Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

At the half: Vinny Curry comes to Eagles' rescue after strange Doug Pederson decision backfires

Depleted defense stands tall at the goal line, Eagles lead 7-0

Giants running back Orleans Darkwa is stopped short of the goal line on by Eagles defensive end Vinnie Curry and his teammates.
Giants running back Orleans Darkwa is stopped short of the goal line on by Eagles defensive end Vinnie Curry and his teammates.Read more(Yong Kim/Staff Photographer)

A huge goal-line stand, led on fourth down by Vinny Curry, preserved a 7-0 Eagles halftime lead in a strange game that saw Darren Sproles (wrist), Fletcher Cox (calf) and Jordan Hicks (ankle) leave the field for the locker room.

The Eagles' offense started off terribly, going sack, short run, completion short of sticks twice. But the defense made a pair of big third-down stops, including Malcolm Jenkins knifing into the backfield and dropping Paul Perkins for a loss on third and 1 at the far edge of field goal range.

Next possession, the Eagles' offense finally clicked. Eighteen plays, 90 yards, nine minutes and 34 seconds, 12 designed runs, much to the crowd's delight. LeGarrette Blount (six first-half carries, 35 yards), bulled in from a yard out.

The Eagles were driving from deep in their territory again, after rookie Rasul Douglas in intercepted Eli Manning at the 4. The home team was piling up first downs, when Carson Wentz missed an open Alshon Jeffery on a TD bomb. That blunted the drive. But for some reason, Pederson decided to go for it on fourth and 8 (yes, 8, e-i-g-h-t) on the Giants' 43. Carson Wentz was sacked, and New York, which had been playing dink and dunk to counteract the Eagles' pass rush, had 2:29 and a short field to try to tie it.

It looked as if the Giants had done that when Manning hit Sterling Shepard and the officials signaled TD with 28 seconds left, but review showed Shepard never quite got the ball over the line.

Two tries from the one-inch line, Shepard couldn't take a catch to the ground, then Perkins was smothered behind the line, Curry leading the charge.

Wentz was 8 for 12 for 71 yards in the first half.

Get insights on the Eagles delivered straight to your inbox with Early Birds, beat writer Zach Berman's new twice-weekly newsletter for Eagles fans. Click here to sign up.