Victor Cruz was one of the top breakout wide receivers in the NFL during the 2011 season. Not only did he give New York Giants fans a new player to root for, but Cruz helped several fantasy football owners get to their championship as he gained yardage and touchdowns throughout the season.

Five games stood out for Cruz as the chemistry between him and Eli Manning helped lead the Giants to multiple victories, the lead in the NFC east and playoff contention.

Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The Giants had something to prove when they headed into Philadelphia against their arch-rivals. In a 29-16 victory, Cruz caught for 110 total yards, including a 74 yard catch in the first quarter that led to an early 14-0 lead.

In the middle of the fourth quarter, Cruz caught his second touchdown in the game for 28 yards and a lead that the Giants would continue to grow with no matched points in the fourth.

Giants vs. Arizona Cardinals

After back to back wins against the Eagles and Ram, the Giants continued to roll into Arizona. Cruz had no touchdowns in the game, but he had six catches for 98 yards including a crucial third down catch that he ran for 13 yards. The drive led to a rushing touchdown by Brandon Jacobs.

Without the third down catch, the Cardinals may have beat the Giants and ended the win streak.

Giants vs. New England Patriots

The Giants love being the underdog and they certainly felt the pressure as they headed to New England to take on Tom Brady and the Patriots. Cruz had six catches for 91 yards in a similar performance to the game against the Cardinals. In the fourth quarter, Cruz was a part of the Giants drive that ended up with a Mario Manningham touchdown.

In the final minutes of the game, Cruz set up the pace for the game winning drive as he caught a 19 yard pass from Manning that brought the Giants up the field and eventually led to a Jake Ballard touchdown and upset victory over the Patriots.

Giants vs. Green Bay Packers

Even though the Giants lost to the Green Bay Packers in NFL Week 13, the offense was on fire all game. Cruz had seven catches in the game for a total of 119 yards. Late in the first quarter, he had a 42 yard catch that led to a field goal for the Giants.

Giants vs. New York Jets

In a battle same-city teams the Giants showed their dominance against the Jets. Victor Cruz was quiet for the most of the game except one key play that broke records and set up the Giants for victory. As the first half was winding down, the Giants were pinned at their own one yard line. Eli Manning shot a quick pass to Cruz. Cruz spun away from his opponent and turned the catch into a record 99 yard touchdown that was replayed on sports channels for days after and will go down as one of Cruz’s greatest catches.

Alan Donahue is a life-long New York Giants fan. He passionately follows the NFC East, plays in numerous fantasy football leagues and has written hundreds of sports articles.

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The loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday is now behind the Dallas Cowboys and now it is time to look ahead to the New York Giants. The Eagles loss means nothing in the grand scheme of things but the Giants game will mean everything.

The most important thing for the Cowboys, and this is especially true of the Eagles loss, is to come into the Giants’ matchup at 100-percent. That means that losing to the Eagles, because they rested Tony Romo and Felix Jones, was exactly the right decision. Dallas also has to hope that defensive players, like cornerback Mike Jenkins and linebackers Sean Lee and DeMarcus Ware are also ready to go.

Tony Romo

Tony Romo injured his hand on this second pass attempt of the Eagles’ game when he knocked it against the helmet of a rushing Jason Babin. It was really the closest that Babin, the NFL sack leader, got to a Dallas quarterback in the game, which says great things about that maligned offensive line.

X-rays were negative and the hand bruised and swelled. It is thought to be broken vessels in the hand but it should be healed and ready to go for the big Giants’ game. The hope is that there is no soreness in the hand. Romo has not thrown an interception since Week 12 against Miami and he has eight touchdown passes since that game.

Felix Jones

Felix Jones had back-to-back 100-yard games heading into the Eagles matchup. However, early in the week he showed up on the injury report with a tight hamstring. When this started is unknown, but once Romo left the game and Dallas learned the Giants won, they pulled Jones out to allow him to rest his leg. There should be no worries here as Jones averaged 6-yards a carry before leaving the game.

Mike Jenkins

Mike Jenkins has been battling injuries all season but Dallas needs him in the lineup against the Giants. With the playmakers that New York has, and Eli Manning able to throw the ball all over the field, the Cowboys secondary needs all the help it can get.

DeMarcus Ware

You can’t get Ware out of the lineup. Even after Dallas learned that the Giants won, and the Eagles game meant nothing, he remained in the game and finished with two more sacks, moving his total to 18 on the season. He has been dealing with a neck injury but has not missed a game. He needs two more sacks to tie his own personal best.

Sean Lee

Sean Lee injured his hand in the first game with Philadelphia. He missed one week and has been playing with a cast ever since. In this game, he injured his hamstring. He says he could have come back into the game but didn’t because of the Giants win. He finished with five tackles before leaving the game. He says he will be ready for the Giants.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys’ fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys’ related news, good or bad

Source: dallascowboys.com

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

It’s not hard to pinpoint the key matchup in Monday night’s game between the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants.

Both teams have made a strong emphasis this week on the battle between the Saints’ offensive line and the Giants’ defensive line, the two units that likely will determine both teams’ fates for the remainder of the season.

“Those one-on-one battles will be as challenging, if not more challenging, than any game we’ve played to date,” Saints Coach Sean Payton said of New York’s deep group of pass rushers, who arguably generate more pressure with their front four than any other team in the league.

