Eagles–Giants rivalry
The Eagles–Giants rivalry is a National Football League rivalry between the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. The rivalry began in 1933 with the founding of the Eagles, and slowly strengthened when both teams came to relative prominence in the 1940s and 1950s. The two teams have played in the same division in the NFL every year since 1933, making it the second-oldest rivalry in the NFC East division, behind only New York's rivalry with the Washington Redskins. The ferocity of the rivalry can also be attributed to the geographic New York-Philadelphia rivalry, which is mirrored in Major League Baseball's Mets–Phillies rivalry and the National Hockey League's Flyers–Rangers rivalry. It is ranked by NFL Network as the number one rivalry of all-time and Sports Illustrated ranks it amongst the top ten NFL rivalries of all-time at number four, and according to ESPN, it is one of the fiercest and most well-known rivalries in the football community.
The overall series is currently led by the Philadelphia Eagles, 88–86–2. The Eagles and Giants have met in the playoffs four times, with each team winning twice.
Notable rivalry moments
- In a 1960 game, the Eagles' Chuck Bednarik cleanly blindsided Giants running back Frank Gifford, sending Gifford into an 18-month retirement due to a severe concussion.
- On November 19, 1978 at Giants Stadium, the Giants were leading the Eagles 17-12 with 20 seconds remaining. Offensive coordinator Bob Gibson called for a running play when all that was needed was for the Giants to take a knee. The handoff between quarterback Joe Pisarcik and Larry Csonka was fumbled and Eagles cornerback Herman Edwards grabbed the loose ball and returned it for the winning score. This play is commonly referred to as The Miracle at the Meadowlands by Eagles fans and just "The Fumble" by Giants fans.
- In 1981, both the Giants and the defending NFC champion Eagles qualified for playoff berths. The Eagles hosted the Giants on December 27 in a wild card game. The Giants, led by quarterback Scott Brunner and head coach Ray Perkins, took a 20-0 lead in the first quarter. The Eagles rallied but never led and the Giants held on to win 27-21. The game ended with Scott Brunner kneeling down on the ball, which was revenge for the Joe Pisarcik game some three years earlier. The Giants would go on to lose to the San Francisco 49ers, the eventual Super Bowl XVI champions, 38-24.
- The 1988 NFL Season saw both teams competing for the NFC East title. On November 20, 1988, the Giants hosted the Eagles with both teams in the running for control over their division. The Eagles, led by head coach Buddy Ryan and quarterback Randall Cunningham, fought a tough match to bring the game into overtime with the score tied at 17-17. In overtime, Eagles defensive lineman Clyde Simmons carried the ball 15 yards after a blocked Eagles field goal attempt for the game-winning touchdown, completing a season sweep of the Giants. Both teams finished with 10-6 records, but the Eagles won the NFC East due to their head-to-head victories, while the Giants lost the wild card tiebreaker to the Los Angeles Rams and missed the playoffs. The Eagles would lose to the Chicago Bears in a game famously known as the Fog Bowl.
- On December 18, 1994, the Giants beat the Eagles at Veterans Stadium, giving the Eagles their sixth consecutive loss of the season after a 7-2 start. This led to the firing of Philadelphia’s then-head coach Rich Kotite after the season’s conclusion.
- On October 31, 1999 at Veterans Stadium in overtime, Eagles' quarterback Doug Pederson had his pass blocked up in the air and was intercepted by Michael Strahan and returned for a 44-yard touchdown to win the game for the Giants 23-17.
- In Week 6 of the 2001 season, the Eagles broke a nine-game losing streak against the Giants. James Thrash caught the winning touchdown from Donovan McNabb in the fourth quarter.
- On January 7, 2001, the Giants defeated the Eagles 20-10 in a divisional playoff game with the help of Ron Dixon's 97-yard kickoff return and Jason Sehorn's acrobatic 32-yard interception return. This win helped propel the Giants to Super Bowl XXXV, which they lost to the Baltimore Ravens, 34-7.
- The two teams split their 2008 meetings. The Giants rallied to edge the Eagles in Philadelphia 36-31, then the Eagles stymied New York's offense en route to a 20-14 win in New York. They met again on January 11, 2009 in the 2008 NFC Divisional Playoffs in New York, and the #6 seeded Eagles defeated the top-seeded Giants 23-11, leaving the series tied 2-2 in the playoffs.
- On December 19, 2010, the Giants led the Eagles 31-10 with 7:28 left in the first game between the teams at New Meadowlands Stadium where first place in the NFC East was on the line. But the Eagles rallied to tie the score and then won the game on DeSean Jackson's 65 yard punt return for a touchdown with no time left on the clock for a 38-31 victory. The Elias Sports Bureau also believes that this is the first walk-off punt return in NFL history. The Giants missed the playoffs, despite finishing tied for first with the Eagles at 10-6, and the Eagles lost their last two games.
- On October 12, 2014, the Eagles authored their first shutout win in the series since 1996, winning 27-0. Quarterback Nick Foles threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns while he and three Eagles backs rushed for 203 yards, led by LeSean McCoy's 149 yards. The Giants failed on a fourth and goal attempt in the third quarter following a Foles interception; even worse, wide receiver Victor Cruz suffered a season-ending injury on the play. Eli Manning was held to 151 yards and backup Ryan Nassib connected for 60 yards.
- On September 24, 2017 in Philadelphia, kicker Jake Elliott booted a 61-yard field goal to beat the New York Giants with no time on the clock for the final play of the game, resulting in a 27–24 victory. Previously regarded as nothing more than a replacement kicker for injured Caleb Sturgis, the kick earned Elliot NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors, cementing him as a strong kicking option for the 2017 Eagles. Elliot's kick set an Eagles' franchise record for longest field goal, tied for the 7th-longest field goal in NFL history, and was the longest since November 2015. Elliot helped the Eagles to their first Super Bowl victory later that season in Super Bowl LII.
Season-by-season results
Rivalry outside football
- The 2006 film Invincible follows Vince Papale and his rise to playing for the Eagles. He crushes on a coworker, who, being from New York, is a Giants fan, and in his breakout game, the Eagles play the Giants when he recovers a muffed punt for a touchdown.
- The 2009 film Big Fan depicts a Giants fan and his bitter rivalry with an Eagles fan.
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