Eagles Ride Backups To 14th Win, Beat Giants And Turn Attention To Playoffs

The Philadelphia Eagles got a strong outing from third-string quarterback Tanner McKee in besting New York, 20-13, to finish regular-season at 14-3.

Jan 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Ainias Smith (82) reacts after his touchdown catch against the New York Giants during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA – It was terribly cold for a preseason game, but that’s because it was January and not August. On a windy Sunday afternoon that struggled to get out of the 20s at Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles emptied their bench, not wanting to risk any injury to one of their starters after being locked into the No. 2 seed in the upcoming playoffs.

So, the used as many backups as they had to spare against the Giants in Week 18’s regular-season finale.

The result was their franchise-recor- tying 14th win, this one a 20-13 win over a New York team that finishes a most disappointing season with a whopping three victories.

They finished with as many losses (14) as wins posted by the Eagles, who wrapped up a 14-3 season and now turn their attention to next weekend’s wildcard playoff game. It was the second time in the last three years that Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has guided Philly to a 14-win season.

Third-string quarterback Tanner McKee stepped in and led the Eagles on a scoring drive on the Eagles’ first offensive possession, tossing a 15-yard touchdown to rookie Ainias Smith. He would throw another TD, this one from seven yards to E.J. Jenkins to give Philly a 17-3 lead early in the fourth quarter.

After going up 20-13 with 1:46 to play, safety Sydney Brown’s interception with 24 seconds to play ended it. It was a fitting play for Brown, whose season has been hampered by a concussion and a late start to the season due to rehabbing an ACL injury suffered in last year’s regular-season finale at the Giants.

Now, it’s on to a more meaningful game next week when the No. 7 seed Green Bay Packers visit Lincon Financial Field on a day and time to still be determined after Sunday night’s game between the Lions and Vikings.

TURNING POINT

Giants penalties. New York defensive end Boogie Basham jumped offsides on a fourth-and-three try from New York’s 41. Not long after, New York’s other defensive end, Kayvon Thibodeaux, roughed quarterback Kenny Pickett on third-and-11 with 1:46 to go in the game to give the Eagles a first down to allow them to run more clock and kicked a 32-yard field goal with 47 seconds to play to make the score 20-13. Thibodeaux’s penalty would have put the Eagles in a fourth-and-6 situation from the 32.

STUDS

Tanner McKee. Early in the game, the quarterback threw for a 15-yard TD. It was his third touchdown pass on his first career seven throws dating back to last week when he threw two touchdowns on just four attempts. He finished 27-for-42 with 269 yards, two TDs, and a passer rating of 100.6, targeting 11 different players.

Ainias Smith. He caught one pass, but it was for a 15-yard touchdown, and because it was the first of his career, he gets a spot on this list. Both Eagles rookies – Smith and Johnny Wilson – caught a touchdown pass this season. Smith finished with 35 yards on four catches and ran once for four yards that picked up a first down.

E.J. Jenkins. Like Smith, Jenkins scored his first career touchdowns. It was also the undrafted free agent’s first NFL catch. It came from seven yards away and gave the Eagles a 17-3 lead.

Dallas Goedert. The tight end played the first quarter and showed he is ready for next week’s playoff game, catching four passes for 55 yards in his limited work.

Kelee Ringo. The punt team gunner hustled downfield to make a stop on a 59-yard punt before New York’s returner could get started. Ringo also played well at cornerback, making four tackles.

Jan 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Isaiah Rodgers (34) and safety Sydney Brown (21) break up a pass play to New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Jeremiah Trotter and Oren Burks. The Eagles' backup linebackers stepped in where Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean left off, going 1-2 in tackles to lead the team. Burks had 17 tackles; Trotter had 11.

Isaiah Rodgers. The cornerback had a 51-yard kickoff return to give the Eagles the ball just 43 yards away from the end zone to start the second half. The good field position was wasted with three runs by Will Shipley and an incomplete pass on fourth-and-two.

DUDS

Jake Elliott. It’s time to worry again about the usually reliable kicker, who hasn’t been that much of the season. He missed from 39 yards that would have opened Philly’s lead to 10-0 early in the second quarter. It was his first miss of the season from 30 to 39 yards this season. Not a good way to go into the postseason.

Braden Mann. The punter returned to kickoff duties after being relieved by Jake Elliott last week when Mann struggled to reach the end zone against Washington a week earlier. Like it was in Washington that day, it was cold at the Linc, and his kickoffs suffered. His second one was booted out of bounds. He also had a 23-yard net punt midway through the fourth quarter that set up the Giants at Philly’s 38.

Nick Gates. The backup center had too many high snaps that the 6-6 Tanner McKee had to jump for, disrupting the timing of the play. One snap sailed over McKee’s head, putting Philly in a second-and-24 situation, though they were able to dig out of that hole. In fairness, Gates is more of a natural guard than center.

Backup offensive line. The Eagles couldn’t run the ball, finishing with just 51 yards. Their starting five helped the Eagles lead the league in rushing, averaging 187.3 yards per game.

Third-down conversions. The Eagles were 3-for-14, though made two of three fourth-down tries.

More NFL: Eagles Defender Changing Narrative, Beats Fletcher Cox To Pro Bowl