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

The playoffs are still on hold for the New York Giants.

The Giants would have clinched a playoff spot with a win on Thursday at Lincoln Financial Field, but the division rival Philadelphia Eagles played spoiler with a 24-19 victory. Only the Dallas Cowboys were happier than Philadelphia because they clinched the NFC East and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs thanks to New York's loss.

Philadelphia snapped a five-game losing streak thanks to a strong defensive showing. It intercepted Eli Manning three times, two of which came from Malcolm Jenkins, and kept the Giants out of the end zone in the second half.

New York was playing short-handed and announced that cornerback Janoris Jenkins and defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul were among the inactives, but it still had a chance to win in the final seconds. However, Terrence Brooks intercepted Manning and ended the Giants' comeback hopes.

Manning finished with 356 passing yards but did so on 63 throws. Odell Beckham Jr.—who was nearly unstoppable with 11 catches for 150 yards—joined some impressive company on Thursday, as ESPN Stats & Info highlighted:

On the other side, Carson Wentz threw for just 152 yards and a touchdown. He left the game in the third quarter with a head injury, although he came back after the Eagles announced that he was cleared to return.

The Eagles struck first behind a strong rushing attack. They threw just one time on a seven-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that Darren Sproles capped with a 25-yard score. The return of previously suspended offensive tackle Lane Johnson bolstered the start, as Philadelphia continued to run behind his physical presence.

Philadelphia kept rolling when Jenkins intercepted Manning and returned it for a touchdown after the quarterback forced it into double coverage.

NFL Network shared the pick-six:

The Cowboys were smelling a division title with the Eagles' quick start: 

New York responded with two Robbie Gould field goals and a Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie interception but didn't find the end zone on the two red-zone trips.

That proved costly when Wentz found Nelson Agholor for a 40-yard touchdown. Tom Rock of Newsday noted that it was a rough stretch for New York's rookie cornerback:

The NFL passed along the touchdown strike:

Despite being thoroughly outplayed, the Giants climbed to within 21-13 by halftime thanks to a 13-yard touchdown catch from Sterling Shepard. The touchdown pass was New York's fourth third-down conversion of the drive and salvaged what was otherwise a lackluster showing.

New York maintained its momentum early in the second half with yet another Gould field goal after forcing an Eagles punt.

It appeared as if the Giants would get the ball back with a third-down stop, but Olivier Vernon was flagged for a questionable roughing-the-passer penalty. It wasn't all good news for the Eagles, though, because Wentz left the game on the hit.

Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com said it was the first snap Wentz missed all season.

With Wentz sidelined, the Giants defense stuffed Ryan Mathews on 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line, and Nick Fierro of the Morning Call said it was safety Landon Collins who made the difference:

The momentum was short-lived because Jenkins intercepted Manning again:

Wentz returned for Philadelphia and directed a field-goal drive to extend the lead to 24-16.

The Giants turned to Beckham with the game on the line, and he rewarded them with a 33-yard catch and another reception on fourth down to keep the drive alive. New York ultimately had to settle for a field goal, but the playmaking wide receiver caught the eye of NFL Network's Dan Hellie: 

New York's defense forced a three-and-out and gave its offense an opportunity to seize the lead in the closing minutes.

They moved into scoring range with multiple catches from Beckham, one of which gave them a first down thanks to a questionable spot. However, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson challenged and won, and the Giants were then called for a false start and couldn't convert the ensuing 4th-and-6.

Eagles cornerback Nolan Carroll II was draped on Shepard's back, but the Giants didn't get the pass interference call.

Kevin McGuire of NBC Sports thought there was a penalty:

New York got one more chance when the Eagles threw an incomplete pass on third down with less than two minutes remaining, but Manning threw an interception after moving inside Philadelphia's 35-yard line.

Postgame Reaction

Jenkins said the Eagles changed their defense on the final drive because "we got tired of Odell catching the ball and sprinting past the defense," per Martin Frank of the News Journal.

Cornerback Leodis McKelvin reflected on the victory, per Frank: "We wanted to see how the winning column feels, and it feels real great."

Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News noted that Beckham was not pleased after the game and shared some footage:

Shepard said he was held on the fourth-down pass he didn't haul in but admitted, "I've got to come up with that play," per Dan Duggan of NJ Advance Media.

What's Next?

The Giants will finish the regular season with a game against Washington. A victory would clinch the playoffs, although they may already be in the postseason by the time they take the field depending on the rest of the Week 16 results.

Philadelphia is playing out the string at this point and will finish its season against the Cowboys.