“It’s always important to set the tone up front, but especially with these guys,” Saints guard Jahri Evans said. “Usually, if you allow a team to get pressure with just their front four guys, it’s going to be a long day.”

Conversely, Giants defensive end Justin Tuck knows the same will be true if they don’t get pressure up front against Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

“If you allow Drew Brees the opportunity to sit back there and go through his progressions, it’s going to be a long night,” Tuck told the New York media this week.

That New York media microscope has been closing in on the Giants’ defensive line this week. Although the Giants entered the week tied for the NFL lead with 31 sacks, 29 of which have come from their linemen or hybrid rusher Mathias Kiwanuka, they had a sluggish performance up front in last week’s 17-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Giants (6-4) only got one hit on Eagles quarterback Vince Young. And now they have just five sacks in the past three games.

That latest performance led to some vocal frustration this week. Defensive tackle Chris Canty described the Giants’ lack of intensity against the Eagles as “embarrassing.” And there is no doubt the guys up front will be determined to change their fortunes Monday night.

“You know they’re going to heat it up this week, because they’re going to take a lot of grief,” ESPN “Monday Night Football” analyst Ron Jaworski said.

That emotion is similar to how the Saints’ offensive linemen felt last month after they had maybe their worst performance in the Payton era during a lackluster loss at St. Louis. The Rams were able to generate consistent pressure with just their front four, while also shutting down the Saints’ running game.

Since then, the Saints’ offensive line has been determined not to let that happen again, as their standout performances against Tampa Bay and Atlanta attested. Brees was sacked six times at St. Louis, but he hasn’t been sacked in the past two games as the Saints have gone to 7-3.

“With all the sacks we gave up in that game, we feel like we can’t give up any more for the rest of the season,” said guard Carl Nicks, who said the Saints’ linemen feel like it’s their responsibility to set the tone.

“It’s absolutely up to the offensive line,” Nicks said. “Games are won in the trenches.”

Nicks admitted, however, that they’ll need some help Monday night against the Giants’ front four, with extra chip blocks from tight ends, tailbacks and fullbacks, as well as a successful running game to keep the defense from rushing the passer full force.

The Giants’ line is deep and versatile. They usually line up four defensive ends on passing downs, and even then they mix and match players.

Second-year end Jason Pierre-Paul has emerged as a dynamic pass rusher. He has 10.5 sacks as a part-time player, filling in as a starter for veterans Tuck and Osi Umenyiora while they battled earlier injuries.

Umenyiora, a two-time Pro Bowler, is back in prime form after having minor knee surgery late in the summer. He has seven sacks. Kiwanuka has 3.5 sacks from the linebacker, end and tackle positions. End Dave Tollefson has three sacks. Tuck has just two sacks while battling injuries and inconsistency.

All of them are a handful, though. Several Saints described the Giants’ pass rushers as “long,” “long-armed” and “strong” athletes who use their size and athleticism as well as their speed.

“I think they’re unique in the kind of guys that they have there,” Saints right tackle Zach Strief said. “They play with their hands well. And they don’t necessarily rush like a lot of teams do. Not just a John Abraham-type that’s going to try to beat you off the ball every snap. They play within the system, and they read and react, which is difficult because it’s unusual for us.”

The Saints handled that matchup quite well in 2009, when they allowed zero sacks while torching the Giants with their passing for a 48-27 rout. They know a repeat performance won’t be easy.

“I think they’re one of the most-talented groups in the NFL,” Brees said of the Giants’ defensive line. “They’re a pretty diverse group, extremely athletic, big, physical. This will be our toughest test of the year, for sure.”

The feeling is mutual.

•••••••

Mike Triplett can be reached at mtriplett@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3405.

Monday night’s marquee attraction features two of the NFC’s preseason prognostication darlings, only one of which can be happy about the way they’re playing. The New York Giants, losers of two consecutive games, head in to face the New Orleans Saints, coming off a bye week and sitting atop the NFC South with a 7-3 record.

Although New York is tied for the lead in the NFC East at 6-4, the Giants are somewhat restless, given consecutive defeats against the surprisingly stout 49ers and the puzzling Eagles.

Make no mistake: The Giants likely won’t be looking past New Orleans. New York faces the undefeated Green Bay Packers next week, while quarterback Eli Manning tries to fend off the New York media’s ceaseless questions about what’s wrong with the Giants.

Manning, a New Orleans native, has never beaten his hometown team. He has lost two games to the Saints, one at home in 2006 and the last one here in 2009.

GIANTS OFFENSE

The relationship Manning has in New York is much the same as it was for his father, Archie, in New Orleans — alternately revered and reviled, depending upon individual and collective weekly performances. One week, Eli is the same beloved quarterback who led the Giants to a Super Bowl championship. The next, he’s the one who’s criticized for losing to an underachieving Philadelphia team.

This season, Manning has thrown twice as many touchdowns (18) as interceptions (nine) and has New York’s passing offense ranked fifth in the NFL at 281.4 yards per game.

But the Giants’ running attack has provided no help and less balance. New York ranks 31st in the NFL in rushing offense, accumulating only 83.2 yards per game, with nine touchdowns.

Leading rusher Ahmad Bradshaw (440 yards, five touchdowns, 4.0 per-carry average) is out with a foot injury, leaving the heavy lifting for backup Brandon Jacobs, who has rushed for 274 yards on 90 carries, a 3-yard average, and three scores.

