Eagles 19, Giants 17
PHILADELPHIA -- Quarterback Michael Vick led Philadelphia on a fourth-quarter scoring drive and the Eagles held on to beat the New York Giants 19-17 on Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field after Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes missed a 54-yard field goal attempt with 10 seconds left to play.
Vick, who threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver DeSean Jackson in the second quarter, drove the Eagles to the Giants' 8-yard line where Alex Henery kicked his fourth field goal of the game, a 26-yarder, for the winning points with 1:49 left to play.
The Giants had just taken the lead on quarterback Eli Manning's 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bear Pascoe, one series after Eagles' cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie had intercepted Manning in the end zone.
The victory gives the Eagles (3-1) sole possession of first place in NFC East, at least until Monday night when the Dallas Cowboys (2-1) play the Chicago Bears. All three of the Eagles' wins have come on their final possession.
Tynes actually missed twice - his first errant attempt at the 54-yarder was wide left, but Eagles coach Andy Reid had called for a timeout just before the snap. So Tynes got another chance and missed again, this time coming up short.
The Eagles' offense picked up at the start of the second half the same way they ended the first half, with an impressive drive that led to Henery's 20-yard field goal and a 10-3 lead.
But that lead didn't last long as the Giants' offense finally got into high gear. They scored a touchdown when wide receiver Victor Cruz beat rookie cornerback Brandon Boykin over the middle for an easy 14-yard TD that tied the game 10-10 with 5:28 left in the third quarter.
But that tie didn't last long as the Eagles' offense came up with two big plays - a 27-yard pass from Vick to tight end Brent Celek and an 18-yard scramble by Vick - to set up a 48-yard field goal by Henery, which made it 13-10 with 2:07 left in the third quarter.
Defense dominated the early going, and the Eagles were hurt by poor field position throughout the first quarter. Their pass rush bailed them out, however, as they put the heat on Manning early and threw the Giants' offense out of sync.
In fact, neither team did much on offense for most of the first half. Midway through the second quarter, the two teams had combined for six first downs, seven punts and zero points.
The Eagles finally got on the scoreboard at the end of the first half as they put together their first significant drive of the game. Several big plays keyed the drive, including a 17-yard pass to rookie wide receiver Damaris Johnson, a 12-yard catch-and-run by running back LeSean McCoy and a four-yard scramble by Vick on third-and-four.
Vick's run put the ball on the Giants' 20-yard line, and two plays later wide receiver DeSean Jackson beat cornerback Corey Webster to the corner of the end zone. Vick's pass was perfect, and the 19-yard scoring pass to Jackson capped a 70-yard, 11-play drive that gave the Eagles a 7-0 lead with 1:47 left in the first half.
Then the Giants showed a little life on offense, driving 81 yards on 10 plays to set up Lawrence Tyne's 25-yard field goal.
The two teams headed to their locker rooms with the Eagles leading 7-3 at halftime.
NOTES: Vick limped off the field on the Eagles' final offensive play in the fourth quarter but said in the on-field postgame he wasn't injured. ... The Giants' Prince Amukamara made his first NFL start, at cornerback ... The Giants were without wide receiver Hakeem Nicks (knee, ankle), and the Eagles played without two starters, left tackle King Dunlap (hamstring) and linebacker Akeem Jordan (hamstring). ... At halftime, the Eagles retired the No. 20 of former safety Brian Dawkins. Dawkins played 13 seasons with the Eagles and went to seven Pro Bowls. ... Giants safety Kenny Phillips left in first quarter with knee sprain and did not return.
