The Philadelphia Eagles hosted the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field in Week 18 in blistery conditions with the wind chill dipping into the teens. While many labeled Sunday’s matchup as a meaningless game for the Eagles, it provided several players with the opportunity to showcase their growth and potential in significantly larger roles than they have been able to play in Philadelphia thus far this season.
Philadelphia released a lengthy inactive list ahead of kickoff, including 11 total players. While Jalen Hurts was previously ruled out on the team’s final injury report of the week, he was joined by 10 fellow starters as inactive against the Giants.
Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata and Landon Dickerson joined Hurts as Philadelphia’s inactives on offense. Darius Slay, Zack Baun, Nakobe Dean and Jalen Carter were Philadelphia’s inactives on defense.
First Half
The Eagles won the opening toss and elected to defer after the Giants made the common mistake of calling heads. Eagles punter Braden Mann handled kickoff duty to begin the game, after Jake Elliott handled kickoff duty in Week 17. Mann pinned the opening kickoff in the corner, forcing the Giants to start from the 20-yard line.
Both Jordan Davis and Milton Williams rotated in along Philadelphia’s defensive line, as the Eagles were forced to play the numbers game and couldn’t feasibly rest every starter. Davis and Isaiah Rodgers each laid a big hit on New York’s opening drive, setting a physical tone to start the game. Kelee Ringo capped off the drive with a near interception on Drew Lock’s pass intended for Darius Slayton on fourth down near midfield.
Philadelphia’s offense, led by first time starting quarterback Tanner McKee, came out firing on all cylinders. McKee connected with Goedert twice as Philadelphia’s starting tight end shook off the rust in his return to action. Eagles rookie wide receiver Ainias Smith hauled in a 15-yard touchdown to cap off Philadelphia’s opening possession, giving the Eagles a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
Despite handing the Giants a great starting field possession after Braden Mann’s kickoff bounced out of bounds, Philadelphia’s defense shut New York down once again. The Giants were forced to punt and Jahan Dotson handled punt return duty instead of Cooper DeJean.
Goedert continued his dominance in Philadelphia’s second offensive drive, as McKee found him in stride on multiple plays. Yet Goedert was unable to haul in a pass on third down, which forced the Eagles to kick a field goal on fourth down. Unfortunately, Jake Elliott’s struggles continued, as he missed a 39-yard field goal wide left.
Despite converting a fake punt on their ensuing drive, the Giants were unable to score points once again. Philadelphia’s offense continued to function at a high level with McKee connecting with Dotson and rookie running back Will Shipley. Although the Eagles stalled in the red zone, Elliott was able to make a 24-yard field goal to give Philadelphia a 10-0 lead at halftime.
McKee was masterful in the first half of his staring debut in the NFL, as he completed 17-of-26 passes for 190 yards and one touchdown. Dotson led the Eagles with five receptions on seven targets for 63 yards in the first half.
Second Half
Eagles cornerback Isaiah Rodgers showcased his explosive return ability with a 51-yard kickoff return to open the second half. Yet Philadelphia’s offense was unable to capitalize on strong field position, after failing to convert on fourth-and-2.
The Giants were able to reach the red zone on their ensuing drive, yet Philadelphia kept them out of the end zone. While Sydney Brown recklessly missed a tackle, Tristin McCollum showcased why he is the team’s top reserve safety. McCollum made a key tackle on third down to force New York to settle for a field goal. Graham Gano knocked through a 25-yard field goal, as the Giants trailed the Eagles 10-3 with 7:34 remaining in the third quarter.
Philadelphia’s offense struggled to get going on their second possession of the second half. McKee was forced to knock down his own pass after the Giants batted it into the air. Then McKee was sacked on third down to end the drive for the Eagles.
Eagles cornerback Kelee Ringo continues to embrace his role as a gunner on special teams, as he made an impressive tackle on Ihmir Smith-Marsette in the open field to pin the Giants back to the 14-yard line.
Following another three-and-out from the Giants, the Eagles’ offense took the field at the 39-yard line with 3:47 remaining in the third quarter. McKee bounced back with another flawless drive for the Eagles, as he completed all five of his pass attempts, including a seven-yard touchdown pass to tight end E.J. Jenkins, the first of Jenkins’ career. Philadelphia held a 17-3 lead early in the fourth quarter.
The Giants didn’t take long to respond, as Lock connected with Nabers on a 45-yard touchdown. Nabers was wide open as the ball hung up in the air with Tristin McCollum trailing in coverage. New York’s rookie wide receiver tip toed along the sideline and dove into the end zone to cut into Philadelphia’s lead, as the Giants trailed 17-10.
Philadelphia’s offense went three-and-out on their next drive and an ugly punt from Mann allowed the Giants to start in their own territory. New York was unable to do much with their gifted field position, although Gano was able to barely sneak through a 53-yard field goal that bounced off the crossbar, as the Giants reduced Philadelphia’s lead to 17-13.
The Eagles regained possession and McKee connected on several short passes to move the chains and milk the clock down to the two-minute warning. The offense milked it all the way to 51 seconds before a 32-yard field goal by Jake Elliott that extended the Eagles lead to 20-13.
Drew Lock came onto the field in hopes of playing spoiler against the Eagles once again but unfortunately for him, Sydney Brown had other ideas as the young safety intercepted his pass to seal the game and lead the Eagles to a 14-3 record. The 14th win matches a franchise record for most wins in a season by the Eagles.
Philadelphia will now prepare to host the Green Bay Packers in the Wild-Card matchup to kick off their playoff run.
Eagles Stock Report
Stock Up: Tanner McKee
The Eagles simply couldn’t have asked for McKee to play at a higher level than he has over the last two weeks. After an impressive performance in relief duty of Kenny Pickett in Week 17, McKee capitalized on his first career start in the NFL against the Giants. In the first half, McKee showcased impressive timing and precision as he continuously connected with Dallas Goedert and Jahan Dotson.
While the main criticism of McKee coming out of college was his lack of mobility, the Eagles continuously had him throwing on the move against the Giants in Week 18. McKee’s performance in the team’s regular season finale proved that Philadelphia’s quarterback factory is still functioning at a high level to start the new year.
Stock Down: Jake Elliott
Following a promising kicking performance in Week 17, Jake Elliott’s struggles resurfaced against the Giants in Philadelphia’s regular season finale. After knocking through his first extra point attempt of the game, the Eagles called on Elliott to make a 39-yard field goal early in the game. Yet Elliott’s attempt was wide left, as his struggles have continued ahead of the playoffs.
It’s worth noting that the wind was certainly a factor in Week 18, although Elliott should still be able to make a field goal of that distance with relative ease. After handling kickoff duty last week, Elliott was also replaced by Mann as the team’s primary kickoff specialist to start this game. Many have pointed out that Elliott’s struggles have coincided with him no longer handling kickoff duty for the Eagles this season.
Stock Up: Jahan Dotson
After a surprisingly quiet performance through Philadelphia’s first 16 games of the regular season, Dotson took advantage of a bigger workload in Week 18. Dotson enjoyed one of the best performances of his three-year NFL career and easily his best performance since being traded to the Eagles.
The 24-year-old wide receiver hauled in seven receptions for 94 yards, as he showcased a strong connection with McKee. Dotson led the Eagles in targets (11), receptions (7) and receiving yards (94), as he ran precise routes and consistently gave McKee wide-open windows to throw into.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
