The Eagles–Giants rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants.
Philadelphia Eagles
New York Giants
| |
| Location | Philadelphia, New York City |
|---|---|
| First meeting | October 15, 1933 Giants 56, Eagles 0[1] |
| Latest meeting | October 20, 2024 Eagles 28, Giants 3[1] |
| Next meeting | January 5, 2025 |
| Stadiums | Eagles: Lincoln Financial Field Giants: MetLife Stadium |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 185[1] |
| All-time series | Eagles: 95–89–2[1] |
| Regular season series | Eagles: 92–87–2[1] |
| Postseason results | Eagles: 3–2[1] |
| Largest victory | Eagles: 45–0 (1948) Giants: 56–0 (1933)[1] |
| Longest win streak | Eagles: 12 (1975–1981) Giants: 9 (1938–1942; 1997–2001)[1] |
| Current win streak | Eagles: 1 (2024–present)[1] |
| Post–season history[1] | |
| |
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Locations of the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants
The rivalry began in 1933 with the founding of the Eagles, and slowly strengthened when both teams came to relative prominence in the 1940s and 1950s. The two teams have played in the same division in the NFL every year since 1933, making it the second-oldest rivalry in the NFC East division, behind only New York's rivalry with the Washington Commanders.[2] The ferocity of the rivalry can also be attributed to the geographic New York-Philadelphia rivalry, which is mirrored in Major League Baseball's Mets–Phillies rivalry and the National Hockey League's Flyers–Rangers rivalry.[3] It is ranked by NFL Network as the number one rivalry of all-time[4] and Sports Illustrated ranks it amongst the top ten NFL rivalries of all-time at number four,[5] and according to ESPN, it is one of the fiercest and most well-known rivalries in the football community.[6]
The Eagles lead the overall series, 95–89–2. The two teams have met five times in the playoffs, with the Eagles holding a 3–2 advantage.[1]
Notable rivalry moments
editThe Hit: 1960
editIn a November 20, 1960, game, the Eagles' Chuck Bednarik cleanly blindsided Giants running back Frank Gifford in a play known as The Hit, widely considered the hardest, or one of the hardest, tackles in the history of the National Football League that sent Gifford to the ground unconscious. He was removed from the field by stretcher, transported to a hospital by ambulance, and diagnosed with a severe concussion. The play forced Gifford out of the game for 18 months before he was ultimately able to return with the Giants.[7]
The Miracle at the Meadowlands/The Fumble: 1978
editOn November 19, 1978, at Giants Stadium, the Giants were leading the Eagles 17–12 with 20 seconds remaining. Offensive coordinator Bob Gibson called for a running play when all that was needed was for the Giants to take a knee having previously got ran over while kneeling the very prior play. The handoff between quarterback Joe Pisarcik and Larry Csonka was fumbled and Eagles cornerback Herman Edwards grabbed the loose ball and returned it for the winning score.[8][9] This play is commonly referred to as The Miracle at the Meadowlands by Eagles fans and just "The Fumble" by Giants fans.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]
1981 NFC wild card game
editIn 1981, both the Giants and the defending NFC champion Eagles qualified for playoff berths. The Eagles hosted the Giants on December 27 in a wild card game. The Giants, led by quarterback Scott Brunner and head coach Ray Perkins, took a 20–0 lead in the first quarter. The Eagles rallied but never led and the Giants held on to win 27–21. The game ended with Scott Brunner kneeling down on the ball, which was revenge for the Joe Pisarcik game some three years earlier. The Giants would go on to lose 38–24 to the San Francisco 49ers, the eventual Super Bowl XVI champions.
1988 division title
editThe 1988 NFL season saw both teams competing for the NFC East title. On November 20, 1988, the Giants hosted the Eagles with both teams in the running for control over their division. The Eagles, led by head coach Buddy Ryan and quarterback Randall Cunningham, fought a tough match to bring the game into overtime with the score tied at 17–17. In overtime, Eagles defensive lineman Clyde Simmons carried the ball 15 yards after a blocked Eagles field goal attempt for the game-winning touchdown, completing a season sweep of the Giants. This was dubbed the "Forgotten Miracle at the Meadowlands."[21][22] Both teams finished with 10–6 records, but the Eagles won the NFC East due to their head-to-head victories, while the Giants lost the wild card tiebreaker to the Los Angeles Rams and missed the playoffs. The Eagles would lose to the Chicago Bears in a game famously known as the Fog Bowl.
