J.J. McCarthy returned from an injury, Jameis Winston tossed his team’s only touchdown during McCarthy’s absence and the New York Giants tightened their grip on the NFC East with a 19-11 win over the host Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
Dominic Zvada made all four field goals he tried for the Giants (5-2-1), who improved to 2-0-1 in their division and won at Philadelphia for the first time since 2013.
Joe Milton III made his Eagles debut in place of an ineffective Tanner McKee at quarterback. Milton was 18-of-34 passing for 169 yards and added a game-high 64 rushing yards on nine attempts, but the Eagles (2-7) still absorbed their seventh straight loss.
The Eagles settled for a 45-yard Jake Elliott field goal coming out of the two-minute warning, after Elijah Mitchell settled for a 7-yard reception on third-and-8 and did not attempt to stretch for the extra yard.
Philadelphia then attempted an onside kick and failed to recover. The Giants were forced to punt, but the Eagles’ last gasp ended with a fourth-down sack by Darius Alexander.
Arvell Reese recorded three sacks and a forced fumble for the Giants, who had seven sacks in all.
McCarthy was 12-for-19 for 127 yards, while Winston went 6-of-8 for 71 yards during his short stint.
McCarthy was battered all day, the recipient of five of the Eagles’ six sacks. He was hit in the right side on the Giants’ second play of the second half and went out with what the team called a hip injury.
Winston played the rest of that series and one other, on which he guided the Giants 76 yards in 14 plays and hit Isaiah Likely for a 5-yard touchdown for a 13-8 lead.
McCarthy — acquired from the Minnesota Vikings earlier this season in the wake of Jaxson Dart’s season-ending injury — returned and appeared to be playing through pain. He drove the Giants to field goals on the next two drives (38 and 49 yards by Zvada) while the Eagles’ offense struggled.
Zvada connected on field goals of 53 and 49 yards to cap the Giants’ first two drives, but the Eagles took the lead before the first quarter was out.
Deonte Banks was whistled for a 30-yard defensive pass interference penalty on a third-and-8 incompletion to allow the Eagles to set up at the Giants’ 3. After rushes by Saquon Barkley and Milton for zero gain, Barkley rumbled ahead for the touchdown.
The Giants had too many men on the field for the point-after attempt and the Eagles elected to go for two from the 1-yard line. Milton rushed it in himself for an 8-6 lead that stood at halftime.
–Field Level Media
