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The New York Giants will have to wait until this weekend to qualify for the playoffs. The Giants missed an opportunity to win their way in on Thursday night, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-19.
The Giants (10-5) will still qualify for the playoffs with a loss or tie by the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers or Tampa Bay Buccaneers, or a loss by the Atlanta Falcons. The loss by the Giants does clinch the NFC East title for the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles are 6-9.
The Giants had two opportunities to drive for a potential game-winning score. First, they failed on a fourth-and-6 from the Eagles’ 36-yard line at the two-minute mark. The Giants had fourth-and-one, but a false start by John Jerry pushed the ball back and Eli Manning’s pass to Sterling Shepard was incomplete. After a three-and-out by the Eagles, the Giants got the ball back at their own 15-yard line with 1:31 left. The Giants reached the Eagles’ 34-yard line, but Manning’s 63rd pass of the night, a deep ball intended for Will Tye, turned into his third interception. That ended the Giants’ hopes.
“I didn’t coach well enough and we didn’t play well enough,” said Giants coach Ben McAdoo.
The Giants dug themselves a 14-0 hole less than seven minutes into the game on a 25-yard run by Darren Sproles and a 34-yard interception return by Malcolm Jenkins, and could never dig their way out of it. They never led in the game.
Manning completed 38-of-63 passes for 356 yards, one touchdown and the three interceptions. The 63 passes was, according to the NBC broadcast, a single-game record for the Giants.
Odell Beckham Jr. caught 11 passes for 150 yards, Victor Cruz had eight receptions for 84 yards and Sterling Shepard seven for 61 yards and a touchdown. Paul Perkins had 15 carries for 68 yards. The Giants ran 88 offensive plays to 55 for the Eagles and held the ball for 34:04. New York outgained Philadelphia, 470 yards to 286.
Giants’ placekicker Robbie Gould made all four of his field-goal attempts.
Eli is here pic.twitter.com/CcdCawf8rm
— Jeff Cavanaugh (@JC1053) December 23, 2016
What’s next?
The Giants will finish the regular with a trip to Landover, Md. to face the Washington Redskins on New Year’s Day.