Eagles’ Ground Game Overwhelms Giants As Philly Takes Control Of NFC East With 27-17 Win

McCoy ran loose for a 50-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-one to break this game wide open. A 2-point conversion from Vick to Avant sealed the score and made it 24-17.

The drive was a massive fourteen-play drive that began at the team’s own 14. What began with big chunks of yards gained on each play became a war of attrition as the Eagles moved down the field via short gains and penalties.

The NFL is going to have an interesting decision to make this week in regards to the helmet-to-helmet hit that Eagles corner Asante Samuel delivered Sunday night to Giants receiver Derek Hagan. On a second quarter pass that Hagan caught in the flat, Samuel clearly leads with his helmet and strikes Hagan in the head.

The play was flagged for a personal foul penalty. Samuel is almost certain to at least be fined for the hit, though the fact that he celebrates after what is clearly an illegal hit might prompt the league office to take further disciplinary action against Samuel. Since the league has imposed its stronger emphasis on helmet hits, there have been a few instances where such hits had been penalized, but none of them featured the offending player celebrating as brazenly. Whether Samuel shows remorse after the game could be critical to whether the league opts to make an example of him and make Samuel the first player to receive a suspension by dint of the new emphasis. It might sound extreme to some, but the league made it clear that suspensions were an option for flagrant cases of helmet shots.

Just as the Giants corralled Michael Vick for a sack to get the ball back midway through the second quarter with a chance to take the lead, the New York offense began to come undone.

First, Ahmad Bradshaw coughed up the ball deep in his own territory. The Eagles turned that into their first field goal of the game. The Giants turnovers didn’t stop there. Asante Samuel jumped a route deep in New York territory to set the Eagles up again in prime position for a score.

Vick has led the Eagles to two straight wins and a 6-3 record because of his patience in the pocket, and the team is 4-0 in game’s in which Vick has started and finished. He hasn’t thrown an interception or lost a fumble and is the highest-rated passer in the NFL (115.1).

Becoming the first player in NFL history to pass for 300 yards, rush for 50 yards, throw four touchdown passes and rush for two touchdowns all in the same game is quite a feat. Head coach Andy Reid was appreciative of the effort.