The rivalry began in 1933 with the founding of the Eagles, and slowly strengthened when both teams came to relative prominence in the 1940s and 1950s. The two teams have played in the same division in the NFL every year since 1933, making it the second-oldest rivalry in theNFC East division, behind only New York'srivalry with theWashington Commanders.[2] The ferocity of the rivalry can also be attributed to the geographicNew York-Philadelphia rivalry, which is mirrored inMajor League Baseball'sMets–Phillies rivalry and theNational Hockey League'sFlyers–Rangers rivalry.[3] It is ranked byNFL Network as the number one rivalry of all-time[4] andSports Illustrated ranks it amongst the top ten NFL rivalries of all-time at number four,[5] and according toESPN, it is one of the fiercest and most well-known rivalries in the football community.[6]
The Eagles lead the overall series, 97–90–2. The two teams have met five times in theplayoffs, with the Eagles holding a 3–2 advantage.[1]
In a November 20, 1960, game, theEagles'Chuck Bednarik cleanly blindsidedGiants running backFrank Gifford in a play known asThe Hit, widely considered the hardest, or one of the hardest, tackles in the history of theNational Football League that sent Gifford to the ground unconscious. He was removed from the field by stretcher, transported to a hospital by ambulance, and diagnosed with a severe concussion. The play forced Gifford out of the game for 18 months before he was ultimately able to return with the Giants.[7][8]
On November 19, 1978, at Giants Stadium, theGiants were leading theEagles 17–12 with 20 seconds remaining. Offensive coordinatorBob Gibson called for a running play when all that was needed was for the Giants to take a knee having previously got run over while kneeling the very prior play. The handoff between quarterbackJoe Pisarcik andLarry Csonka was fumbled and Eagles cornerbackHerman Edwards grabbed the loose ball and returned it for the winning score.[9][10] This play is commonly referred to asThe Miracle at the Meadowlands by Eagles fans and just "The Fumble" by Giants fans.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]
In 1981, both theGiants and the defending NFC championEagles qualified for playoff berths. The Eagles hosted the Giants on December 27 in a wild card game. The Giants, led by quarterbackScott Brunner and head coachRay Perkins, took a 20–0 lead in the first quarter. The Eagles rallied but never led and the Giants held on to win 27–21. The game ended with Scott Brunner kneeling down on the ball, which was revenge for the Joe Pisarcik game some three years earlier. The Giants would go on to lose 38–24 to theSan Francisco 49ers, the eventualSuper Bowl XVI champions.
1988 division title
The1988 NFL season saw both teams competing for the NFC East title. On November 20, 1988, theGiants hosted theEagles with both teams in the running for control over their division. The Eagles, led by head coachBuddy Ryan and quarterbackRandall Cunningham, fought a tough match to bring the game into overtime with the score tied at 17–17. In overtime, Eagles defensive linemanClyde Simmons carried the ball 15 yards after a blocked Eagles field goal attempt for the game-winning touchdown, completing a season sweep of the Giants. This was dubbed the "Forgotten Miracle at the Meadowlands."[22][23] Both teams finished with 10–6 records, but the Eagles won the NFC East due to their head-to-head victories, while the Giants lost the wild card tiebreaker to theLos Angeles Rams and missed the playoffs. The Eagles would lose to theChicago Bears in a game famously known as theFog Bowl.[24][25]
On January 7, 2001, theGiants defeated theEagles 20–10 in a divisional playoff game with the help of Ron Dixon's 97-yard kickoff return andJason Sehorn's acrobatic 32-yard interception return. This win helped propel the Giants toSuper Bowl XXXV, which they lost to theBaltimore Ravens, 34–7.
On January 7, 2007, theEagles defeated theGiants 23–20 in a wild card playoff game on aDavid Akers field goal as time expired. The Eagles had relinquished a ten-point lead in the fourth quarter, with the Giants tying the game on a touchdown byPlaxico Burress with just over five minutes remaining.Jeff Garcia andBrian Westbrook led the game-winning drive deep into Giants territory, allowing the Eagles to drain the clock to three seconds before Akers lined up his 38-yard kick to win the game.