2000 NFC divisional game
editOn January 7, 2001, the Giants defeated the Eagles 20–10 in a divisional playoff game with the help of Ron Dixon's 97-yard kickoff return and Jason Sehorn's acrobatic 32-yard interception return. This win helped propel the Giants to Super Bowl XXXV, which they lost to the Baltimore Ravens, 34–7.
2006 NFC wild card game
editOn January 7, 2007, the Eagles defeated the Giants 23–20 in a wild card playoff game on a David Akers field goal as time expired. The Eagles had relinquished a ten-point lead in the fourth quarter, with the Giants tying the game on a touchdown by Plaxico Burress with just over five minutes remaining. Jeff Garcia and Brian Westbrook led the game-winning drive deep into Giants territory, allowing the Eagles to drain the clock to three seconds before Akers lined up his 38-yard kick to win the game.
2008 NFC Divisional Game
editThe two teams split their 2008 meetings. The Giants rallied to edge the Eagles in Philadelphia 36–31, then the Eagles stymied New York's offense en route to a 20–14 win at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. They met again at Giants Stadium on January 11, 2009, in the 2008 NFC Divisional Playoffs. In what would ultimately be the final playoff game at the venue, the #6 seeded Eagles defeated the top-seeded Giants 23–11, leaving the series tied 2–2 in the all-time playoff series.
Miracle at the New Meadowlands: 2010
editOn December 19, 2010, the Giants led the Eagles 31–10 with 7:28 left in the first game between the teams at New Meadowlands Stadium where first place in the NFC East was on the line. But the Eagles rallied to tie the score and then won the game on DeSean Jackson's 65 yard punt return for a touchdown with no time left on the clock for a 38–31 victory.[23] The Elias Sports Bureau noted that this is the first walk-off punt return in NFL history.[24] The Giants missed the playoffs, despite finishing tied for first with the Eagles at 10–6,[25] and the Eagles lost their last two games.[26]
Other notable moments
edit- On December 18, 1994, the Giants beat the Eagles at Veterans Stadium, giving them their fifth consecutive win after starting 3–7, while giving the Eagles their sixth consecutive loss of the season after a 7–2 start. This led to the firing of Philadelphia's then-head coach Rich Kotite after the season's conclusion.
- On October 31, 1999, at Veterans Stadium in overtime, Eagles' quarterback (and future head coach) Doug Pederson had his pass blocked up in the air and was intercepted by Michael Strahan and returned for a 44-yard touchdown to win the game for the Giants 23–17.
- In Week 6 of the 2001 season, the Eagles broke a nine-game losing streak against the Giants. James Thrash caught the winning touchdown from Donovan McNabb in the fourth quarter.
- In week 2 of the 2006 season, the Giants met the Eagles in Philadelphia and were down 24-7 by the end of the 3rd quarter. In the 4th quarter of regulation the Giants responded with two more touchdowns and a field goal to tie the game 24-24 and go into overtime. In overtime the Giants defeated the Eagles when quarterback Eli Manning threw a 31-yard pass to Plaxico Burress.
- On September 30, 2007, the Giants sacked Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb 12 times (tying an NFL record) en route to a 16–3 win. New York's defense held the Eagles scoreless in the first half, while in the second quarter, New York got on the board first with quarterback Eli Manning completing a 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Plaxico Burress. In the third quarter, the Giants increased their lead with kicker Lawrence Tynes getting a 29-yard field goal, along with linebacker Kawika Mitchell returning a fumble 17-yards for a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, the Eagles would get their only points of the game with kicker David Akers making a 53-yard field goal. Later that year, in the 2007 playoffs, New York would go on to defeat the 18-0 unbeaten New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
- On October 12, 2014, the Eagles authored their first shutout win in the series since 1996, winning 27–0. Quarterback Nick Foles threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns while he and three Eagles running backs rushed for 203 yards, led by LeSean McCoy's 149 yards. The Giants failed on a fourth and goal attempt in the third quarter following a Foles interception; even worse, wide receiver Victor Cruz suffered a season-ending injury on the play. (This led to an off-field episode in the rivalry, as the cover of the next morning's New York Daily News showed a cheering Eagles employee and the fallen Cruz under the headline "PHILTHY!", implying that the man was celebrating the injury rather than the result of the play. However, this photo was later debunked as being taken out of context.[27][28]) Eli Manning was held to 151 yards and backup Ryan Nassib connected for 60 yards.
