Carson Wentz and Jordan Matthews failed to hook up on a fourth-down end-zone fade, leaving the New York Giants (5-3) with a 28-23 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles (4-4) in Week 9. Here's what we learned:
- It was fitting that Philadelphia's chances came down to fourth-and-10 in the red zone. In addition to a blocked Caleb Sturgis field-goal attempt, the Eagles left six points on the board when coach Doug Pederson eschewed a pair of easy field-goal attempts, opting to run the ball on fourth down instead. Pederson explained to FOX's Erin Andrews at halftime that he wanted to set an aggressive tone and would continue that mode of attack in the second half. The aggressiveness finally paid off with a fourth-and-nine conversion that led to a field goal in the fourth quarter, but it was ultimately too little too late.
- The Eagles moved the ball better than they have in a month, but spent the afternoon playing catchup after Carson Wentz unfurled interceptions under pressure on Philadelphia's first two possessions. After completing fewer deep passes than any other quarterback the past two weeks, Wentz dialed up seven different plays of 20 or more yards versus the Giants, resulting in a career-high 364 passing yards. The majority of the damage was done by Matthews and the tight-end duo of Zach Ertz and Trey Burton, as young wideouts Nelson Agholor and Dorial Green-Beckham continued to struggle in the playmaking department. Although the Eagles handily won the yardage battle (443-302), it's telling that they couldn't muster a single yard in the red zone after Connor Barwin and Jordan Hicks combined on a spectacular play to put the ball in Wentz's hands with the game on the line.
- Eli Manning generated as many touchdown passes (four) as the previous four games combined, but that's not to suggest the Giants have solved their offense's recent woes. Following Sterling Shepard's 32-yard touchdown grab on the first possession of the third quarter, the final four second-half drives produced fewer than 50 yards combined. An already inept ground attack that has failed to top 60 yards in any game over the past calendar month lost its best offensive lineman when guard Justin Pugh went down with a knee sprain. The G-Men might be in sole possession of second place in the NFC East, but the running game and lack of a pass rush on defense remain red flags.
- Second-year Giants star Landon Collinscontinues to rival Arizona's Tony Jefferson as the premier playmaking box safety in the league. In addition to a game-high 12 tackles, Collins added an interception and a sack, augmenting his already strong Pro Bowl case.
- After failing to pull off a deadline trade for a proven deep threat such as San Francisco's Torrey Smith, the Eagles opted to audition former Cal speedster Bryce Treggs in the role. The undrafted rookie hauled in a 58-yard bomb off play-action and was targeted deep down the sideline in the fourth quarter. Expect him to be utilized as a situational downfield threat going forward.
