Philadelphia Eagles hang on to beat NY Giants on Christmas

PHILADELPHIA — After nearly letting a 17-point halftime lead slip away for good, the Philadelphia Eagles beat the New York Giants 33-25 on Christmas. It was their 12th straight victory against the Giants and ended a three-game losing streak. Now at 11-4, this win also keeps the Eagles as favorites to win the NFC East.

The Giants, meanwhile, fell to 5-10 and could once again turn to a new starter at quarterback after Tommy DeVito was benched at halftime for backup Tyrod Taylor.

Here's a preview of the Christmas clash:

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles and their fans were hoping Monday's game against the Giants would serve as a good game after losing three straight games.

Although they earned a victory, their performance can't exactly be described as confidence-inspiring.

Untimely mistakes have been a theme lately, and Philadelphia made a few in the second half. They lost a fumble on the third-quarter kickoff, and quarterback Jalen Hurts threw a pick six to Adoree' Jackson when tight end Dallas Goedert fumbled while making a cut, allowing the Giants to bring two together.

Hurts and the offense responded with an 8-play, 75-yard drive to help secure the victory and avoid disaster. But the feeling in the stadium was less that the Eagles were back on track and more that they had a chance to play a bad team.

Silver lining: Fortunately for the Eagles, they have the easiest closing schedule in the NFL with a home game against the 3-12 Arizona Cardinals before concluding the regular season against the Giants. With the Cowboys (10-5) having lost their last two games, Philadelphia is the favorite to win the NFC East.

Buy exceptional performance: Britain Covey was among the leaders in punt return average for much of the season, but had his best game of the season with three returns for 66 yards, including an electric 54-yard return to set an Eagles score on their first possession. The second-year Utah native also saw increased playing time at receiver and made his first NFL catch.

Promising trend: With linebackers Zach Cunningham and Nicholas Morrow sidelined due to injuries, Shaquille Leonard got the start and recorded his first sack since the 2020 season while adding a few tackles for loss and a QB hit. Back issues have hampered the former All-Pro of late, but he offered some hope Monday to a beleaguered linebacking corps.

New York Giants

There was no fairy tale ending for Tommy DeVito at Christmas. Instead, he was benched at halftime in favor of Tyrod Taylor.

The benching was not due to injury; it was a coaching decision based on ineffectiveness.

DeVito was 9 of 15, passing for 55 yards in the first half, and the Giants trailed 20-3. So Daboll turned to the veteran Taylor instead of the undrafted rookie who had been storming the zone.

Taylor led them to a touchdown on his first drive by handing the ball off to running back Saquon Barkley three times in a row. He then threw a perfect ball for a long touchdown to wide receiver Darius Slayton.

DeVito's Christmas play probably marked the end of what was a fun story. The hometown hero, who calls home and feels so close to much of the Giants fan base, won three straight starts in late November and early December. He has seven touchdown passes and just one interception in his six starts.

QB breakdown: DeVito – 9 of 16 passing for 55 yards with 0 TD, 0 INT – averaged just 1.1 air yards per attempt and the Giants offense had a total of 101 yards in the first half. They also totaled 101 yards in the fourth quarter last week in a loss to the Saints.

Taylor – 7 of 16 passing for 133 yards with 1 TD, 1 INT – completed a 70-yard touchdown pass to Darius Slayton for the Giants' longest play of the season. But he also missed two key, relatively easy passes on third down that stalled drives.

Disturbing trend: Giants versus winning teams. The Giants still have a long way to go before they are taken seriously. This loss was just the latest example. They have now lost all seven games they have played against teams with a current winning record. Five of them were in double figures. This season was supposed to be about closing the gap with the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. Instead, the Giants were outscored 122-42 in three matchups against Dallas and Philadelphia. This shows how far they are from being able to compete in the NFC East, however the NFC. Big offseason ahead.

Silver lining: Top draft pick. After a brief glimmer of hope several weeks ago when they reeled off three straight wins, the Giants are now back in the mix for a very high draft pick. They are the favorites for the fifth draft in the upcoming NFL Draft, according to ESPN Analytics. The Giants entered Monday with a 63.3% chance of being in the top 5. That's only going to increase, especially since they'll be heavy underdogs in their final two games against the Rams and Eagles of Los Angeles.

Crucial game: Every week it seems like the Giants special teams are experiencing costly negative play. In this case, it involved allowing a 54-yard punt return by Covey after a three-and-out by the New York offense to start the game. That put the Eagles on the Giants' 13-yard line and two plays later it was 7-0. The Giants' special teams came in Monday at No. 22 in EPA special teams at -7.18. The continued struggles call into question whether coach Brian Daboll will really want to go back next season with Thomas McGaughey as special teams coordinator.