The Eagles' Good, Bad & Ugly: Eagles 27 Giants 7
PHILADELPHIA, PA (CBS) — There were some things to dislike, some major concerns and a lot to like on defense in the Eagles' 27-7 victory over the visiting New York Giants Monday night to capture sole possession of first place in the NFC East with a pedestrian 3-3 record.
The Good
Linebacker DeMeco Ryans had a game—in one half. His first-quarter interception led to the Eagles' first touchdown. His fumble recovery in the second quarter was a lost opportunity when Sam Bradford threw an interception.
Running back DeMarco Murray had his first 100-yard rushing game as an Eagle, with a game-high 109 yards on 22 carries, including a 12-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
Cornerback Nolan Carroll III's 17-yard pick-six that gave the Eagles a 14-7 lead.
Linebacker Brandon Graham's first quarter 2-yard loss on New York's fourth-and-one at the Eagles' 41. Graham later was credit with a half-sack of Eli Manning, sharing it with Vinny Curry. He later had a sack in the fourth quarter and a forced fumble.
Receiver Riley Cooper caught a 32-yard touchdown and then came back to make a special team's tackle for a 2-yard loss. Cooper finished with 3 catches for 76 yards and a touchdown.
Receiver Miles Austin had a nice game with 3 catches for 60 yards.
Linebacker Jordan Hicks is looking more and more like an impact player in this league. Once again, the rookie looked exceptional, making a team-high 10 tackles
The Bad
Cornerback Bryon Maxwell kept getting beat across the middle, was called for pass interference and was also run over by the Giants' Rashad Jennings.
The Ugly
Center Jason Kelce had a rough time, called for a holding penalty in the first quarter and then snapping the ball to Bradford when he wasn't ready in the second quarter, which resulted in a 16-yard loss and pretty much scuttled that drive.
Quarterback Sam Bradford woefully missed Riley Cooper with 9:43 left in the half—leading to a Jayron Hosley interception. Bradford then had a wide-open Jordan Matthews with just over 2 minutes left in the half and terribly underthrew him. He pretty much underthrew almost every pass he threw in the first half. Bradford was awful, finishing 24 of 38 for 280 yards, including a touchdown—but he tossed three interceptions.
The Eagles' clock operator who was asked to put 7 seconds back on the lock at the end of the half, and they accidentally put 7:06 on the clock before Caleb Sturgis kicked a 37-yard field goal at the end of the half.
