The New York Giants have finally exorcised their NFC East demons. With a brisk display by first-year quarterback Jaxson Dart, the Giants ended an eight-game divisional losing streak by easily defeating the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles by a decisive margin of 34-17 on Thursday night, October 9, at MetLife Stadium.
In his first appearance in the league, Dart seemed anything but timid in his first start against a rival within the division.
He easily picked apart the Eagles defense with 195 yards in 17 out of 25 passes and a single touchdown.
More to the point, he gave a new momentum to the Giants offense, powered by his legs, rushing 60 yards and one point on 10 attempts.
As a result of his performance, Dart became one of the only three quarterbacks in the history of the Super Bowl to have at least 50 yards rushing in the first three starts of their careers, along with Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts.
Three-time rookie running back Cam Skattebo added to the effort of Dart with three TD runs.
The second half saw a change in momentum of the game. The defense of the Giants took over after a dropped pass by Eagles QB Jalen Hurts to a wide open DeVonta Smith on the first drive of the third quarter.
They drove three subsequent punts and then cornerback Cor'Dale Flott clinched the win with a colossal 68-yard interception of Hurts during the fourth quarter that kept the Eagles out of the scoreline in the second half.
To the Eagles (4-2) the defeat is a concern. Existing on the hope that a loss in Week 5 would start the team on a downward spiral, they were instead defeated in every aspect by a team that was less talented.
The red-zone pick by Flott was the first interception Hurts made in the season and this indicated an error-prone night.
The defense was also weak in containing Dart because they did not learn the lessons of the last games against mobile quarterbacks.
The Giants (2-4) have now scored TDs on their first two drives in two straight games, the first time in the franchise since 1978.
Their rookie quarterback gives them the convincing victory which gives them a momentum-booster as they head to encounter the Denver Broncos in Week 7.