Bradshaw has missed the past three games, and likely will not return Monday night, despite Coach Tom Coughlin’s calling the Giants’ running attack “pathetic” after the 17-10 loss last Sunday night to the Eagles.

Manning has been sacked 19 times, and his offensive line had difficulty with the aggressive Eagles defense, which sacked him three times.

Receiver Victor Cruz has been Manning’s favored target this season, catching 46 passes for 800 yards, a 17.5 yards-per-catch average, and five touchdowns. Fourteen of Cruz’s receptions have gone for 20 yards or more, and he has accumulated 251 yards after catches.

GIANTS DEFENSE

Once the pride and backbone during the Giants’ glory years, this season New York’s defense is hovering in the bottom third of the league.

The Giants have the 21st-ranked defense in the NFL, 18th against the pass (allowing 239.1 yards per game) and 21st against the run (123 yards per game, a 4.5 per-carry average).

The scoring distribution is nearly identical — 12 touchdown passes allowed, 10 rushing scores.

New York has allowed 228 points this season, the same number as the Saints.

Bookend defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul (team-leading 10 sacks) and Osi Umenyiora (seven sacks) lead the charge up front, and the duo certainly can be a handful for an opposing offensive line. Umenyiora has been slowed by a knee injury, but was active against the Eagles, getting three tackles.

Throw in hard-rushing linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka, and the Giants, on paper at least, look to be a formidable challenge.

Yet, New York’s pass defense has been sporadic at best.

Although Eagles reserve quarterback Vince Young was intercepted three times last week, the Giants allowed Young to throw for 258 yards. This season, the New York pass defense has given up 36 completions of 20 yards or more, and a 60-plus yarder against the Eagles was obliterated by a taunting penalty on Philly receiver DeSean Jackson.

Former LSU cornerback Corey Webster has four interceptions for the Giants, along with cornerback Aaron Ross, who could be slowed this week by a left quadriceps contusion. But Webster is dangerous when he has possession of the football, with 55 return yards on his picks.

GIANTS SPECIAL TEAMS

From inside the 50-yard line, Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes is consistent. He has two misses in 12 attempts this season, one inside the 39, the other from beyond 50, and he has converted all 26 extra points.

Punter Steve Weatherford is familiar to Saints fans, having kicked here during the team’s first march to the NFC title game in 2006 and through 2008. Weatherford’s net average this season is 40.1 yards, against a 46.7 gross, and 16 of his 55 punts have been downed inside the 20-yard line.

Kick returner Devin Thomas has turned into an exciting specialist, running back 21 kicks, with a long of 40 yards, and Da’Rel Scott has contributed five returns for a 22.8 average.

Ross is the primary punt returner, with 13 for 100 yards. He has made 10 fair catches. New York’s punt-return defense, however, has allowed opponents 10 yards per return, including a long of 51 yards, and the kickoff-coverage team is giving up 23.2 yards per return on 27 run-backs.

Giants special teams have not allowed a touchdown this season.

LAST TIME THEY MET

Oct. 18, 2009, Superdome

The Saints put the game away by scoring 34 first-half points, then added 14 more in the second half for a relatively easy victory.

Quarterback Drew Brees threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns and controlled the clock for 36:07. New Orleans piled up 493 yards total offense, as running back Pierre Thomas pitched in 72 rushing yards and Mike Bell and Reggie Bush each pushed across touchdowns.

New York Giants Coach Tom Coughlin insisted Wednesday his team will be fine at running back, even though backup D.J. Ware left the Eagles game last Sunday with a concussion. His status for the game against the New Orleans Saints on Monday night is still unclear, Coughlin conceded.

Nevertheless, Coughlin was optimistic Ware would be cleared to play. He also expressed hope that Ahmad Bradshaw, the Giants best running back in 2011, would also be ready to go. Bradshaw has been hampered and occassionally sidelined this season with a stress fracture in his foot.

With Bradshaw and Ware both out against Philadelphia, Brandon Jacobs was forced to shoulder the load of the Giants running attack – long the team’s staple on offense. But New York managed only 29 yards on the ground, a figure Coughlin labeled, “pathetic,” after the 17-10 loss.

What they’re writing about the New Orleans Saints’ next foe: the New York Giants:

Giants’ struggles begin with offensive line (Mike Garafolo, nj.com)

Prince Amukumara earns praise in Eagles loss (Garafolo)

Video: Chris Camby says team needs to be more physical vs. Saints

New York bewildered by lack of intensity (Jorge Castillo, nj.com)

Read More: D.J. Ware (RB – NYG), Derrick Martin (S – NYG), Jimmy Kennedy (DT – NYG), Michael Coe (CB – NYG), Will Beatty (OT – NYG), Jake Ballard (TE – NYG), Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants

One day after falling to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night, the New York Giants suffered another loss Monday. Cornerback Michael Coe needs season-ending surgery on his shoulder, and the team will place him on injured reserve. 

Coach Tom Coughlin said Jimmy Kennedy will be placed back on the 53-man roster. Kennedy recently ended a four-game suspension after testing positive for performance-enhancing substances. 

Coughlin also noted that tackle Will Beatty was sent to have his back examined. Beatty played against the Philadelphia Eagles, but experienced discomfort during the week of practices leading up to the game. 

