Giants vs Eagles: How the Giants Finally Ended the Losing Streak Against Philly

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The losing streak is finally over.

The last three years seemed like thirteen years as the Philadelphia Eagles had won the last six straight games against the New York Giants.

And considering the last time the Giants and Eagles met back in December with the ending of that game prompting the name "Meltdown at the Meadowlands," those losses sure seem to sting a little more in Giants' fans and players' minds.

But Sunday, however, the Giants were finally able to finish off the Eagles and win, 29-16.

How were they able to pull off this win this time around?

No Turnovers

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No interceptions by Eli Manning. None.

No fumbles by Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. Zero.

No fumbles by any of the Giants receivers, either. Zip.

Usually, the Giants are good for at least one turnover a game, whether it be a fumble or an interception, but not Sunday.

The common theory is: If you don't turn the ball over, your chances of winning on Sunday increase.

And in the Giants' case, they kept the mistakes very limited and their victory was the end result.

The Defense Forces Eagle Turnovers

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What a game for Aaron Ross.

A week ago, he got benched against the St. Louis Rams because he was struggling.

This week, Ross is a hero, making not one, but two interceptions in the game against Philadelphia.

Kenny Phillips also had a huge interception in the fourth quarter off Mike Kafka that sealed the victory. Phillips also had a forced fumble in the game.

The Giants had more takeaways then they did giveaways, which is a key formula to winning football games.

Kudos to defensive coordinator Perry Fewell and his coaching staff for causing pressure and making plays when they needed to.

Eli Manning Made Great Throws

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Eli was 16 of 25 passing with four touchdowns and no interceptions.

Last Monday night, we saw a pass thrown to Mario Manningham that should have been a touchdown, but was intercepted by Quintin Mikell of the Rams.

Manning has those types of throws and it drives fans nuts.

Today, there was none of that.

The touchdown pass to Brandon Jacobs was a great read by Eli, because Jacobs had Eagles linebacker Casey Matthews beat by several yards en route to the endzone.

Manning also made great throws to Victor Cruz, which lead to two touchdowns.

Eli didn't make any mistakes in the game, and he was able to torch the Eagles' secondary.

Victor Cruz Stepped Up

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We all know the Giants were depleted at wide receiver.

They lost Domenik Hixon for the season with a torn ACL and Mario Manningham was out with a concussion.

Plus, Steve Smith was playing on the other side in this game.

But Sunday, Victor Cruz made his case to be more involved in the offense with his performance.

Before Sunday, most loyal Giant fans knew Cruz as "that guy from preseason," as he did great things, but not much else in the regular season.

Then, Sunday, he broke out and had a game.

Three catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns.

The first one was a 74-yard catch in the first quarter and the second one was a key 28-yard catch late in the fourth quarter.

Cruz stepped up for the Giants most when they needed someone.

And I think for the rest of the season, Eli will trust going to Cruz more often.

Pound Michael Vick into Submission

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It was uncertain whether Michael Vick would play against the Giants after suffering a mild concussion last week against the Atlanta Falcons.

But, Vick played. And the Giants made him pay for it.

The Giants sacked Vick twice, intercepted him once, made forced him to fumble the ball three times, and the defense knocked him around all day.

Vick was 16 of 23 passing with 167 yards, no touchdowns, one interception and had seven carries for 31 yards.

Not exactly the most spectacular performance by their quarterback.

But it got worse for the Eagles and Vick, as he had to leave the game with a broken right hand, which forced Mike Kafka into the game.

Vick makes the offense go. Without Vick in the offense, it changes the whole complexion of the offense.

And the Giants took advantage of it, just like the Falcons did a week ago.

Knocking Vick out of the game only enhanced the Giants' chances for a victory.

DeSean Jackson Was Not a Factor This Time

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We all remember the punt return.

It's the reason why Steve Weatherford is the Giants punter in 2011 and not Matt Dodge.

Jackson had two catches for 30 yards, one carry for three yards and one punt return for 15 yards.

No touchdowns for Jackson.

No chance for Jackson to do his usual arrogant touchdown celebrations.

He was nowhere close to being any sort of factor in the game.

Usually, Jackson finds a way to burn the Giants defense somehow. But not Sunday.

The defense and special teams should be commended for shutting Jackson down.

The Giants Finished the Game

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The Giants trailed 16-14 going into the fourth quarter.

They scored on the Victor Cruz touchdown pass and converted the two-points to make it 22-16.

The Giants could have crumbled and given up big plays to the Eagles.

But this time, there would be no meltdown, no collapse.

The Giants forced turnovers and made the Eagles make crucial mistakes late.

One key play was when Lawrence Tynes was setting up for a 40-yard field goal. Punter Steve Weatherford is the holder and did a hard count and faked taking the snap with his arm, which drew the Eagles offsides.

Because of that, it gave the Giants a fresh set of downs and it set up the 18-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Ahmad Bradshaw, which put the game out of reach.

This time, there was no 21-point collapse with eight minutes to go.

The Giants finished the game, and they finished with a win on the road against the Eagles.

Until They Meet Again

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The next time the Giants and Eagles meet won't be for another two months.

These two teams will match up again November 20, which will be the Sunday Night Football game on NBC.

Usually when the Giants and Eagles play on Sunday nights, they are physical games that end with some wild finishes.

With the Vick injury, it will be curious to see how the Eagles offense shapes up and fairs if he has to miss any time.

For the Giants, they are now 2-1 and play against the Arizona Cardinals on the road. If they can knock off the Cardinals and go to 3-1, it would put them in great shape early on in the division.

Not too many people gave the Giants a shot against the Eagles. Hell, I even picked the Eagles to win. The Giants pulled off the upset with a very good win.

Now becomes the question if they can keep it going and carry it into their next game against Arizona and into the next showdown with Philadelphia in November.

The bottom line today: The Giants won the game. They needed to end the losing streak against the Eagles, and they did that.

Moving forward, their 2011 season doesn't look as bleak and dark as it once did.