Giants vs. Eagles: Score and Twitter Reaction for Monday Night Football

The Philadelphia Eagles prevailed 27-7 in rather unconvincing fashion against the New York Giants on Monday night at Lincoln Financial Field.

The final score belies how well the Eagles played. Despite gaining 425 yards as a team, they turned the ball over four times.

Quarterback Sam Bradford accounted for three of those turnovers, finishing 24-of-38 for 280 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.  

DeMarco Murray was the major bright spot for the Philadelphia offense. He ran for 109 yards—a season high—and a touchdown on 22 carries.

Credit the Eagles defense for holding the Giants to 247 yards. Eli Manning equaled Bradford's attempt and completion totals but managed to gain only 189 yards through the air with one touchdown and two picks.

Further cementing how poorly the two teams performed, they combined for 21 penalties, which cost them a total of 164 yards.

Mike Tunison provided this helpful re-enactment of the game as a whole:

Entering Monday night, the Giants were tied for the NFL lead in fewest turnovers. In their first five games, they gave the ball back just three times.

Through just one half against the Eagles, New York doubled its season turnover total. Manning threw two interceptions, and Rashad Jennings coughed the ball up in the second quarter. The trio of takeaways proved pivotal for Philadelphia, which turned them into 14 points.

On the third drive of the game, Eagles linebacker DeMeco Ryans snatched a Manning pass right from the grasp of Larry Donnell. In one swift move, Ryans went from wrapping up Donnell for a tackle to stealing the ball for an interception, per the NFL Network:

Seven plays later, Bradford found Riley Cooper for a 32-yard touchdown pass that tied the game at 7-7 with three minutes and 33 seconds left in the first quarter, per the NFL:

The Giants' struggles continued for the rest of the quarter and into the second frame. Here's how their next three possessions after Ryans' pick ended: turnover on downs, pick-six and a fumble.

Eagles corner Nolan Carroll put the home team ahead 14-7 12:26 from halftime after he jumped an out route by Dwayne Harris to intercept a pass by Manning, returning it 17 yards for a touchdown. ESPN's Robert Flores took enjoyment from what was a dreadful pass from the Giants quarterback:

According to B/R Insights (h/t Bleacher Report), no team has intercepted more of Manning's passes:

Caleb Sturgis nailed a 37-yard field goal near the end of the first half to add to the Eagles' lead, putting them ahead 17-7 as they headed into the locker room.  

Despite being ahead by 10 points, Philadelphia was far from dominant. The three turnovers influenced the game in a big way and covered for a number of the Eagles' deficiencies on the offensive side of the ball.

Murray was a non-factor on the ground for Philly, and Bradford offered little in the passing game. SB Nation's Rodger Sherman thought the battle for mediocrity made for a great tie-in with the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer that aired during halftime of Monday Night Football:

Murray looked a little more like his old self on Philadelphia's second possession of the second half, breaking off three runs of at least 11 yards as the Eagles padded their lead with 6:13 left in the third quarter. The All-Pro running back capped off the drive with a 12-yard TD run.

Jim Rome thought it was the first time Murray was the player the Eagles thought they were signing in the offseason:

With the win, the Eagles forced a tie for first in the NFC East with the Giants.

Until the Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo and Dez Bryant get back to 100 percent, it's doubtful any team will distance itself from the rest of the pack in the division race. A 9-7 record will probably be enough to win the East when all is said and done.

The Giants at least have an opportunity to open up some space. They play the Cowboys on Sunday and get the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—both of which are winnable games—before a date with the New England Patriots on Nov. 15.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, plays the Carolina Panthers next week, which is likely to be a defeat, and meets the Cowboys two weeks after that with a bye in between. Falling to 3-5 would leave the Eagles in a difficult spot, especially considering they have a difficult three-game stretch against the Patriots, the Buffalo Bills and the Arizona Cardinals to start December.

The Eagles are making strides, but it's way too early to call them a playoff favorite, even in the weak East.

Post-Game Reaction

Bradford believes the final score offers the biggest insight into his team's performance, per the NFL Network:

"Every single game is important when we're trying to win," said Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, per the team’s Twitter account. "At the end of the day, they all count."

"We know what's at stake," added Murray, per the Eagles. "We're taking this one game at a time and we know there's a long way to go."

Giants head coach Tom Coughlin rued his team’s inability to give Manning time in the pocket, which in turn took Odell Beckham Jr. out of the game.

"We would've liked to have gotten the ball to Beckham," Coughlin said, per the Giants. "But we were having trouble protecting the quarterback."

"I expected us to come down here and I expected this to be a very close game," he told the assembled media.