Tight end Jake Ballard is not expected to miss any time after suffering an elbow injury, but defensive back Derrick Martin has a small tear of his hamstring.

D.J. Ware also left Sunday’s game with a concussion. There has been no update today on the running back’s condition, however.

The Giants lost to Philadelphia 17-10 on Sunday night, leaving Coughlin to steam about his team’s performance.

“As I just said to each one of the players, first start off with yourself and look at yourself in the mirror. Ask yourself. Because my question for them was ‘why?’ What does it take to understand what the Eagles were going to be like coming here? You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that the team is 3-6 with their backs to the wall, they are going to play their butts off. To get to where we wanted to go, we had to play better and harder and we didn’t,” Coughlin said.

– For more Giants coverage, visit our team page, or our blog Big Blue View.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — There is a race in the NFC East again and the undermanned Philadelphia Eagles find themselves on the fringe of it. Subbing for an injured Michael Vick, Vince Young breathed life into the defending division champions by capping an 18-play drive with a game-winning 8-yard touchdown pass to Riley Cooper with 2:45 to play and the Eagles defeated the New York Giants 17-10 Sunday night.

“It’s definitely a big win,” said Young, who was 23 of 36 for 258 yards, two touchdown and three interceptions. “You see the excitement and the smiles on the guys and that’s what we need, what we have to have.”

This was one the Eagles (4-6) had to have to stay alive. It snapped a two-game losing streak and sent the Giants (6-4) to their second straight loss.

Two weeks ago, New York had a two-game lead in the division. Now it is tied with Dallas, which beat Washington in overtime. The teams will play twice over the final six weeks. The Cowboys also have a game with Philadelphia, the co-called Dream Team that finally got things right in the fourth quarter after losing five games in the quarter earlier this season.

“There’s a big difference between 3-7 and 4-6,” said LeSean McCoy, who rushed for 113 yards, including 60 on a late game-clinching run. “I can’t even believe the idea that this team could have been 3-7. It was definitely do-or-die and we needed to get this win, especially if we wanted to keep our hopes alive. It was definitely a big game. Some of the frustrations we’ve had early on served as motivation for this one. We definitely had to win.”

Beating the Giants at the Meadowlands is becoming a habit, especially with a late rally.

Last year, the Eagles destroyed the Giants’ season with a 28-point onslaught in the final seven minutes, capping it when DeSean Jackson returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown on the game’s final play.

This time, Andy Reid’s team used a slow and excruciating method to hurt the Giants once again.

It wasn’t Vick and Jackson, although Jackson played a big part in putting up the first 10 points in his return to the lineup after being benched last week for missing a team meeting.

The culprits were Young, a quarterback whose only pass this season had been intercepted, and Cooper, a receiver who did not have a catch all season.

On the Eagles’ winning march, Young converted four third-down passes and ran for another first down on third down. The longest play was an 18-yard Young to Cooper hookup on third and 10 from the Eagles 33.

“We knew we had to dig deep,” said Cooper who had his first five catches of the season for 75 yards. “Everybody contributed. It was not just one player, not just one long play. We pieced that last drive together piece by piece.”

Jackson finished with six catches for 88 yards and set up a touchdown pass to former Giants receiver Steve Smith with a 51-yard punt return.

“Vince, stepping in for the great Michael Vick, that’s a tough thing to do and he did it and the guys rallied around him,” Reid said. “The offensive line and defensive line played well, the offensive line had a huge challenge when it counted and they were able to put some things together.”

The Eagles, of course, made Reid sweat out the final minutes.

Eli Manning, who tied it with a 24-yard TD pass to Victor Cruz earlier in the quarter, drove the Giants from their own 10 to the Eagles 21 with the final 47 yards coming on a catch-and-run by Cruz with 1:25 to play.

However, Manning stepped out of the pocket on the next play and was hit from behind by Jason Babin and fumbled. Derek Landi recovered at the 26, sending the Giants to their second straight tough loss, coming on the heels of a 7-point loss to San Francisco, a game that ended with New York at the Niners 2.

“This is as big a disappointment as we have had around here in a long time,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said.

The Eagles led 10-3 at the half and blew a chance to extend the lead in the third quarter when Aaron Ross intercepted Young in the end zone on a second-and-9 from the New York 16.

New York eventually tied it early in the fourth quarter on a 24-yard TD pass from Manning to Cruz. It was set up two plays earlier when Manning rolled out of the pocket and found Hakeem Nicks for a 47-yard gain on third down to the Eagles 24.

Manning was 18 of 35 for 264 yards, and Cruz had six catches for 128 yards. The Giants’ running game failed to get going, rushing for just 29 yards.

“We can’t always afford to be in those positions,” Manning said of the recent late rallies. “I think we still feel confident when we get in there that we’re going to move the ball and we’re going to give ourselves a chance to win. It is just a matter of you don’t always want to be in that position.”

The first half was typical of an Eagles-Giants meeting: chippy, intense, hard-fought and ugly.

Jackson set up both of the Eagles’ scores in the first half. He caught a 32-yard pass early in the second quarter to set up a 33-yard field goal by Alex Henery and then brought back excruciating memories from last season with a 51-yard punt return that was a carbon copy of his winning 65-yard punt return on the final play of the Eagles’ 38-31 win.