The two teams split their 2008 meetings. TheGiants rallied to edge theEagles in Philadelphia 36–31, then the Eagles stymied New York's offense en route to a 20–14 win at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. They met again at Giants Stadium on January 11, 2009, in the 2008 NFC Divisional Playoffs. In what would ultimately be the final playoff game at the venue, the #6 seeded Eagles defeated the top-seeded Giants 23–11, leaving the series tied 2–2 in the all-time playoff series.
OnDecember 19, 2010, theGiants led theEagles 31–10 with 7:28 left in the first game between the teams atNew Meadowlands Stadium where first place in the NFC East was on the line. But the Eagles rallied to tie the score and then won the game onDeSean Jackson's 65 yard punt return for a touchdown with no time left on the clock for a 38–31 victory.[26] TheElias Sports Bureau noted that this is the first walk-off punt return in NFL history.[27] The Giants missed the playoffs, despite finishing tied for first with the Eagles at 10–6,[28] and the Eagles lost their last two games.[29]
Other notable moments
On December 18, 1994, theGiants beat theEagles at Veterans Stadium, giving them their fifth consecutive win after starting 3–7, while giving the Eagles their sixth consecutive loss of the season after a 7–2 start. This led to the firing of Philadelphia's then-head coachRich Kotite after the season's conclusion.
On October 31, 1999, at Veterans Stadium in overtime,Eagles' quarterback (and future head coach)Doug Pederson had his pass blocked up in the air and was intercepted byMichael Strahan and returned for a 44-yard touchdown to win the game for theGiants 23–17.
In Week 6 of the 2001 season, theEagles broke a nine-game losing streak against theGiants. James Thrash caught the winning touchdown from Donovan McNabb in the fourth quarter.
In week 2 of the 2006 season, theGiants met theEagles in Philadelphia and were down 24–7 by the end of the 3rd quarter. In the 4th quarter of regulation the Giants responded with two more touchdowns and a field goal to tie the game 24–24 and go into overtime. In overtime the Giants defeated the Eagles when quarterbackEli Manning threw a 31-yard pass to Plaxico Burress.
On September 30, 2007, theGiants sackedEagles quarterbackDonovan McNabb 12 times (tying an NFL record) en route to a 16–3 win. New York's defense held the Eagles scoreless in the first half, while in the second quarter, New York got on the board first with quarterback Eli Manning completing a 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Plaxico Burress. In the third quarter, the Giants increased their lead with kicker Lawrence Tynes getting a 29-yard field goal, along with linebacker Kawika Mitchell returning a fumble 17-yards for a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, the Eagles would get their only points of the game with kicker David Akers making a 53-yard field goal. Later that year,in the 2007 playoffs, New York would go on to defeat the18–0 unbeaten New England Patriots inSuper Bowl XLII.
On October 12, 2014, theEagles authored their first shutout win in the series since1996, winning 27–0. QuarterbackNick Foles threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns while he and three Eagles running backs rushed for 203 yards, led byLeSean McCoy's 149 yards. TheGiants failed on a fourth and goal attempt in the third quarter following a Foles interception; even worse, wide receiverVictor Cruz suffered a season-ending injury on the play. (This led to an off-field episode in the rivalry, as the cover of the next morning'sNew York Daily News showed a cheering Eagles employee and the fallen Cruz under the headline "PHILTHY!", implying that the man was celebrating the injury rather than the result of the play. However, this photo was later debunked as being taken out of context.[30][31])Eli Manning was held to 151 yards and backupRyan Nassib connected for 60 yards.
On September 24, 2017, in Philadelphia, kickerJake Elliott kicked a 61-yard field goal to beat theNew York Giants with no time on the clock for the final play of the game, resulting in a 27–24 victory. Previously regarded as nothing more than a replacement kicker for injuredCaleb Sturgis, the kick earned Elliott NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors, cementing him as a strong kicking option for the2017 Eagles. Elliott's kick set an Eagles' franchise record for the longest field goal, tied for the 7th-longest field goal in NFL history, and was the longest since November 2015. Elliott helped the Eagles to their first Super Bowl victory later that season inSuper Bowl LII.
