GIANTS NOTEBOOK: BIG BLUE PHILLY WOES CONTINUE
Michael Eisen
PHILADELPHIA – Notes and statistics from the Giants’ 27-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles:
*The Giants’ three-game winning streak ended and they fell to 3-3. They are tied atop the NFC East with Philadelphia and host Dallas on Sunday.
*This is the second year in a row a 3-2 Giants team that had won three games in a row lost to the Eagles in Lincoln Financial Field. Last season, the score was 27-0.
*The Giants are just 3-12 in their last 15 regular-season games vs. Philadelphia.
*The Giants have lost four consecutive NFC East road games.
*The Giants, who fell in Dallas on Kickoff Weekend, have lost their first two division road games since 1998.
*The Giants trailed after two quarters, 17-7, their first halftime deficit of the season.
*The Giants finished with 247 yards, their lowest total since they gained 197 yards in the 2014 season opener at Detroit.
*The Giants rushed for 81 yards, their lowest total since they ran for 86 yards in the 2014 season finale, also against the Eagles. They have not rushed for at least 100 yards in any game this season.
*The Giants’ 166 passing yards was their lowest total through the air since they had 144 against the Lions in that opener on Sept. 8, 2013.
*The Giants had a season-high four takeaways (including three interceptions). It was the first time they accomplished each of those feats since they had six takeaways, including four picks, at Washington on Sept. 25, 2014.
But the Giants also had a season-high three turnovers, two Eli Manning interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and a lost fumble. It was their first three-turnover game since Nov. 30, 2014 at Jacksonville (three lost fumbles, two recovered for touchdowns.).
*The Giants committed 12 penalties, their highest total since they had 12 last Dec. 21 in a victory in St. Louis.
*The Giants scored a touchdown on their first offensive series when Eli Manning threw a 13-
yard scoring pass to Odell Beckham Jr. It was their first opening-possession touchdown since their previous game against the Eagles, on Dec. 28, 2014. Under Tom Coughlin, the Giants are 22-15 in regular season games in which they score a touchdown on their first possession.
*Manning completed 24 of 38 passes for 189 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. The 189 yards was his lowest total since he threw for 151 yards in the Giants’ previous visit to Philadelphia, on Oct. 12, 2014.
*Manning completed his first 10 passes, tying his career-long streak to start a regular-season game. He completed 10 consecutive passes to open the game at San Francisco on Nov. 13, 2011. Manning completed his first eight passes vs. Washington on Sept. 25.
*Manning was sacked four times in the first five games. He was sacked three times by the Eagles, and was twice penalized for intentional grounding.
*Rashad Jennings led the Giants with 63 rushing yards on 13 carries, but he lost a fumble.
*Beckham had a game-high seven receptions for 61 yards and the touchdown, all in the first half. In the second half, Beckham was targeted just once, as the Eagles double-teamed him most of the time.
*Josh Brown did not attempt a field goal, ending his streak of games with at least one three-pointer at 10 in a row. The last game in which Brown did not kick a field goal had been Nov. 23, 2014 vs. Dallas.
*Jayron Hosley, who started his second game of the season and first at right cornerback, intercepted a Sam Bradford pass and returned it 17 yards in the second quarter. It was Hosley’s second career interception and first since his rookie season, Sept. 20, 2012, at Carolina. Hosley started for Prince Amukamara, who is sidelined with a partially torn pectoral muscle.
*Safety Brandon Meriweather intercepted a long Bradford pass with 4:55 remaining in the third quarter. It was Meriweather’s 16th career interception, and his first since Dec. 1, 2013, when he picked off a Manning pass while playing for Washington against the Giants.
*Meriweather suffered a knee sprain with 46 seconds remaining in the second quarter and was replaced by Cooper Taylor. Meriweather returned at the start of the second half.
*Rookie Landon Collins, the team’s other starting safety, came up with his first career interception when he picked off Bradford in the end zone with six seconds remaining in the third quarter.
*Linebacker Uani ‘Unga led the Giants with seven tackles (six solo).
*Damontre Moore had the Giants’ only sack, a 10-yard takedown of Bradford. Moore also recovered a fumble – and had a costly roughing the passer penalty.
*George Selvie started at right defensive end after missing one game with a calf injury, and had three tackles (two solo).
*Mark Herzlich started his second straight game at strong-side linebacker in place of Devon Kennard (hamstring injury), but was not credited with a tackle.
*Craig Dahl saw his most extensive action of the season as the nickel and dime back and finished with six tackles (four solo), plus a team-high two special teams tackles.
*Tight end Will Tye and cornerback Trevin Wade each made his first career start. Tye, the rookie from Stony Brook playing his third game, started because the Giants opened the game in a two-tight end alignment. He had two catches, both on the Giants’ opening scoring drive, for 22 yards. Wade opened the game at nickel corner in his 21st career game, and sixth in this first season with the Giants, and had six tackles (four solo).
*Cornerback Brandon McGee, signed to the practice squad last week and the active roster on Sunday, made his Giants debut on special teams
*Cornerback Nolan Carroll scored Philadelphia’s second touchdown when he intercepted a Manning pass intended for Dwayne Harris and returned it 17 yards for a score with 12:26 remaining in the second quarter. It was the first defensive touchdown by a Giants opponent since Dec. 7, 2012, when Tennessee’s Marqueston Huff picked off a Manning pass and returned it 23 yards for a score.
*Philadelphia’s DeMarco Murray rushed for 109 yards – 97 in the second half – to become the first opposing player to run for more than 100 yards against the Giants since … DeMarco Murray, who rushed for 121 yards when he played for Dallas on Nov. 23, 2014. The Giants are 16-31 under Tom Coughlin when opposing backs runs for at least 100 yards.
*Unusual penalty of the night: Brown was flagged for a false start on the Giants’ first extra point. That necessitated Brown trying a 38-yard point after touchdown, which was good.
*For the fifth time in six games, defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins joined the season-long captains at midfield for the coin toss.
*The Giants’ inactive players were cornerbacks Prince Amukamara (pec) and Trumaine McBride (groin), wide receiver Victor Cruz (calf), linebacker Devon Kennard (hamstring, groin, defensive end Robert Ayers (hamstring), defensive tackle Louis Nix and offensive lineman Bobby Hart.
Amukamara was hurt last week vs. San Francisco, Cruz has not played this season, Ayers sat out for the fourth consecutive week, Kennard missed his second straight game, and McBride his first of the season.
*Linebacker Jonathan Casillas left late in the game with a neck injury.
*The Giants fell to 6-7 in regular-season games in Lincoln Financial Field.
*The Giants’ edge in the all-time series with the Eagle is 82-77-2.
*The Giants fell to 23-36-1 on Monday Night Football, including 15-27-1 on the road, 1-7 vs. the Eagles, and 1-6 in Philadelphia. They have one Monday night game remaining this season, Dec. 14 at Miami.