What made the return so eerie was that Jackson fielded Steve Weatherford’s punt at his own 35, circled right and then ran down the sideline in front of the Giants’ bench — the same thing he did last season. The only difference was Weatherford pushed him out of bounds at the 14. Matt Dodge was the Giants’ punter last season.

It didn’t matter. One play later, Young found former Giants receiver Steve Smith cutting under the zone and he easily outran linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka into the end zone with 1:22 left in the half.

It was enough time for Manning to get the Giants on the board. A 21-yard pass to Cruz on the first play got the ball the 41 and a late 10-catch by running back D.J. Ware on a play in which he suffered a concussion set up Lawrence Tynes’ 48-yard field goal.

By BARRY WILNER
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Tom Coughlin didn’t mince words.

“This is as big a disappointment as we have had around here in a long time,” Coughlin said after his New York Giants’ poor showing in a 17-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles that dropped his team into a tie with Dallas atop the NFC East. “I didn’t like the way we played.”

New York (6-4) was outplayed on both lines, allowed the Eagles (4-6) to drive 80 yards on 18 plays, taking up 8:51, to get the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter, and rushed for all of 29 yards Sunday night.

“We have no first downs to show, no yardage to show, we have no rushing average with 29 yards, which is about as pathetic as it can get.”

Their second straight loss came against an undermanned Eagles squad missing Michael Vick and Jeremy Maclin. Even though the Giants had three interceptions of Vince Young, they couldn’t slow him or the Eagles on that final drive, when Philly converted six third downs, including on the winning 8-yard pass to Riley Cooper with 2:45 remaining.

The Giants also couldn’t protect Eli Manning, who was sacked three times and hurried on many other throws.

“We just never got a rhythm at all,” said Manning, who is having an outstanding year but struggled all night against Philly. “It wasn’t a good game. We didn’t have our best effort out there.”

Philadelphia blew five games in the fourth quarter this season, but was the better team down the stretch this time. But even after that lengthy drive, the Giants had a shot to tie it. Manning, who tied it with a 24-yard TD pass to Victor Cruz earlier in the quarter, drove the Giants from their 10 to the Eagles 21, with the final 47 yards coming on a catch-and-run by Cruz with 1:25 to play.

Manning stepped out of the pocket on the next play and was hit from behind by Jason Babin and fumbled. Derek Landi recovered at the 26, sending the Giants to their second straight excruciating loss at the Meadowlands to the Eagles.

“As I was going through that thinking process,” Manning said of looking for his secondary receivers, “that is when I got hit from behind. I need to do a better job holding onto the ball in that circumstance.”

Young overcame his mistakes with a decisive, memorable drive.

“It’s definitely a big win,” said Young, who went 23 of 36 for 258 yards, two touchdowns and those three interceptions. “You see the excitement and the smiles on the guys and that’s what we need, what we have to have.”

Philadelphia converted six third-down plays with DeSean Jackson setting up the first-and-goal with a 10-yard catch to the 10, and Young capping it with his second touchdown pass of the game to a wide-open Cooper, who came in without a catch this season.

“We were taking our time, making plays and the guys came up with big plays on third down,” Young said.

Jackson, benched for last week’s game for missing a team meeting, finished with six catches for 88 yards. Cooper had five receptions for 75 yards, while LeSean McCoy added 113 yards rushing, 60 coming on a late run that iced the game.

“Vince, stepping in for the great Michael Vick, that’s a tough thing to do and he did it and the guys rallied around him,” coach Andy Reid said. “The offensive line and defensive line played well, the offensive line had a huge challenge when it counted and they were able to put some things together.”

Last December, the Eagles rallied late to beat New York 38-31 in a game that Philadelphia rallied from 21 points down.

While Young made several big plays, his third interception was the most costly. Aaron Ross picked it off in the end zone on a second-and-9 from the New York 16 with Philadelphia up 10-3 late in the third quarter.

Cruz’s tying TD was set up when Manning rolled out and found Hakeem Nicks for a 47-yard gain on third down to the Eagles 24.

Manning was 18 of 35 for 264 yards, and Cruz had six catches for 128 yards.

The first half was typical of an Eagles-Giants meeting: chippy, intense, hard-fought and, not surprisingly, ugly.

The defenses dominated, and Jackson was caught taunting the Giants in more ways than one, including a penalty that cost the Eagles a 50-yard pass completion.

Jackson set up both Eagles scores in the first half. He caught a 32-yard pass early in the second quarter to set up a 33-yard field goal by Alex Henery and then brought back excruciating memories from last season with a 51-yard punt return that was a carbon copy of his winning 65-yard punt return on the final play of the Eagles’ 38-31 Meadowlands Miracle.

What made the return so eerie was that Jackson fielded Steve Weatherford’s punt at his 35, circled right and then ran down the sideline in front of the Giants’ bench — the same thing he did last season. The only difference was Weatherford pushed him out of bounds at the 14, and Matt Dodge was the punter last season.

It didn’t matter. One play later, Young found former Giants receiver Steve Smith cutting under the zone and he easily outran linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka into the end zone.

Manning had enough time to get the Giants on the board. A 21-yard pass to Cruz and 10-yarder to D.J. Ware on a play in which he suffered a concussion set up Lawrence Tynes’ 48-yard field goal.

