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Done in two drives.
The Eagles offense drove 75 yards for a touchdown on their first drive before the defense sacked Daniel Jones twice on the Giants’ first drive. It was the middle of the first quarter and it felt like it was over.
And so it was.
Eagles 38 Giants 7.
See you at the NFC Championship Game!
Here are 10 instant observations from the Eagles’ second postseason win, 38-7, on January 21 in the last five years.
1. There’s a reason Jalen Hurts was MVP before his injury, and he showed exactly why on Saturday night. This was a monster performance by the 24-year-old Hearts, a masterpiece of efficient playoff football. . If anyone was wondering if that shoulder still bothered him or if he was 100% okay with him, the answer was quick. A 40-yarder to Devonta Smith on the first pass, a TD pass to Dallas Goudart and Smith in the first quarter put him 7-for-7, and the game was effectively over before he threw an incomplete pass. The Hearts added a touchdown run in the second quarter, going 16-24 for 154 yards and posting a passer rating of 112.2, the fourth-highest in franchise history (Rodney Peete vs. Lions in 1995, 2017). Vikings vs. Nick Foles) Tommy Thompson against the Steelers in 1947). It was a big step for Hearts, who struggled in his postseason debut in Tampa last year. The Eagles are now 15-1, Hearts is in the uniform this year, and he’s the youngest QB in franchise history to reach his NFC Championship his game. He’s about nine months younger than his 2001 Donovan McNabb and next weekend he’ll try to take first place. The eighth QB in history to take a team to the Super Bowl before his 25th birthday, I’m sure I’m not betting on him.
2. This meant Nick Siriani and his entire coaching staff, especially Shane Steichen, who kept the Giants’ defense off balance from the start, and Jonathan Gannon, who was hoping to calm the “Fire Gannon” crowd for at least a few days. was absolute perfection. They prepared this team mentally and physically and devised a game plan to turn this game into a rout before the end of the first quarter. Winning the playoffs is different than winning the regular season, and some coaches aren’t great at it. This was Siriani’s second year as head coach at any level, and he has proven beyond a shadow of doubt that he can handle the moment.
3. There are an incredible number of players on defense, but Herson Reddick was an absolute beast. It really sets the tone for the entire defensive performance. The Eagles front followed Daniel Jones from start to finish and it was great. Jones never got a chance to set foot and didn’t hurt the Eagles in the scramble. he seemed to be on his head. He threw only 135 yards. are you kidding me The Eagles set a franchise record for him with five sacks, but they harassed Jones all night. He’ll have nightmares about Reddick, BG and Josh Sweat tonight. Indeed, the entire defense lit out. Darius Slay and James Bradbury are beasts, Reed Blankenship is playing the best game of his life, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson is all over the place and Kyzyl White continues to enjoy a late-season comeback. . everyone played. They covered, tackled, pressured and hit. You couldn’t draw it better.
Four. What he’s doing is unprecedented in Eagles history, so I’ll have to give Blankenship his own observation here. I played football like never before. The undrafted Eagles’ rookie starter was in the 2003 NFC Championship Game, where he turned away Leno Mahe, opening in a 2RB set and he had no carry. game. So Blankenship is the first undrafted rookie to start and contribute to a playoff game for the Eagles, and that’s really impressive. I make up for it with determination and grit. Blankenship was not a preferred undrafted signing for the Eagles. They signed 12 undrafted rookies this year, but only one (linebacker Ali Fayyad) had a lower prize money guarantee. But when Chauncey Gardner-Johnson got injured, he was forced into action and played so well in his four late-season starts that he kept him on the field with a nickel and replaced Gardner-Johnson as a substitute. Unloading into the slot was easy. as Josiah Scott. Showing off his 23-year-old rookie out of the draft is a lot of confidence, but he’s paid off for his coaches since he started playing.
Five. Shane Steichen showed signs of escaping the running attack in the second half of the season, so it’s great to see him dial up early and frequently face the 27th-ranked Giants team against the run The Eagles’ 268 rushing yards is the second-most in postseason franchise history, just six yards behind their 274 rushing yards in the 1949 NFL championship game against the Rams in Los Angeles. A bunch of Kenny Gainwell and a scatter of Boston Scott. Sanders ran with tremendous perseverance and toughness, posting 90 yards on 17 carries, Gainwell was phenomenal, contributing 112 rushing yards on just 12 carries, and Scott added 32 rushing yards. added and scored his 11th touchdown against the Giants. The Eagles hit the Giants hard in December and repeated it on Saturday night. Consider this: In his 89 years, the first of the Eagles-Giants rivalry, the Eagles ran for 250 yards five times against the Giants. Now they’re doing it twice in seven weeks.
6. Dallas Goedert is about to go crazy. That could be the whole observation. He’s just a flatout stud. A clear highlight against the Giants was his one-handed touchdown catch, but he was trampling people and blocking his butt all night. He achieved his 1 TD on his 5-for-58. Those numbers are fine, but the stats just haven’t started to tell how dominant he was. The Giants wanted nothing to do with him. Really, every Eagles skill rep blocked Donkey on Saturday night. AJ Brown, Devonta Smith and Zach Pascal are all physical players who are just as happy to involve someone else in a big play as they are to get a big play themselves. It’s rare these days. A true team man.
7. It was the best game of the year for the Eagles offensive line. They played at an amazing level. all of them. They defended Hart, took a big hole in their back, and scored 38 points almost effortlessly. It was great to see Lane Johnson playing at a high level after what he went through. This his o-line finished the season without playing as expected, but this was a massive performance by all five of him.
8. Howie Roseman is very commendable for where this franchise is. It will be the first time in six years that the Eagles will host an NFC Championship game, with different quarterbacks and head coaches on both teams. Only 5 position players were playing. Howie had a lot of grief here, with many failures along the way, including Marcus Smith, Nellie, Fireman Danny, and Jalen Rieger. But he’s grown, learned, figured out a lot about himself and football, building his two Super Bowls his roster almost completely different in six years and winning his one at home. I’m here. It seemed crazy when Jeff Lurie put him back in the GM role when he fired Chip Kelly. They have won one bowl, appeared in two NFC Championship Games, and made the playoffs five times. Everything there has Howie Roseman’s fingerprints on it.
9. The Giants’ touchdown drive in the third quarter blew me away. They scored, but it was actually a concession speech. The Giants lost 28–0 midway through the third quarter of his game in the playoffs. Yes, they went into the end zone, but he conceded in eight of ten plays, leaving more than six minutes behind. Why on earth are they down the clock by 28 points in the third quarter? The Giants were so scared to throw the ball that they basically conceded the game even though they scored. Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka have done a great job this year, but the ball he’s in control and he can’t come back from a 28 point deficit. It was embarrassing.
Ten. Three of the last four head coaches hired by Jeff Lurie, Andy Reid, Doug Pederson and Siriani, reached the NFC Championship Game by their third year. It’s unreal. The Eagles have reached seven NFC title games since his 2001. Only the Patriots (13) have reached seven or more in the same period. It may not be the gold standard, but it’s a hot topic.
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