Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford (No 7) passes against the New York Giants during the second quarter of their NFL game at Lincoln Financial Field. PICTURE: USA TODAY Sports
The Sports Xchange/Philadelphia
The Eagles intercepted Eli Manning twice and returned one for a touchdown as Philadelphia beat the New York Giants 27-7 on Monday to take over first place in the NFC East.
The big play of the game came when cornerback Nolan Carroll picked off a Manning pass and returned it 17 yards for a touchdown that gave the Eagles a 14-7 lead in the second quarter. The Giants never scored again.
“I just read the route and jumped it,” said Carroll.
“Then it was just a matter of catching the ball and not falling down before I got to the end zone.”
Manning, who completed his first 10 passes, finished 23 of 37 for 200 yards and one touchdown.
The quarterback, who was sacked just four times in the Giants’ first five games, was sacked four times on Monday and penalized twice for intentional grounding.
“There’s no big secret to all of this—we’re just playing better football,” said linebacker DeMeco Ryans, who had one of the Eagles’ interceptions.
“We got off to a slow start on both sides of the ball, but we stuck with it and kept working, and good things started to happen.
“Now we have to build on this win and keep playing the way we’re capable of playing. We still haven’t put together 60 minutes of good football, and that’s our next challenge.”
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who missed practice all week with a sore hamstring, caught seven passes for 61 yards and scored New York’s only touchdown on a 13-yard reception in the first quarter.
Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford completed 24 of 38 passes for 280 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Riley Cooper. Bradford also threw three interceptions.
Running back DeMarco Murray had his first 100-yard rushing game with the Eagles, finishing with 109 yards on 22 carries.
The Eagles led 17-7 in the third quarter when they marched downfield on an 85-yard, 11-play drive that was helped by a roughing-the-punter call against Giants defensive tackle Nikita Whitlock that gave Philadelphia a first down.
The Eagles took advantage, finally scoring on a 12-yard run by Murray to give the Eagles a 24-7 lead with 6:13 left in the third quarter.
The Philadelphia defense held back the Giants in the fourth quarter, and Caleb Sturgis kicked a 39-yard field goal to make it 27-7 with 8:19 left in the game.