EAST RUTHERFORD (Reuters) – The Philadelphia Eagles cut down division rivals the New York Giants 17-10 Sunday to leave the race for playoff places in the NFC East division wide open.

The Eagles, playing without starting quarterback Michael Vick who broke two ribs a week ago, played ferocious defense and back-up signal caller Vince Young directed an 80-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter for the upset victory.

The Giants fell to 6-4, leaving them tied with the Dallas Cowboys, who went to overtime to beat the Washington Redskins, at the top of the NFC East standings but with a tough schedule ahead.

Philadelphia pulled off a role reversal with the Giants, who five times this season had overcome fourth-quarter deficits to win.

The Eagles, who squandered fourth-quarter leads five times this season, this time finished strong to improve to 4-6 and remain third in the division.

“It’s happened to us so many times,” Philadelphia coach Andy Reid told reporters about fourth-quarter failures. “We were able to flop one around this time.”

Giants coach Tom Coughlin had a different take.

“”It was as pathetic as it can get, it was a very poor performance,” Coughlin said. “I’m really disappointed.”

“I know our offensive line was completely outplayed by the front eight of Philadelphia.”

New York threatened to send the game to overtime when they reached Philadelphia’s 21-yard line with 1:25 left on the clock after a 47-yard pass from Eli Manning to Victor Cruz.

But defensive end Jason Babin then stripped the ball from Manning and it was recovered by Derek Landri to end the threat.

The Eagles led 10-3 at intermission with help from two big plays from wide receiver DeSean Jackson, a 32-yard catch that led to a field goal, and a 51-yard punt return to set up a 14-yard touchdown pass from Young to former Giant Steve Smith.

Philadelphia carried that lead into the fourth quarter, when the offenses got into gear.

The Giants threatened another comeback by tying the game 10-10 in the last quarter on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Cruz, who did his signature samba dance in the end zone.

But Philadelphia took the ensuing kickoff and marched 80 yards, converting six third-down plays and using nearly nine minutes to retake the lead on Young’s eight-yard touchdown pass from Young to Riley Cooper.

Young has struggled with injuries himself this season and had thrown only one pass for the Eagles and that resulted in an interception.

The former Tennessee Titans quarterback who joined Philadelphia before the season showed his rust as he was intercepted three times. But Young got better as the game went on, finishing 23-of-36 for 258 yards and two touchdowns.

And with the game on the line, he cooly directed the Eagles the length of the field for the winning score.

“I just go out and play ball. If I have a mistake I just tell the guys to get ready for the next series,” said Young. “This was definitely a big win for us.”

It was the second loss in a row for the Giants, whose schedule only gets tougher in the run home. Their next two games are against the New Orleans Saints then the Green Bay Packers before they travel to Dallas to face the Cowboys.

(Editing by Julian Linden)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP)—Tom Coughlin didn’t mince words.

“This is as big a disappointment as we have had around here in a long
time,” Coughlin said after his New York Giants’ poor showing in a 17-10 loss to
the Philadelphia Eagles that dropped his team into a tie with Dallas atop the
NFC East. “I didn’t like the way we played.”

New York (6-4) was outplayed on both lines, allowed the Eagles (4-6) to
drive 80 yards on 18 plays, taking up 8:51, to get the winning touchdown in the
fourth quarter, and rushed for all of 29 yards Sunday night.

“We have no first downs to show, no yardage to show, we have no rushing
average with 29 yards, which is about as pathetic as it can get.”

Their second straight loss came against an undermanned Eagles squad missing
Michael Vick(notes) and Jeremy Maclin(notes). Even though the Giants had three interceptions
of Vince Young(notes), they couldn’t slow him or the Eagles on that final drive, when
Philly converted six third downs, including on the winning 8-yard pass to Riley
Cooper(notes) with 2:45 remaining.

The Giants also couldn’t protect Eli Manning(notes), who was sacked three times and
hurried on many other throws.

“We just never got a rhythm at all,” said Manning, who is having an
outstanding year but struggled all night against Philly. “It wasn’t a good
game. We didn’t have our best effort out there.”

Philadelphia blew five games in the fourth quarter this season, but was the
better team down the stretch this time. But even after that lengthy drive, the
Giants had a shot to tie it. Manning, who tied it with a 24-yard TD pass to
Victor Cruz(notes) earlier in the quarter, drove the Giants from their 10 to the Eagles
21, with the final 47 yards coming on a catch-and-run by Cruz with 1:25 to play.

Manning stepped out of the pocket on the next play and was hit from behind
by Jason Babin(notes) and fumbled. Derek Landi recovered at the 26, sending the Giants
to their second straight excruciating loss at the Meadowlands to the Eagles.

“As I was going through that thinking process,” Manning said of looking
for his secondary receivers, “that is when I got hit from behind. I need to do
a better job holding onto the ball in that circumstance.”

Young overcame his mistakes with a decisive, memorable drive.

“It’s definitely a big win,” said Young, who went 23 of 36 for 258 yards,
two touchdowns and those three interceptions. “You see the excitement and the
smiles on the guys and that’s what we need, what we have to have.”

Philadelphia converted six third-down plays with DeSean Jackson(notes) setting up
the first-and-goal with a 10-yard catch to the 10, and Young capping it with his
second touchdown pass of the game to a wide-open Cooper, who came in without a
catch this season.

