Overcoming four turnovers on offense, the Philadelphia Eagles moved into a first-place tie atop the NFC East after sending the New York Giants to a 27-7 defeat on Monday night. Here's what you need to know:
- Eli Manning was cruising toward a two-score lead in the first quarter when the momentum swiftly shifted due to a pair of costly miscues from tight end Larry Donnell and a brainless, irresponsible roughing-the-passer hit from Damontre Moore on Sam Bradford. After starting 10 of 10 for 87 yards and a touchdown, Manning went 13 for 27 for 123 yards with a pair of interceptions the rest of the way. The Giants turned the ball over three times in a 15-play span after committing just three turnovers in 343 plays entering the game. This was a mistake-littered slopfest between a pair of flawed teams defaulting to first place in a shoddy division.
- The Eagles are winning in spite of Bradford, who hurled three interceptions against the league's worst pass defense playing without their top cornerback. With nine picks on the season, Bradford now trails only Peyton Manning (10). The last Philadelphia quarterback with more interceptions through six games was Ron Jaworski in 1977. Bradford can't blame the offensive line, as the Eagles dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
- While Bradford continues to test the theory of Chip Kelly's quarterback-proof offense, the running game has quietly gotten on track, averaging 138 yards per game over the past month. Despite an utter inability to run laterally, DeMarco Murray managed his first 100-yard game in an Eagles uniform. His second-half performance was easily the best he has looked this year. That said, we still believe Ryan Mathews' skill set is a better fit for Kelly's offense.
- Pocket-pushing defensive end Fletcher Cox boasted this offseason that the Eagles should have the No. 1 front seven in the entire league. They have played like it the past two weeks, with Cox and underrated nose tackle Bennie Logan dominating the line of scrimmage and Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry harassing quarterbacks. Throw in an excellent safety tandem in Malcolm Jenkins and Walter Thurmond, and this defense's weakness is limited to cornerback.
- After beating Byron Maxwell at will in the first half, Odell Beckham was shut out on one target in the second half. Coach Tom Coughlin confirmed after the game that the Eagles adjusted with bracket coverage after halftime. It certainly didn't help that Philadelphia dominated second-half time of possession and gave Manning no time to throw. After taking just four sacks in the first five games, Manning went down three times Monday night, adding a pair of intentional grounding penalties and four more quarterback hits.
Reinforcements are on the way. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday that left tackle Will Beattycould return to practice as soon as this week. When Beatty is activated from the reserve/physically unable to perform list, he will push Ereck Flowers to right tackle, sending pass-blocking liability Marshall Newhouse to the bench.
- Jordan Matthews' poor play has been one of the biggest surprises in Philadelphia. The second-year receiver runs so hard after the catch, but he has displayed back-breaking, inconsistent hands since his Week 1 drop contributed to the game-ending interception in a loss to the Falcons. He's a better player than he has shown through six weeks.
