PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts threw a touchdown to lineman Len Johnson, linebacker Alex Singleton returned an interception for a score and the Philadelphia Eagles sealed their late-season playoff with a 34-10 win over the New York Giants on Sunday. The push continued.
The Eagles (8–7) started the season after losing five out of seven, winning six out of eight and moving into the seventh playoff spot in the NFC. They could make it to the playoffs next week with a win and some help.
The Eagles can only hope they don't play the final two games without running back Miles Sanders after leaving the game with an unspecified arm injury.
The Hearts stormed into a disappointing first half and won the season opener for the first time to push the Eagles above .500 for 199 yards and two touchdowns.
The Eagles scored 31 points in the second half, none quite as good as a 4-yard pass from Hearts to Johnson in the fourth, which made it 27-3. Johnson, the standout right tackle, was reported as qualified and was left alone when the Hearts hit him for an easy score. Johnson, who missed three games this season to stave off depression and anxiety, became the first Eagles lineman to score a TD since 2010.
Mike Glennon, playing after selling Jake Froome in his first NFL debut, was taken a pass by Singleton and returned 29 yards to score. The route was on in Philly.
Froome's first pass of the second half was intercepted by safety Rodney McLeod and Boston Scott punched in a 3-yard touchdown for a 10-3 lead. Hurts struck Devonta Smith in the second half for a strangely sequenced 4-yard touchdown, in which Replay reversed the call, only for another call for Replay to restore the score.
Froome started with the Giants (4-11), who had little choice when Daniel Jones was ruled out for the season due to a neck sprain. Froome went 6 of 17 for 25 yards and an interception before being pulled for Glennon late in the third. Fromm's passer rating was just 19.5.
The first half was played by both teams with the significance of a meaningless preseason finale. easy drop. rumble. A missed field target. Harts and Froome combined for 5 in the first 17 quarters - each with the same 39.6 QB rating.
The short rest may have affected the Hearts and Eagles early on. The Eagles beat Washington just five days earlier on Tuesday due to a postponement necessitated by COVID-19 issues. Hurts is still recovering from a sprained left ankle, and the QB who had already run for more than 700 yards this season only ran 1 yard in the half.
Fromm threw only 18 yards in the half. Glennon bowled a touchdown late in the game.
The usually steady Jake Elliott broke a streak of 17 straight field goals when he missed 41-yards. Graham Gano kicked 54-yards—only 22 yards off New York's total first-half offensive output—and Elliott kicked 22-yards to send the game to a 3-all tied Kicked.
Elliott later added a 37-yard field goal for a 13-3 lead.
SANDERS OUT
Sanders entered with 709 yards rushing and added another 45 in the first half before he left with an unspecified hand injury.
Sanders has yet to rush for a touchdown this season, but was coming off easily his best two outings of the season. He ran for 120 yards in a win over the Jets and followed up with a career-high 131 yards against Washington.
SIRIANNI IN
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni was cleared in time after he tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday.
UP NEXT
Giants: Sunday at Chicago.
Eagles: Sunday at Washington.