On December 9, 2019, an ankle injury previously suffered byGiants quarterbackDaniel Jones would result in Eli Manning returning to the starting lineup against theEagles.[32] During the game, Manning threw for 203 yards and two touchdowns to rookie wide receiverDarius Slayton, but the game ended in a 23–17 overtime loss for the Giants.[33] Manning retired at the end of the season.[34] As the game against the Eagles was televised onMonday Night Football, it marked Manning's final primetime appearance.[35]
On January 3, 2021, with theGiants having won earlier in the day, they needed theEagles, who were eliminated from playoff contention, to defeat theWashington Football Team in order to for the Giants to clinch the NFC East division. The Eagles lost to Washington; Washington rallied from down 14–10 to win 20–14 thus giving them theNFC East title and eliminating the Giants from the playoffs. Eagles head coachDoug Pederson was criticized for benching struggling rookieJalen Hurts and was questioned in some media circles on how hard his team played. The loss advanced the Eagles three spots in the 2021 NFL Draft to sixth.[36][37] Giants running backSaquon Barkley would tweet his disbelief at what was happening, to which former Giants quarterback Eli Manning would reply "This is why we don't like the Eagles."[38]
On March 26, 2021, after it was alleged that theEagles tanked in their week 17 game to moved up three spots in the draft, the Eagles traded with theDolphins to move down to the 12th overall pick.[39] While the Eagles gained a 2022 first-round pick from the trade, this made manyGiants fans angry since trading back seemingly removed any good reason for the Eagles to have tanked in week 17 in spite of any leverage gained from the higher draft position contributing to the trade being completed. Leading up to the2021 NFL draft, the Giants were sitting at 11th overall. As the draft went on, it was suspected that the Giants would draft wide receiver and 2020 Heisman Trophy winnerDeVonta Smith. However, the Eagles traded in-division withDallas to move up to the 10th overall pick and drafted Smith, which reportedly made the Giants front office "livid.”[40] The Eagles' trade-up resulted in the Giants trading down to the 20th pick with theChicago Bears, and they would selectFlorida wide receiverKadarius Toney.
On March 11, 2024,Giants running back Saquon Barkley agreed to a 3-year, $37.75 million contract with theEagles after a six-year career with the Giants. The entire process was shown during a special offseason edition ofHBOHard Knocks where Giants general managerJoe Schoen had stated to Giants executives on camera that they were not "paying a $40 million quarterback (in reference toDaniel Jones) to hand off to a $12 million running back (in reference to Barkley)".[41] Giants ownerJohn Mara was also recorded saying that he "would have a hard time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia".[42] Eagles head coachNick Sirianni would later tell reporters that during that offseason, if heckled badly by Giants fans, he would reply "you know, we got your best player".[43] On October 20, 2024 in his return toMetLife Stadium, amidst a chorus of boos from his former fans, Barkley rushed for 176 yards and a touchdown in a 28–3 Eagles win. Jones was later benched and requested his release on November 22, 2024 which the Giants granted. Barkley ultimately became the 9th running back to join the2,000-yard club, finishing with 2,005 rushing yards in 16 games, and the Eagles would winSuper Bowl LIX that season.
Season-by-season results
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants Season-by-Season Results[1]
Eagles join theNational Football League (NFL) as an expansion team. The Eagles and Giants were placed in theNFL Eastern Division, becoming divisional rivals. Game in New York is the Eagles' inaugural game, and the Giants record their largest victory over the Eagles with a 56–point differential. Giants lose1933 NFL Championship.
Eagles move toPhiladelphia Municipal Stadium (now known as John F. Kennedy Stadium). Eagles' win in the season opener was their only win, as they ended the1936 season on an 11-game losing streak. That streak would extend to a 16-game winless streak and a 14-game losing streak.
Eagles andPittsburgh Steelers merged for the 1943 season to become the "Steagles," as both teams lost many players to military service duringWorld War II. Giants win 11 straight home meetings (1933–1943).
Eagles record their first win at New York and win their first season series over the Giants. Eagles' win and the tie were the only regular season results that weren't wins for the Giants in the1944 season. Giants lose1944 NFL Championship.