- On September 24, 2017, in Philadelphia, kicker Jake Elliott kicked a 61-yard field goal to beat the New York Giants with no time on the clock for the final play of the game, resulting in a 27–24 victory. Previously regarded as nothing more than a replacement kicker for injured Caleb Sturgis, the kick earned Elliott NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors, cementing him as a strong kicking option for the 2017 Eagles. Elliott's kick set an Eagles' franchise record for the longest field goal, tied for the 7th-longest field goal in NFL history, and was the longest since November 2015. Elliott helped the Eagles to their first Super Bowl victory later that season in Super Bowl LII.
- On December 9, 2019, an ankle injury previously suffered by Giants quarterback Daniel Jones would result in Eli Manning returning to the starting lineup against the Eagles.[29] During the game, Manning threw for 203 yards and two touchdowns to rookie wide receiver Darius Slayton, but the game ended in a 23–17 overtime loss for the Giants.[30] Manning retired at the end of the season.[31] As the game against the Eagles was televised on Monday Night Football, it marked Manning's final primetime appearance.[32]
- On January 3, 2021, with the Giants having won earlier in the day, they needed the Eagles, who were eliminated from playoff contention, to defeat the Washington Football Team in order to for the Giants to clinch the NFC East division. The Eagles lost to Washington; Washington rallied from down 14–10 to win 20–14 thus giving them the NFC East title and eliminating the Giants from the playoffs. Eagles head coach Doug Pederson was criticized for benching struggling rookie Jalen Hurts and was questioned in some media circles on how hard his team played. The loss advanced the Eagles three spots in the 2021 NFL Draft to sixth.[33][34]
- On March 26, 2021, after it was alleged that the Eagles tanked in their week 17 game to moved up three spots in the draft, the Eagles traded with the Dolphins to move down to the 12th overall pick.[35] While the Eagles gained a 2022 first-round pick from the trade, this made many Giants fans angry since trading back seemingly removed any good reason for the Eagles to have tanked in week 17 in spite of any leverage gained from the higher draft position contributing to the trade being completed. Leading up to the 2021 NFL draft, the Giants were sitting at 11th overall. As the draft went on, it was suspected that the Giants would draft wide receiver and 2020 Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith. However, the Eagles traded in-division with Dallas to move up to the 10th overall pick and drafted Smith, which reportedly made the Giants front office "livid.”[36] The Eagles' trade-up resulted in the Giants trading down to the 20th pick with the Chicago Bears, and they would select Florida wide receiver Kadarius Toney.
- On March 11, 2024, Giants running back Saquon Barkley agreed to a 3-year, $37.75 million contract with the Eagles after a six-year career with the Giants. The entire process was shown during a special offseason edition of HBO Hard Knocks where Giants general manager Joe Schoen had stated to Giants executives on camera that they were not "paying a $40 million quarterback (in reference to Daniel Jones) to hand off to a $12 million running back (in reference to Barkley)." Giants owner John Mara was also recorded saying that he "would have a hard time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia." On October 20, 2024 in his return to MetLife Stadium, Barkley rushed for 176 yards and a touchdown in a 28-3 Eagles win. Jones was later benched and requested his release on November 22, 2024 which the Giants granted.
Season-by-season results
edit| Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants Season-by-Season Results[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1930s (Giants, 11–3)
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1940s (Eagles, 10–9–1)
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1950s (Giants, 14–6)
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1960s (Giants, 11–7)
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1970s (Eagles, 15–4–1)
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1980s (Giants, 12–9)
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1990s (Giants, 11–9)
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2000s (Eagles, 13–10)
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2010s (Eagles, 16–4)
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2020s (Eagles, 7–3)
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Summary of Results
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Rivalry outside football
edit- The 2006 film Invincible follows Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg) and his rise to playing for the Eagles. He crushes on a coworker, who, being from New York, is a Giants fan, and in his breakout game, the Eagles play the Giants when he recovers a muffed punt for a touchdown.[37]
- The 2009 film Big Fan depicts a Giants fan (Patton Oswalt) and his bitter rivalry with an Eagles fan (Michael Rapaport).[38]
- After winning the NFC championship on January 29, 2023, the Empire State Building lit up to celebrate the Eagles making the Super Bowl. This sparked outrage from many people in New York, including mayor Eric Adams.[39]
See also
editReferences
editInline citations
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "All Matchups, Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants". Pro Football Reference.
- ^ "Eagles-Giants rivalry goes back a long time". The Berkshire Eagle. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ Stolnis, John (December 6, 2019). "NFC East futility has destroyed the traditional rivalries". Bleeding Green Nation. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ "The History of the Giants–Eagles Rivalry". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
- ^ "Top 10 NFL Rivalries Of All Time: No. 4 Giants-Eagles". si.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2005.
