Eagles Lifeless in Loss to Giants

Kerry Collins threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Amani Toomer, and Joe Montgomery scored on a short run as the Giants (6-2) posted their eighth straight win over the Eagles (5-4), who had won four of their previous five games.

The win was only the Giants` third in 12 games after a bye week, and this one put them into a tie for first place in the NFC East with Washington. The Redskins play the Tennessee Titans on Monday night. The Giants defense didn`t let the Eagles score until Donovan McNabb threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Charles Johnson with 5:12 to play. It marked the second straight time the Giants embarrassed Philadelphia this season. New York beat Philadelphia 33-18 in the second week of the season, holding the ball for 38:44. OFFENSE: How bad did it get for Amani Toomer? After setting a Giants record with 79 receptions in 1999, Toomer was benched by head coach Jim Fassel in the second half of New York`s victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 7. On Sunday, Toomer reverted to his old form, matching his career best with nine catches for 108 yards and one touchdown.

DEFENSE: For the second straight game, Emmanuel McDaniel proved to be a suitable replacement for injured cornerback Jason Sehorn. McDaniel, who broke up a key fourth-down pass and had a sack in the Dallas victory, intercepted Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb in the second half Sunday. It was his third pick of the season.

STAT OF THE GAME: The Giants won their eighth consecutive game against the Eagles for first time since taking nine-in-a-row from 1938-42.

TURNING POINT: With 1:38 left in the second quarter, it was still anyone`s game. But Toomer`s 27-yard touchdown catch gave the Giants all the momentum heading into halftime.

Sunday`s possession time of 43:41 was the most by the Giants since Nov. 20, 1983, when they held the ball for 45:43 against the Eagles. McNabb finished 10-of-31 for 129 yards and an interception on a cold, blustery late fall afternoon at Giants Stadium. Collins finished 22-of-37 for 253 yards. Toomer, benched two weeks ago against Dallas in the Giants` last game before a bye, matched his career-best with nine catches for 108 yards. After failing on a fourth-and-7 at the Eagles 29 on the opening series of the game, the Giants took the lead for good on their next possession, going 74 yards in five plays. Collins made three big plays to set up Dayne`s 1-yard smash up the middle. He completed a 36-yard pass play to Tiki Barber on a short crossing pattern and then found Toomer for 13 yards on the next play. A 6-yard scramble got the ball to the 1. The Giants increased the lead to 14-0 with 1:31 left in the half on a 27-yard pass from Collins to Toomer on a play in which the Eagles didn`t reach the quarterback with a maximum blitz. The drive capped a three-play, 32-yard drive that was set up when the Giants defense forced Philadelphia to punt from its own end zone after three-and-out series in which the Eagles held the ball for 23 seconds. The closest the Eagles came to scoring in the first half came in the final seconds when when David Akers missed a 48-yard field-goal attempt into a wind that gusted to 22 mph. The Giants put the game away in the fourth quarter with a 31-yard field goal by Brad Daluiso and Montgomery`s short touchdown run.

(Courtesy Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2000)

Article continues below

---

advertisement

---

Author: AP