The Eagles are preparing for a Week 17 finale against the New York Giants. They currently control what their future holds, as a win means they will secure a NFC East title and host a playoff game next week, while a loss puts them at risk at missing the playoffs completely.
The team is preparing for a third straight season-sweep (and five of six season sweeps) over the Giants, which shows that Philadelphia has had New York's number for quite some time. There have been plenty of players over the years who stepped up their play when the Giants were on the field. In this article we will take a look at Eagles of past and present who have earned the title of "Giants Killers."
Joe Scarpati
He only played against them four time, but he came up big in those game, picking off a total of four passes. In a game in 1966, Scarpati picked three passes off, which is still tied for the 2nd-most in a game in Eagles history.
Nick Foles
He wasn't given many games against them, but the few times he did face the Giants Nick Foles played lights out. In three games he was under center, the Eagles went 3-0, while Foles threw for 682 yards and eight touchdowns with just two interceptions.
DeSean Jackson
This is the obvious one. Of course the most memorable moment in Eagles-Giants history (at least for a Philadelphians point-of-view) is The Miracle at the New Meadowlands, when DeSean Jackson recorded the only walk-off punt return touchdown in NFL history. That wasn't the only game against the Giants where Jackson came up big. He also had a game in 2009 where he recorded six receptions for 178 receiving yards and a touchdown (also 83 punt return yards and a punt return touchdown). In 18 regular season games against the Giants, Jackson has 69 receptions for 1,109 receiving yards and six touchdowns, and has also added one rushing touchdown and two punt return touchdowns.
Brian Westbrook
Westbrook made a big splash in the rivalry pretty early in his career. In 2003 (his third game against the Giants), he recorded one of the other miracles that happened over the Giants when he returned a punt for a touchdown late in the 4th-Quarter of a tied game to secure a victory. Westbrooks was solid overall all-time against the Giants. In 12 regular games against them, he recorded 841 rushing yards (70/game) and added seven rushing touchdowns. He also caught 46 passes for 462 yards and five receiving scores. In the two playoff games against New York he recorded 204 all-purpose yards and one rushing touchdown.
Herm Edwards
Who could forget that magical play at the Meadowlands that still haunts Giants fans to this day? The Miracle at the Meadowlands happened in 1978, and for seven years after that play Edwards still terrorized New York whenever the Eagles played them. In total Edwards played in 18 games against the Giants with the Eagles, recording seven interceptions and two touchdowns.
Jake Elliott
Yes, a kicker can be considered a Giant killer too. He burst onto the rivalry's scene in 2017 with a 61-yard game-winning field goal as time expired (longest kick in Eagles history). That kick propelled the Eagles to a 2-1 record early in the year and sparked a run that put the Eagles at 13-3 and an eventual Super Bowl title. Elliott has performed well in his other games against New York, making 10 of his 13 field goals in five games against them (The Eagles are also 5-0 in those games).
LeSean McCoy
In 12 games, he recorded 1,036 rushing yards on 199 attempts, good for a 5.2 YPC margin. He also added 42 receptions for 254 yards.
Harold Jackson
In seven games, he registered 695 yards and four touchdowns. In four of those seven games he recorded more than 125 receiving yards. Jackson's 194 yard gains against the Giants in 1970 are still the 9th-most in a game in Eagles history.
Zach Ertz
Ertz always seems to show up in rivalry games. In 13 games against the Giants, Ertz has caught 70 passes for 807 yards and seven touchdowns. He ha recorded at least one touchdown in the last five games against the Giants.
Tommy McDonald
McDonald caught 58 passes for 1,145 yards and 12 touchdowns in 15 games against the Giants. His best performance was in 1961, when he set the Eagles record for most receiving yards in a game with 237 yards. The record still holds till this day.
Eli Manning
Yes, the starting quarterback of the Giants for 15 seasons was a Giant killer himself. In 31 regular season games against the Eagles, Manning's teams have produced just a 10-21 record with him under center. In those 31 games, Manning threw 34 interceptions. When he had chances to redeem himself against the Birds in the postseason, Manning faltered again -- he posted an 0-2 record and threw three interceptions.