- ^ Chadiha, Jeffri (October 31, 2007). "Ranking the NFL's best rivalries: Where does Colts-Pats fit?". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
- ^ Brookover, Bob (September 17, 2006). "The Birds' Biggest Rival—In a division of fierce foes, the Giants have battled the Eagles as tough as anyone". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D1.
- ^ 1978 NFL Philadelphia at NY Giants 11-19-1978 on YouTube
- ^ #3 Miracle at the Meadowlands | NFL Films | Top 10 Worst Plays on YouTube
- ^ Katz, Michael (November 20, 1978). "Giants Voice Mutual Animosity". New York Times. p. S3. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Katz, Michael (November 21, 1978). "Giants Oust Gibson A Day After Bungle". New York Times. p. C19. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Anderson, Dave (December 3, 1978). "Fanning the Fire at Giants Stadium". New York Times. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Anderson, Dave (December 11, 1978). "The Fans' Sign From the Sky". New York Times. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Branch, John (February 2, 2015). "How One Bad Giants Call Ended an N.F.L. Career". New York Times. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Pumerantz, Zack. "The 50 Worst Screw-Ups in Sports History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Hank, Gola (November 18, 2008). "30 years later, Giant disappointment of 'The Fumble' still lingers". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Ellenport, Craig (November 14, 2018). "Miracle at the Meadowlands: The fumble that changed football". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Papale, Vince (November 20, 2013). "The Miracle at the Meadowlands: 35 years later, I (still) don't believe it!". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Morgan, Craig. "Herm Edwards looks back — and breaks news — on 40-year-old Miracle at the Meadowlands". The Athletic. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Werner, Barry. "45 years ago: Herman Edwards and the Miracle at the Meadowlands happened". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Devlin, Pat (November 13, 2020). "Remembering the Eagles' forgotten Miracle at the Meadowlands". NBC Sports Philadelphia. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Miracle at the meadowlands number 2 on YouTube
- ^ McLane, Jeff (December 20, 2010). "Miracle at the Meadowlands — Comeback, runback give Birds their East edge back". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D1.
- ^ McPhersonm, Chris (December 19, 2010). "The First Walk-Off Punt Return In History?". www.philadelphiaeagles.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2010.
- ^ Fendrich, Howard (January 2, 2011). "Giants beat Redskins 17-14, but miss playoffs". Associated Press.
The Giants (10-6) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the first NFC teams since 1991 to miss out on the postseason despite double-digit victory totals.
- ^ McLane, Jeff (January 3, 2011). "Pack Coming Back—Eagles fall to Cowboys, start preparing for rematch with Green Bay". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E1.
- ^ "New York newspaper wants you to believe the Eagles cheered Victor Cruz's injury". SB Nation. October 13, 2014.
- ^ "Eagles fans didn't 'gloat' over Victor Cruz's injury, despite what NY tabloid says". USA Today. October 13, 2014.
- ^ Lombardo, Matt (December 4, 2019). "Eli Manning expected to start vs. Packers; Giants QB Daniel Jones injured". syracuse.com. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
- ^ "Eagles rally past Manning, Giants 23-17 in OT". ESPN. Associated Press. December 9, 2019. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ Duggan, Dan (December 10, 2019). "Tale of two halves: Eli Manning's likely final primetime performance with the Giants showcases magic and misery". The Athletic. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- ^ Duggan, Dan (December 10, 2019). "Tale of two halves: Eli Manning's likely final primetime performance with the Giants showcases magic and misery". The Athletic. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- ^ "Giants Players Lose It Over Eagles' QB Switch Vs. Washington". January 4, 2021.
- ^ "Eagles successfully lose, 20-14, despite Washington's poor effort; Birds will draft sixth overall after 4-11-1 season". January 3, 2021.
- ^ "2021 NFL Draft: Eagles trade No. 6 pick to Dolphins, receive No. 12 pick and 2022 first-round pick in return". March 26, 2021.
- ^ "Giants reportedly livid Eagles traded up ahead of them to select DeVonta Smith at 2021 NFL Draft". May 7, 2021.
- ^ Reiss, Mike (May 8, 2020). "Mark Wahlberg, Vince Papale: Bond from Disney's 'Invincible' still strong". ESPN.com. ESPN Enterprises Inc. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ Stevens, Dana (August 28, 2009). "Big Fan will be a cult classic". Slate.com. The Slate Group. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ Benton, Dan. "Empire State Building plans to go green again if Eagles win Super Bowl". USA Today. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
Bibliography
edit- Fitzpatrick, Frank (January 11, 2009). "Memorable Moments of a 75-Year-Old Rivalry". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E6.