“We were taking our time, making plays and the guys came up with big plays
on third down,” Young said.

Jackson, benched for last week’s game for missing a team meeting, finished
with six catches for 88 yards. Cooper had five receptions for 75 yards, while
LeSean McCoy(notes) added 113 yards rushing, 60 coming on a late run that iced the
game.

“Vince, stepping in for the great Michael Vick, that’s a tough thing to do
and he did it and the guys rallied around him,” coach Andy Reid said. “The
offensive line and defensive line played well, the offensive line had a huge
challenge when it counted and they were able to put some things together.”

Last December, the Eagles rallied late to beat New York 38-31 in a game that
Philadelphia rallied from 21 points down.

While Young made several big plays, his third interception was the most
costly. Aaron Ross(notes) picked it off in the end zone on a second-and-9 from the New
York 16 with Philadelphia up 10-3 late in the third quarter.

Cruz’s tying TD was set up when Manning rolled out and found Hakeem Nicks(notes)
for a 47-yard gain on third down to the Eagles 24.

Manning was 18 of 35 for 264 yards, and Cruz had six catches for 128 yards.

The first half was typical of an Eagles-Giants meeting: chippy, intense,
hard-fought and, not surprisingly, ugly.

The defenses dominated, and Jackson was caught taunting the Giants in more
ways than one, including a penalty that cost the Eagles a 50-yard pass
completion.

Jackson set up both Eagles scores in the first half. He caught a 32-yard
pass early in the second quarter to set up a 33-yard field goal by Alex Henery(notes)
and then brought back excruciating memories from last season with a 51-yard punt
return that was a carbon copy of his winning 65-yard punt return on the final
play of the Eagles’ 38-31 Meadowlands Miracle.

What made the return so eerie was that Jackson fielded Steve Weatherford’s(notes)
punt at his 35, circled right and then ran down the sideline in front of the
Giants’ bench—the same thing he did last season. The only difference was
Weatherford pushed him out of bounds at the 14, and Matt Dodge(notes) was the punter
last season.

It didn’t matter. One play later, Young found former Giants receiver Steve
Smith cutting under the zone and he easily outran linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka(notes)
into the end zone.

Manning had enough time to get the Giants on the board. A 21-yard pass to
Cruz and 10-yarder to D.J. Ware(notes) on a play in which he suffered a concussion set
up Lawrence Tynes’(notes) 48-yard field goal.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — DeSean Jackson‘s near replay of his winning punt return of last season helped the undermanned Philadelphia Eagles take a 10-3 halftime lead over the New York Giants on Sunday night.

Jackson went 65 yards with a punt runback last December on the final play of the game, lifting the Eagles to a victory and, eventually, the NFC East title. This time, he caught Steve Weatherford‘s kick at almost the exact same spot, cut right and sped down the sideline for 51 yards before stepping out of bounds. It was, by far, his longest punt return this season.

One play later, Vince Young hit former Giants receiver Steve Smith in the left flat and he sped into the end zone.

Rookie Alex Henery’s 33-yard field goal accounted for the only other Eagles score in a first half marked by errors by both offenses and some solid defensive pressure from Philadelphia’s front four.

New York got its points as the half ended on Lawrence Tynes’ 48-yard field goal, set up by five pass completions by Eli Manning.

The Eagles were without two key offensive weapons, quarterback Michael Vick and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, and it showed. Vick is out with broken ribs suffered in last week’s loss to Arizona, and Maclin has hamstring and shoulder problems, also sustained against the Cardinals.

Then Jackson injured his right knee and left for a short time in the second period. But Jackson was back on the field for Philadelphia after being suspended a week ago for missing a team meeting. He didn’t do much on any of the Giants’ three punts before briefly leaving.

Jackson also had two receptions for 39 yards before returning later in the period. He then caught a 50-yard pass from Young, only to be called for taunting, negating the big gain.

Earlier, his 32-yard reception and LeSean McCoy’s weaving 13-yard run set up Henery’s field goal.

New York started cancer survivor Mark Herzlich, a rookie, at middle linebacker for the injured Michael Boley (hamstring). Herzlich went undrafted out of Boston College, then made the team and has appeared only on special teams before Sunday night. He made his first tackle early in the second quarter.

In the lineup for the first time this season was Giants top draft pick cornerback Prince Amukamara, who intercepted a pass midway through the opening quarter. He was badly beaten by Jackson, but Young’s pass was woefully short and Amukamara gathered it in.

But Manning gave it right back, stumbling as he dropped to pass, then throwing directly to linebacker Jamar Chaney. After Chaney returned the ball 14 yards, both sides drew penalties for late hits, with defensive tackle Trevor Laws laying out Manning.

That prompted Giants coach Tom Coughlin to loudly berate the officials. Manning was fine.

Philly sacked Manning twice in the half.

The Philadelphia Eagles have ruled out quarterback Michael Vick and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin for Sunday night’s game against the New York Giants, the team announced Saturday.

Vick was not expected to play and was listed as questionable on the team’s Friday injury report because of two broken ribs. Maclin, who missed his third consecutive practice on Friday, was also listed as questionable with shoulder and hamstring injuries.

Vick and Maclin were ruled out after Saturday’s walkthrough and did not travel with the team.

