Giants vs. Eagles score: Jalen Hurts stumbles as New York 'D' rides four turnovers to ugly NFC East victory

This one wasn't pretty for either side

The Giants didn't play a pretty game on Sunday while hosting the division rival Eagles, but fortunately for them, Philadelphia had an even uglier outing. Looking to win their third straight in a bid for relevance in the NFC Wild Card picture, the Eagles instead stumbled all over themselves, turning the ball over four times behind a dysfunctional day for Jalen Hurts through the air. New York, meanwhile, capitalized on the miscues with just enough from Daniel Jones and Co., claiming a 13-7 home upset to muddy the NFC East further.

Here are some immediate takeaways from Sunday's sloppy Giants victory:

Why the Giants won

They were the lesser of two evils? No disrespect to Joe Judge's squad, but neither team seemed too interested in winning this game. In all seriousness, though, the Giants' defense deserves most of the credit here. Patrick Graham's unit had trouble stopping the run pretty much anytime the Eagles decided to keep it on the ground, but his secondary was lights-out against Jalen Hurts' passing "attack," picking off three passes and nearly snagging another two or three, while also recovering a fumble in crunch time. Julian Love and Xavier McKinney were particularly active on the back end. Offensively, Daniel Jones and Co. practically begged the Eagles to come back by failing to finish drives or control the clock late, but Jones still managed a couple of key throws -- including back-to-back first downs to Kenny Golladay and a highlight-reel dump-off to tight end Chris Myarick -- to keep the G-Men in front.

Why the Eagles lost

Hurts fell apart. Sounds simple, but that's easily the biggest reason Philly failed on the road. On the ground, No. 1 was dynamic as usual, nearly willing the Eagles to victory with his legs. Through the air, however, he lacked timing, rhythm, touch -- everything -- after a promising second series ended with a pick near the red zone. Jalen Reagor didn't help matters with a few blatant drops, including one on fourth-and-10 that could've won the game. Neither did Boston Scott coughing up the ball late despite gaining steam as Miles Sanders' relief. Defensively, the Eagles never really bowed down to New York despite entering halftime with a 10-0 deficit, keeping pressure on Jones to stay in contention. But their efforts were largely negated by their own offense's shortcomings.

Turning point

Down six with 2:54 to go, the Eagles looked primed to steal a game they didn't deserve, proceeding all the way to midfield after a couple of quick gains on passes to Reagor and handoffs to Scott. But then Scott lost control of the ball with just 1:39 to play, and the Giants recovered, delaying their comeback attempt. New York returned possession pretty quickly, but the Eagles were just a bit too rushed on their final series as a result of their final turnover, with Hurts nearly throwing a couple more picks to close things out.

Play of the game

Not even Giants fans would've predicted a huge TD catch for Myarick, but his concentration to haul in a bobbled pass ended up being a deciding factor in a one-score game, extending New York's lead to 10-0 ahead of halftime:

What's next

The Giants (4-7), one step closer to getting out of the NFC East basement, will hit the road in Week 13 to take on the Dolphins (5-7), who routed the Panthers on Sunday. The Eagles (5-7), meanwhile, will return to East Rutherford to match up with the Jets (3-8), who survived the Texans in Week 12.

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@Giants via Twitter
November 28, 2021, 9:52 PM
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@Giants via Twitter
November 28, 2021, 9:52 PM
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@Giants via Twitter
November 28, 2021, 9:31 PM
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@Giants via Twitter
November 28, 2021, 9:30 PM
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@Giants via Twitter
November 28, 2021, 9:30 PM
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Jalen Hurts forces one over the middle on third-and-10, with Xavier McKinney reading the route and nearly picking it off crossing over Jalen Reagor. So it's fourth-and-10, with 25 seconds left, and Hurts scrambles before lobbing it to the end zone. Reagor is there and actually gets his hands on the ball but lets it go right through his hands. Bad drop in a bad spot. Eagles fall to the Giants, 13-7.

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@Eagles via Twitter
November 28, 2021, 9:00 PM
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@Giants via Twitter
November 28, 2021, 9:00 PM
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Jalen Hurts gets away with what could've been a fourth pick, just chucking it deep down the left sideline to Jalen Reagor. Ball was actually on target but bounced off Reagor's helmet and into the arms of Julian Love before hitting the ground.

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Back-to-back dump-offs to a wide-open Kenny Gainwell put the Eagles inside the Giants' 40.

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The Eagles have 71 seconds to go 59 yards and try to win this game. They've been sloppy all day, but everything comes down to this.

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Daniel Jones is stuffed on a designed run to set up third-and-11. With a chance to seal the win by picking up a first, he rolls out to his left but just takes another sack. He at least forces the Eagles to use their final timeout, but the loss pushes them back and confirms Philly will have at least one more shot to win this game. Punt forthcoming.

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Oh my goodness. The Eagles seem to be establishing some momentum, with Jalen Hurts firing one to DeVonta Smith for a first and then Boston Scott bursting up the middle on an option run. But then the ball pops right out of Scott's hands during his run -- right into the arms of the Giants' Julian Love. New York takes over, and the Eagles will be forced to expend all three of their timeouts to try to get the ball back.

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Incredible coverage by Avonte Maddox on the third-and-7, with Daniel Jones firing one to Pharoh Cooper but Maddox breaking it up with his arm. Graham Gano hits the field goal to close the drive, and now New York leads this one 13-7. So it comes down to this: can the Eagles successfully pull off a touchdown drive? With 2:54 left, that seems to be their only option. The biggest problem for them: they've basically only moved the ball on the ground.

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@Giants via Twitter
November 28, 2021, 8:40 PM
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Daniel Jones having a really solid drive here. Uses his legs to roll out and basically force Chris Myarick open, then dumps it off perfectly to move the chains and approach the red zone. Giants controlling the clock and the game as the clock ticks below four minutes.

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Daniel Jones finally connects with Kenny Golladay, this time across the middle on a third-and-short for 17. That's an important pickup to keep the ball in the Giants' hands. Clock ticking under eight minutes in the fourth, and New York is trying to extend a 10-7 lead. Jones finds Golladay again right afterward, adding nearly another 20 yards.

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Patrick Graham's unit comes up strong on third down, with the Giants collapsing the pocket and sacking Jalen Hurts to force a punt. Huge stop, and the Eagles' comeback attempt will have to wait.

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Story of the Eagles' increasing dependence on the run:

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Giants are just begging the Eagles to steal this ugly game. They get the ball back after allowing the long TD drive, and Daniel Jones can't find anyone. A short run goes nowhere on first, then Jones is off-target to Kenny Golladay and flushed out on third. Philly stepping up since the mid-third quarter.

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