Giants Country

NFC East Week 13 Wrap-up: Backup QBs Deliver for Eagles, WFT but Fail for Giants

Let's run down the latest action and standings in the NFC East from Week 13.

Patricia Traina

NFL

Dallas Cowboys (8-4, 1st Place)

The Taysom Hill-led New Orleans Saints were no match for the Dallas Cowboys, who, despite missing some coaches (including head coach Mike McCarthy) due to COVID-19, emerged with a 27-17 win on Thursday night.

Hill, the Saints' utility player, threw two touchdowns, but it was his four interceptions that were back breakers, including two of which led to 10 points for the first-place Cowboys and one of which was a 29-yard return by Calvin Watkins in the fourth quarter to widen Dallas' lead.

The game was not without its share of controversies. in the third quarter, the Saints, on a 1st-and-10 from their 21-yard line, were called for a phantom blindside block which the NFL reportedly agreed was an incorrect call according to the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Regardless, the 10-yard penalty pushed the Saints back to their 10-yard line and put them in a 1st-and-21 hole. They were unable to do so, and after punting the ball away to the Cowboys, Dallas began what would be a four-play scoring drive capped by a 58-yard touchdown run by running back Tony Pollard, a score that was the difference in the Cowboys' 27-17 win.

Up Next: at Washington

Draft Position: No. 25

Washington Football Team (6-6, 2nd Place)

The Washington Football Team won its fourth game in a row with a 17-15 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. 

The Football Team took an immediate 7-0 lead on a 7-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke to tight end Logan Thomas and held onto the lead until 2:22 left when Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson's 27-yard field goal gave the home team a temporary 15-14 lead. 

The Raiders' lead was short-lived as the Football Team's kicker, rookie Brian Johnson who had been signed the Tuesday before the game, booted a 48-yarder with 37 seconds left to seal the win. 

The Raiders scoring consisted of three field goals and a 1-yard touchdown run by Josh Jacobs. Heinicke threw two touchdown passes to Thomas and a 4-yard pass to running back Antonio Gibson to make it 14-6 early in the fourth quarter.

The Football Team's four-game win streak is the second such streak in as many seasons under head coach Ron Rivera and is the longest win streak in the NFC.

Up Next: Dallas Cowboys

Draft Position: No. 20 

Philadelphia Eagles (6-7, 3rd Place)

Eagles backup quarterback Gardner Minshew turned quite a few heads Sunday as he led Philadelphia to seven straight lengthy scoring drives in a 33-18 win over the New York Jets.

Minshew, playing for the injured Jalen Hurts (ankle), finished 20 of 25 for 242 yards and two touchdowns to tight end Dallas Goedert. Kicker Josh Elliott added four field goals of 31, 32, 43, and 46 yards, and running back Kenneth Gainwell added the other Eagles score with an 18-yard touchdown run. The Eagles also overcame three fumbles, one by Minshew, receiver Jalen Reagor and center Nate Herbig.

The game was kept close during the first half, with the Eagles taking a 24-18 lead. But in the second half, it was all Eagles as Elliot's leg added the remaining six points of the game, one of those scores following an interception by safety Marcus Epps of a pass by Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson that set up the final Eagles scoring drive.   

Following their Week 14 bye, the Eagles will close out the 2021 season with four straight games against divisional opponents, starting with Washington in Week 15.

Up Next: Bye Week

Draft Position:  No. 12, No. 13 (Miami), No. 17 (Indianapolis)

New York Giants (4-8, 4th Place)

The Giants proved it didn't matter who the play-caller was or who was under center, as the offense recorded its third straight game with under 15 points, two of those being losses, including this week's 20-9 loss to the Miami Dolphins. 

Besides having a sluggish offense that for the fourth week in a row recorded less than 264 net yards of offense, the Giants offense, missing starting quarterback Daniel Jones (neck) this week, experienced the same problems as it has all year long. These included red zone struggles (0-1), turnovers (one interception), dropped passes at critical times (2, both by running back Saquon Barkley), and inept blocking by the offensive line.

Meanwhile, on defense, the Giants allowed Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to dink-and-dunk his way down the field to the tune of 244 passing yards on 30 completions (out of 41 attempts) with two touchdowns. The Dolphins also added 68 rushing yards on 25 carries as the Giants defensive back seven did not have one of its better days.

Although the Giants are still mathematically alive for a playoff berth, they have yet to string together back-to-back wins this season as they continue to fight both injuries and their own ineptness.  

Up Next: at Los Angeles Chargers

Draft Position: No. 6 (via Chicago), No. 7

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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