DeJean outside. Either way, this is bad news for Philadelphia.
There's no stopping the "Tush Push," and the Eagles just did it four times in a row to take a 17-13 lead.
On third and 1 from the Giants' 4-yard line, Jalen Hurts got stopped, but then he converted on fourth and inches. It took two more Tush Pushes from there, but eventually he broke the plane.
Hurts is dealing through the air, too: 12 for 14 for 146 yards. A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert are forming a three-headed monster, so even though New York is slowing Saquon Barkley, it's not having much luck elsewhere.
Dallas Goedert already has five catches in the first quarter, the most recent of which is this wild catch and run from 3 yards out.
The Eagles used tempo to their advantage there, getting to the line quickly; on one successful Barkley run, the Giants' defense wasn't even set when the ball was snapped. That'll be something to watch going forward.
What a start for the Giants! Dart avoids pressure a couple of times and finds Robinson, who breaks a tackle and gets into the end zone. The Giants missed the extra point and lead 13-3.
New York is winning the lines of scrimmage here early. Dart has faced minimal pressure, with the exception of the touchdown throw, which led to completions of 35 and 26 yards to Robinson on that drive alone. Meanwhile, Brian Burns ended the Eagles' last drive with a third-down sack.
Philadelphia's defense, on the other hand, is a mess. Bad tackling, bad angles, bad coverage ... it's all there.
Jaxson Dart has shown he can really run, and he just put it on display, juking out Zack Baun on his way to a 19-yard touchdown run. What a highlight from the rookie quarterback:
The Giants are going to need big efforts from some reserve wide receivers tonight, and Lil'Jordan Humphrey was the first one to step up, hauling in a 34-yard on third and 12 to keep the drive alive.
After a pair of big Barkley runs, he came off the field and the Giants' defense stiffened. Jake Elliott banged through a 42-yard field goal, and Philly leads 3-0 early. Positive start for the visitors, but New York's rush defense responded quickly.
Remember when we said Barkley's longest run this season was 17 yards? He went for 18 on the very first offensive play of the game and then 13 more on the second play. Great start for Philadelphia.
The Eagles start with the ball at their own 40 after the kickoff did not make it to the landing zone.
Barkley finally delivered his first big, explosive play last week -- a 47-yard touchdown catch -- but his longest carry this season is still just 17 yards. Last year, he had 17 rushes of 20+ yards, second only to Derrick Henry.
But Barkley is facing his former team in his former home. The first time he did that, he ran for 176 yards and a touchdown. Are we in for a repeat tonight?
The Eagles offense seems stuck in neutral, but it has some potential opportunities to get on track against a Giants defense that has a talented pass rush but has been susceptible to the run game and big plays in the passing game. Here's Jared Dubin's preview:
Carter's absence could impact Philadelphia's defense especially in the run game. The Eagles are allowing 4.5 yards per carry with Carter on the field compared to 5.2 yards per carry when he's not on the field.
Keep in mind this defensive front is not nearly as deep as it was last year. The Eagles lost Milton Williams to the Patriots and Josh Sweat to the Cardinals this offseason. With Carter out, Jordan Davis, Ty Robinson, Moro Ojomo, Za'Darius Smith and Byron Young will likely see more reps. Smith had a sack last week, his first full sack with Philadelphia.
After popping up on the injury report Wednesday with a heel issue, Jalen Carter is officially inactive for the Eagles against the Giants. That's a big relief for Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattebo and the rest of the Giants offense, which is already down its top two wide receivers in Malik Nabers (ACL - done for season) and Darius Slayton (hamstring - previously ruled out).
The Giants also got good news in the form of Jermaine Eluemunor, who was listed as questionable due to a back injury, being active for tonight's contest.
Here's the full list of inactives:
