Left out of notebook was the play of guard Brett Jones who came into the game early in the second quarter for Justin Pugh who sprained his knee. Jones more than held down the fort.. Big Blue’s rushing attack struggled but Eli Manning threw four TD passes and was sacked just once. Photo by TJ Engler / contrastphotography.com

By Michael Eisen
November 6, 2016

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Notes and statistics from the Giants’ 28-23 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles:

*The Giants won their third consecutive game and improved to 5-3. They broke a tie with the Eagles and are alone in second place in the NFC East, two games behind Dallas.

*The Giants’ five victories have been by a combined 20 points.

*The Giants broke a 4-game losing streak to the Eagles, and improved to 2-5 in MetLife Stadium vs. Philadelphia.

*The Giants improved to 2-1 in NFC East games, including 1-1 at home.

*The Giants are 3-1 at home, where they finished 3-5 in each of the previous two seasons.

*The Giants broke a two-game losing streak in post-bye games and improved to 11-17 in games following a regular-season bye.

*The Giants scored 14 points in the first quarter. They had scored a combined 14 first-quarter points in their first seven games – all against Washington on Sept. 25.

*The Giants rushed for 58 yards, their highest total in four games, but the sixth time in eight games they finished with less than 100 yards on the ground.

*Philadelphia gained 443 yards, the second-highest total allowed by the Giants this season; Washington totaled 457 yards in its victory here on Sept. 25.

*The Giants scored their first touchdown 2:33 into the game on a 20-yard pass from Eli Manning to Odell Beckham, Jr. It was their earliest touchdown since Nov. 25, 2012, when Andre Brown scored on a 2-yard run after just 2:22 had elapsed in what became a 38-10 rout of the Green Bay Packers.

*After a takeaway, the Giants quickly scored again on Manning’s 30-yard pass to Roger Lewis, Jr. That gave them two touchdowns in the first 5:17 of the game. They had not scored two touchdowns so quickly in a regular-season game since they scored twice in the first 5:11 in a 21-0 season-opening victory on Sept. 8, 1985 – also a home game vs. Philadelphia. The touchdowns were a 23-yard pass from Phil Simms to Lionel Manuel, and an 11-yard run by Joe Morris.

*Manning completed 22 of 36 passes for 257 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Beckham caught two of the touchdown passes, and rookies Lewis and Sterling Shepard scored the others.

*This was the 12th game in which Manning threw exactly four touchdown passes; the Giants are 7-5 in those games.

*Manning threw two touchdown passes in the first quarter for the first time since Dec. 30, 2012, when he had three in … the Giants’ previous home victory over the Eagles.

*Manning’s 257 yards increased his career total to 46,428. That moved him past Vinny Testaverde (46,233) and into ninth place on the NFL’s career list.

*The Eagles’ quarterback was rookie Carson Wentz. Manning is 9-4 in games in which the opposing team starts a rookie quarterback. Wentz was the first rookie quarterback to start for the Eagles against the Giants since Sept. 29, 1985, when Randall Cunningham was the Philadelphia starter.

*Beckham scored both of his touchdowns in the first half. He had no first-half touchdowns in the first seven games.

*Beckham’s two touchdown receptions increased his career total to 30. That broke a tie with Mark Bavaro, and also moved him past Bob Schnelker (29) and into ninth place on the Giants’ career list. Plaxico Burress is eighth with 33.

*Beckham and tight end Will Tye led the Giants with four catches apiece. Shepard had a team-high 50 yards on three receptions.

*Rookie Paul Perkins and Rashad Jennings each had a team-high 11 rushing attempts. Perkins gained 32 yards, while Jennings finished with 26 yards.

*Landon Collins recorded his third interception in two games when he picked off a Carson Wentz pass intended for Nelson Agholor on the second play of the game. Two plays later, Manning and Beckham hooked up for the Giants’ first touchdown. Collins’ three picks in two games duplicates a feat accomplished by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from on Oct. 25-Nov. 1, 2015.

*On the third play of the Eagles’ next series, Wentz overthrew Dorial Green-Beckham and the ball was caught by rookie safety Andrew Adams for his first career interception.

*In addition to his interception, Collins sacked Wentz for a 12-yard loss on the final play of the first half. He is the first Giants player with an interception and a sack in the same game since defensive end Kerry Wynn did it at St. Louis on Dec. 21, 2014, and the first defensive back to do it since safety Antrel Rolle on Oct. 27, 2013, at Philadelphia.

*Collins led the Giants with 12 tackles (six solo). Linebacker Keenan Robinson had 10 tackles (five solo).

*Jason Pierre-Paul blocked Caleb Sturgis’ 40-yard field goal attempt with 1:07 remaining in the second quarter. The ball was recovered by Janoris Jenkins, who returned it 13 yards to the Giants’ 46 before he fumbled. The ball was then secured by Mark Herzlich.

It was the Giants’ second block of an opposing field goal try this season. On Sept. 16, Johnathan Hankins blocked a 38-yard attempt by New Orleans’ Wil Lutz. Jenkins picked up the ball and returned it 65 yards for a touchdown.

The field goal block was the second of Pierre-Paul’s career. On Dec. 11, 2011, he secured a 37-34 victory against the Cowboys by blocking Dan Bailey’s 47-yard field goal attempt with one second left in the game. If good, the kick would have tied the score and sent the game into overtime.

*Wide receiver Victor Cruz (ankle) and left guard Justin Pugh (knee) suffered injuries in the second quarter and did not return. Cruz was replaced by Lewis, and at times Dwayne Harris, and Pugh was replaced by Brett Jones.

*Cruz hauled in a Manning pass in the second quarter for a 46-yard gain. It was Cruz’s longest reception since he had a 61-yarder reception vs. Houston on Sept. 21, 2014.

*Wentz’s 58-yard pass to Bryce Treggs in the second quarter was the second-longest play allowed by the Giants this season. On Oct. 16, Baltimore’s Joe Flacco and Mike Wallace hooked up for a 70-yard completion.

*Darren Sproles’ 66-yard punt return in the second quarter was the longest by a Giants opponent since New England’s Danny Amendola brought one back 82 yards on Nov. 15, 2015. Neither Sproles nor Amendola scored on their long returns.

*The Giants’ game captains were Collins, Pugh and Orleans Darkwa.

*The Giants’ inactive players were quarterback Ryan Nassib (elbow), cornerback Leon Hall, safety Darian Thompson (foot), defensive end Kerry Wynn (concussion), tackle Will Beatty, wide receiver Tavarres King and linebacker Deontae Skinner.

Nassib, who has a right elbow injury, was inactive for the first time since the final game of the 2013 season. He was inactive for all 16 games as a rookie that year.

Hall had played in each of the first seven games this season, with two starts. He was inactive twice last season with the Cincinnati Bengals, most recently on Dec. 6 at Cleveland.

Marshall was active for the first time since a Week 2 victory against New Orleans, a game in which he suffered a calf injury which sidelined him for five weeks. He played has an extra offensive lineman on several plays.

Wynn missed his first game of the season.