Eagles Keep Flying

At the end, most of the Philadelphia Eagles fans didn’t even bother to stick around to rub it in, leaving only a smattering of voices to taunt the beleaguered Giants with an E-A-G-L-E-S chant. Better to beat traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike than stay through the end of the Eagles’ 48-22 dismantling of the Giants that clinched a playoff berth for the Eagles and confirmed the world order of the NFC East. With the Eagles at 12-1 and scoring 35 or more points in each of their last three games, those fans know there are likely to be much more significant victories to celebrate.

“Eh, that’s nice,” said Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, who shrugged when asked about clinching a playoff spot. “We got way bigger goals and it’s on to the next one. It’s nice to come out here and play good on the road.”

Read that quote and, if you didn’t watch the game, you would think this was a routine win. It was not. It was a display of multi-faceted dominance. All four NFC East teams remain in the playoff chase, but the Eagles left little doubt that they are the division’s — and the NFC’s — preeminent team, with a balanced and explosive offense, an MVP caliber-quarterback who was in complete, mistake-free control throughout the day and a defense that boasts a devastating pass rush. They are playing their best football right now, which is certainly not what can be said for the Giants, Cowboys or Commanders.

If there was one play that illustrates how superior the Eagles were, it came when, of all times, Philadelphia faced fourth-and-7 from the Giants’ 41-yard line. The Eagles were already leading 7-0 after a 14-play, 8-minute touchdown drive that slowly, methodically, pushed the Giants backward. This was the Eagles’ very next possession, and it had started at their own 9-yard line and consumed 11 plays. But now Philly was in no man’s land — too far away to attempt a field goal, too close to punt. Receiver DeVonta Smith said later that quarterback Jalen Hurts checked to the play, which sent Smith screaming down the right side, getting past cornerback Darnay Holmes. Safety Julian Love came flying across the field, but he overran the pass, which dropped into Smith’s hands, as Love ran by, leaving Smith an easy jog to the end zone.

“There’s a point in time people said I couldn’t throw the deep ball,” Hurts said later. “I think that was a pivotal moment in the game, a big momentum swing in the game.”