New York Giants 25-33 Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts rushes for NFL record 15th touchdown as Eagles keep NFC East title hopes alive
Tyrod Taylor replaces Tommy DeVito at quarterback for the New York Giants before throwing 69-yard touchdown pass to Darius Slayton to set up tense finish; Jake Elliott kicks two of his four field goals in the fourth quarter to help the Philadelphia Eagles end a three-game losing streak
Tuesday 26 December 2023 07:03, UK
Jalen Hurts threw for a touchdown while breaking the NFL record for most single-season rushing scores by a quarterback as the Philadelphia Eagles kept their chance at the NFC East title alive with a 33-25 win over the New York Giants on Monday night.
The Eagles (11-4) snapped a three-game losing streak that had seen defeats to San Francisco, Dallas and Seattle essentially end Philadelphia's bid for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
But the path to a second straight division title is a clear one. The Eagles need to beat Arizona next week and defeat the Giants again in the season finale to finish atop the NFC East.
After three setbacks, it took a visit from the Giants to straighten out the Eagles, who are 11-0 at the Linc against New York since 2014 and beat the Giants three times last season.
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Adoree' Jackson gave the Giants (5-10) a late spark when he returned an interception 76 yards for a score before Saquon Barkley ran in a two-point conversion that made it 20-18 late in the third quarter.
Hurts then threw an incomplete pass as the crowd erupted in boos, before head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson turned to the run when Kenneth Gainwell ripped off a 22-yard burst. D'Andre Swift would eventually score on a five-yard rush to make it 27-18.
That touchdown came in handy when New York's Tyrod Taylor - who replaced Tommy DeVito to open the second half - connected with Darius Slayton for a 69-yard score late in the fourth that made it 30-25.
With the Giants driving and at the Eagles 26, Taylor was picked off in the end zone by Kelee Ringo on the final play of the game.
Stats leaders:
New York Giants
- Passing: Tyrod Taylor, 7/16, 133 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
- Tommy DeVito, 9/16, 55 yards
- Rushing: Saquon Barkley, 23 carries, 80 yards, 1 TD
- Receiving: Darius Slayton, 3 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD
Philadelphia Eagles
- Passing: Jalen Hurts, 24/38, 301 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
- Rushing: D'Andre Swift, 20 carries, 92 yards, 1 TD
- Receiving: AJ Brown, 6 catches, 80 yards
- DeVonta Smith, 4 catches, 79 yards, 1 TD
Hurts eventually took care of business in a season where he failed to take care of the ball - his 18 turnovers are among the worst in the NFL.
The Eagles quarterback had another misstep late in the first half when he ran for a few more yards rather than go out of bounds as the clock ticked down. Instead of having time for one more chance at the end zone, Jake Elliott kicked a 21-yarder as time expired for a 20-3 half-time lead.
The Eagles had not scored more than 19 points in any of their past three games, with Monday's effort marking their highest first-half point total of the season.
Hurts scored his 15th rushing touchdown of the season on a one-yard "tush push" early in the first quarter that gave him the most for a quarterback in a season in NFL history. Carolina's Cam Newton held the record at 14 rushing touchdowns for a QB in 2011.
Hurts threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith for a 17-3 lead that gave him 35 total touchdowns this season, tying the team's season record. Randall Cunningham accounted for 35 in 1990 and Hurts matched him last season.
The Eagles got an early sign that their fortunes were changing at the end of a miserable month. Hurts had a disastrous snap sail over his head that forced him to sprint about six yards and chase the football, eventually recovering before running to his left and throwing across his body to hit tight end Grant Calcaterra for a first down.
The Eagles had an apparent touchdown reversed on replay later in the drive, but settled for Elliott's 28-yarder and a 10-3 lead.
Another turnover - the kind that had cost them during their losing streak - arrived when Boston Scott fumbled the second-half kickoff. With strong field position, Barkley scored on a seven-yard run that cut it to 20-10.
The Giants lost their second straight game after a three-game winning streak.
Scoring summary
What next?
The Giants will now head on the road to face the playoff-chasing Los Angeles Rams (8-7) in Week 17, while the Eagles host the Arizona Cardinals (3-12) before the NFC East rivals meet again on the final day of the regular season.
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