Vick didn’t practice this week because he broke his two lower ribs on the second play of the Eagles’ 21-17 loss to Arizona in Week 10. He got up slowly after taking a hard hit to the side, but didn’t tell anyone the extent of the injury and played the rest of the game. He was off target most of the game and finished 16 of 34 for 128 yards and two interceptions.

Vince Young will make his first start with the Eagles after working with the first-team offense all week.

Young was 30-17 as a starter and went to two Pro Bowls in five seasons with the Tennessee Titans. He was one of several high-profile players Philadelphia signed after the lockout. So far, though, Young’s only contribution was labeling the Eagles a “Dream Team” at his first news conference at training camp.

Second-year pro Riley Cooper will likely start in Maclin’s place. Cooper doesn’t have any catches this season.

The Eagles desperately need a victory over the first-place Giants to avoid being all-but-mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. The defending NFC East champions began this season with Super Bowl aspirations, but have failed to live up to those enormous expectations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The New York Giants had their chance to bury the Philadelphia Eagles a year ago and failed miserably.

Who can forget the Meadowlands Meltdown in December, or if you’re an Eagles fan, the Miracle at the Meadowlands?

With first place in the NFC East on the line, Eli Manning and the Giants opened a 21-point fourth-quarter lead, only to see Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson steal their crown with one of the most improbable comebacks in NFL history.

Vick led the team to three touchdowns to tie the game late and Jackson won it returning a punt that was supposed to be kicked out of bounds 65 yards on the final play of regulation.

Remember either Giants coach Tom Coughlin slamming his clipboard to the turf as Jackson ran past the Giants’ bench? Or Jackson tiptoeing along the goal line to eat the final seconds on the clock before scoring.

It was uplifting and thrilling for the Eagles, and downright heartbreaking for the Giants, who missed the playoffs for the second straight year.

Less than a year later, the Giants (6-3) get another chance to bury to the Eagles (3-6), and this one seems just as improbable.

Few expected New York to have a one-game lead in the division and even fewer had any idea that Philadelphia’s ‘Dream Team’ would be this close to missing the playoffs with seven games remaining in the regular season. The comeback they need now might be even bigger than last season.

“Our mindset is just to find a way to win the game,” Eagles running back LeSean McCoy said. “We are just trying to take it one game at a time and have a chance to get in the playoffs and make some good of our season. We are just taking each game at a time. We can’t think about our record or where we are at, we just need to win a game.”

This one might be tough because Vick broke two ribs in last week’s loss to Arizona and his status for the game is uncertain. Vince Young and Mike Kafka are the backups.

Jackson also is expected back in the lineup after being benched last week for missing a team meeting.

Coming off tough 27-20 loss at San Francisco that cut their NFC East lead over Dallas to a game, the Giants are preparing for Vick.

“This has been a big rivalry as long as I have been here, and I am sure it goes on longer than that,” defensive end Dave Tollefson said. “There are two agendas on each team, us trying to get back in the win column and get some control of the NFC East, and they are trying to get the ball rolling to make a push. It’s huge. It’s always something, isn’t it? When are the Eagles and Giants even going to play and it ain’t something?”

Five of the Eagles’ six losses have been by seven points or less, including five games in which they have blown leads in the fourth quarter. One of those losses was a 29-16 defeat to the Giants in which Eli Manning threw two of his four touchdowns in the final 15 minutes.

Since the current playoff format was instituted in 1990, 15 clubs with a losing record after nine games have made the playoffs. Only three of those teams had 3-6 records, the last being Jacksonville in 1996.

The poor record has put coach Andy Reid under a microscope in a season where much was expected after the team stocked its roster by signing free agents, the most notable being cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.

“I am going to tell you the same thing I told our media, I don’t worry about all that,” Reid said. “The only thing I would worry about is preparing our team to play the New York Giants. That is it. I don’t worry about anything else past that.”

Receiver Hakeem Nicks said the Giants aren’t looking at this game as a chance to bury the Eagles.

“We have to look at it like this is a hungry team coming out here,” he said. “It’s a rivalry game. We know they’re going to come out there ready to play and take everything away from us as well.”

Guard David Diehl also laughed when asked about ending the Eagles’ hopes.

“This is a team that talked about playing us again after the last game in Philadelphia and what better way for them to get their season back on track than beating us,” Diehl said. “We know it’s going to be a fight. We know everybody thinks this should be an easy one, that’s bull. We’re not falling for that. We respect them and we expect a 60-minute fight. Right now everyone is counting them out. We’re not.”

Just the memory of last year is enough to convince the Giants to never count out the Eagles.

“I am sure I said this before, but that game will stick with me for the rest of my life,” Giants defensive end Justin Tuck said. “Yes, it does stick with me, but you can ease some of that pain by getting a win on Sunday night.”

The Eagles are having a better year than the Giants in most statistics, with their biggest problem being 21 turnovers, including seven in the red zone. They also have been outscored 74-27 in the fourth quarter.

McCoy, who has scored a touchdown in each of the Eagles’ nine games, is leading the NFC in rushing with 906 yards, and is second in the league, only 11 yards behind Fred Jackson of Buffalo. The Eagles are averaging 418.2 yards on offence.

The Giants are close to playing first-round draft pick Prince Amukamara for the first time this season. The rookie cornerback has not been limited in practice for the first time since breaking his foot in training camp.