Zero games since the New York Giants last lost to the Philadelphia Eagles on the road. Finally. The Giants came away with a 19-11 win. The streak is dead, the curse is lifted, and Giants fans can officially stop dreading the trip down I-95.
The G-Men hadn't won a football game in Philadelphia since October 27, 2013. I was a junior in college then. Yikes. That's thirteen straight losses to their division rivals. That's more than a decade of watching the Eagles turn Lincoln Financial Field into their own personal Giants torture chamber. And for once, Big Blue got to be the team leaving Philly with something to celebrate.
It might not have been the prettiest win in the world, but it's not a beauty contest.
The offense was inconsistent, the penalties were frustrating, and J.J. McCarthy's injury scare certainly didn't help anyone's anxiety. They didn't exactly look like division champions on Sunday, but a win's a win, and now they're sitting at 5-2-1 with an even tighter grip on the NFC East. And with the Nov. 10 trade deadline right around the corner, Sunday's victory might've made things that much more interesting.
7 takeaways from Giants' streak-snapping Week 9 win over Eagles
Arvell Reese is the DROY favorite
LOL, Arvell Reese. Seriously, have yourself a game, rook. The 21-year-old linebacker entered Sunday looking like a legitimate Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate. After what he did to Philadelphia, he might've left as the favorite.
The 6-foot-4, 243-pound defensive demon was everywhere, leading the Giants in tackles (12), tackles for loss (3), quarterback hits (3), and sacks (3).
And it's not like this was some random breakout performance. Reese has been terrorizing offenses all season. He now leads the team with 4.5 sacks and at least 68 tackles. It's getting harder and harder to believe this guy is only 21 years old.
John Harbaugh's post-bye magic is apparently contagious
John Harbaugh entered Sunday's matchup with a ridiculous 16-3 career record coming off a bye week. Make that 16-3.
Apparently, giving Harbs an extra week to prepare is borderline unfair. And while the G-Men certainly didn't play their cleanest football against the Eagles, they did something no Giants team had managed in 13 years: win in the City of Brotherly Love.
Harbs is going to have plenty to clean up before Thursday's matchup against the Washington Commanders, but the result speaks for itself.
Undisciplined football almost doomed the G-Men
Harbaugh's not going to be happy about the sloppiness that came out of Sunday's win. Big Blue finished with nine penalties for 86 yards. Fortunately, they weren't enough to hold them back, but the amount of laundry thrown on the field was certainly concerning.
Adding to the undisciplined football were three fumbles. Luckily, the Giants recovered two of them, with Charlie Jones' muffed punt being the lone turnover. Still, if this team wants to make some noise in January, the unforced errors have to stop.
Dominic Zvada is all the way back
Apparently, time heals all wounds. After missing both of his attempts against the Texans two weeks ago, Dominic Zvada made all four of his field goal attempts against the Eagles.
The 23-year-old undrafted rookie was back to his send-it-through-the-uprights ways, drilling kicks from 53 and 49 yards out (twice).
The former Michigan standout instantly rewarded Harbaugh's trust in the young kicker. He's officially back on pace for Big Blue's all-time rookie scoring record, with his season total climbing to 64 points.
New York regretted not swinging a trade for an RB before the game
24 carries and 51 yards from New York's running backs on Sunday. That's what I like to call: Not good enough.
Yes, the offensive line played horribly. But even still, it's hard to watch Devin Singletary and Greg Desrosiers Jr. and not think the G-Men could've used an upgrade. Even with Cam Skattebo likely coming back from a hamstring injury next week, they could use some help.
They're very much in the mix for a running back with the Nov. 10 trade deadline approaching. There was a thought they could've made a move earlier in the week to get someone like Jonathan Taylor on the roster for Sunday and the short turnaround against Washington on Thursday Night Football.
Now, they'll have to hope general manager Joe Schoen can get something done before Tuesday.
Jameis Winston to the rescue (for a drive)
The G-Men were down 8-6 at halftime with just about nothing going offensively. It felt like that was how Sunday afternoon was going to go, especially after McCarthy left with a hip injury on their first possession of the third quarter.
Enter Famous Jameis... for one drive.
After failing to reach Philly's red zone once in the first half, Winston drove the Giants down the field and tossed a five-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely to give the team its first touchdown of the afternoon.
Winston didn't last long, but in his lone drive, he finished 6-of-8 for 71 yards and the tuddie.
Giants are in the driver's seat of the NFC East
The Commanders (2-5-1) lost 20-to-13 to the Rams, while the Cowboys (4-5) beat the Colts 27-23.
That still leaves Dallas as New York's closest competition in the division, with the G-Men sitting pretty at 5-2-1. And with the trade deadline just two days away, the Giants have a chance to give Harbaugh some much-needed reinforcements for the stretch run.
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