In New York, Eagles' LBChuck Bednarik's hard hit on Giants' RBFrank Gifford causes a key fumble in the Eagles' win, allowing the Eagles to take the division. This hit became known as "The Hit" and caused Gifford to miss most of the two seasons. In Philadelphia, Eagles overcame a 17–0 deficit. Eagles' first season series sweep against the Giants since the1949 season. Eagles win1960 NFL Championship.
As a result of expansion, the two eight-team divisions became two eight-team conferences split into two divisions. The Eagles are placed in theNFL Capitol Division, while the Giants andNew Orleans Saints alternate between the Capitol andNFL Century Divisions each year. This resulted in only a single meeting between the Eagles and Giants in the1967 and1969 season.
In New York, the Giants set a franchise record for their most points scored in a game, while the Eagles set a franchise record for their most points allowed in a game.
In East Rutherford (Giants), Eagles' CBHerman Edwards returns a fumble for a game-winning touchdown in what is dubbed the "Miracle at the Meadowlands". In Philadelphia, Eagles clinch a playoff berth for the first time since the1960 season with their win.
Eagles' win ended the Giants' 13-game winning streak in the regular season and handed them their first loss of theseason after a10–0 start. Giants winSuper Bowl XXV.
In Philadelphia, Giants overcame a 17–3 fourth quarter deficit and Giants' DEMichael Strahan scores the game-winning touchdown on a pick-six in overtime.
In Philadelphia, the Giants' "86 Lamburth Special" lateral play falls 6 yards short of the end zone, clinching the Eagles their first NFC East title since the1988 season and eliminating the Giants from playoff contention.
Last matchup atVeterans Stadium. Both teams split the season series for the first time since the1990 season. Giants clinch a playoff berth with their win.
Eagles openLincoln Financial Field. In New York, Eagles' RBBrian Westbrook returned an 84-yard punt return for a game-winning touchdown in the final minutes. The Eagles would go on a nine-game winning streak starting with this win.
NFC Divisional Round. Eagles become the first #6 seed in the NFC to defeat the best-ranked team in the NFC in the last playoff game played at Giants Stadium.
Giants openNew Meadowlands Stadium (now known as MetLife Stadium). In their first matchup at New Meadowlands Stadium, Eagles overcame a 31–10 fourth quarter deficit. On the game's final play, Eagles' WRDeSean Jackson returned a 65-yard punt return for the game-winning touchdown in a moment that has come to be known as the "Miracle at the New Meadowlands". Both teams finish with 10–6 records, but the Eagles clinched the NFC East based on their head-to-head sweep.
In Philadelphia, Eagles' KJake Elliott kicks a game-winning 61-yard field goal, setting a franchise record for their longest field goal made. Eagles winSuper Bowl LII.
Eagles take the overall series lead against the Giants for the first time. In New York, Eagles clinched the NFC East with their win. Final season for Giants' QBEli Manning.
Eagles sign former Giants' RBSaquon Barkley. With their loss in Philadelphia, Giants go winless in their division for the first time in franchise history. Eagles winSuper Bowl LIX.
The 2006 filmInvincible followsVince Papale (Mark Wahlberg) and his rise to playing for the Eagles. He crushes on a coworker, who, being from New York, is a Giants fan, and in his breakout game, the Eagles play the Giants when he recovers a muffed punt for a touchdown.[44]
After winning theNFC championship on January 29, 2023, theEmpire State Building lit up to celebrate the Eagles making the Super Bowl. This sparked outrage from many people in New York, including mayorEric Adams.[46]
^Brookover, Bob (September 17, 2006). "The Birds' Biggest Rival—In a division of fierce foes, the Giants have battled the Eagles as tough as anyone".The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D1.
^Fendrich, Howard (January 2, 2011). "Giants beat Redskins 17-14, but miss playoffs". Associated Press.The Giants (10-6) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the first NFC teams since 1991 to miss out on the postseason despite double-digit victory totals.
^McLane, Jeff (January 3, 2011). "Pack Coming Back—Eagles fall to Cowboys, start preparing for rematch with Green Bay".The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E1.
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