Three takeaways from the Eagles' win over the Giants

Alexis Mansanarez

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Three takeaways from the Eagles' win over the Giants image

The Eagles came away with an easy victory in a battle to stay out of the bottom of the NFC East.

Philadelphia, playing without its star running back and a depleted secondary, put together a 34-13 win over the Giants on Thursday.

Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz had one of his best performances of the season. He entered the "Thursday Night Football" showdown off a two-point loss to the Vikings. This time around at MetLife Stadium, Wentz engineered a win with his efforts. It was the Eagles first win in three games.

The loss pushed the Giants to the bottom of a wide-open division, but it's one they will surely struggle in if they can't flip the switch soon.

The 13-point performance matches New York's lowest output of the season, and almost nothing — except rookie running back Saquon Barkley — was working for the home team.

Three takeaways from the Eagles' win over the Giants

Was Odell Beckham Jr. right about Eli Manning?

Many heads turned when Odell Beckham Jr.'s interview with ESPN aired. While his comments about Manning appeared to be an honest reflection of what he's seen this season, many people raised their eyebrow at his delivery.

Beckham may have had a point after Manning's performance Thursday night.

Manning's longest pass was two yards in the first quarter — two yards. He was sacked a total of four times and completed a meager 24 of 43 passes for 281 yards in the game. Manning finished with one interception, which moved his total to 88 picks since 2013 — the most in the NFL.

He struggled to find Beckham — whose longest reception was 12 yards — or any receiver down field. The lack of efficiency resulted in only 4-of-14 third down conversions. 

The only lasting thing Manning gave in this matchup was a new meme.

The Eagles' run game fared well without Jay Ajayi

There was concern about how the Eagles would manage without starting running back Jay Ajayi, who was placed on injured reserve Monday with a torn ACL in his left knee.

The duo of Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement combined for a bulk of Philadelphia's yards on the ground. Smallwood had 51 yards on 18 carries and Clement ran for 43 yards on 11 carries. 

With Ajayi out for the season, it was a good start for a backfield looking for a new face. 

Saquon Barkley's highlights were all for nothing

There's no reason to wonder why the Giants selected Barkley with the second overall pick in the 2018 draft. On Thursday, he was the lifeblood of New York's offense. 

His two SportsCenter Top-10 worthy plays in the first half — one being a 55-yard gain after a short pass from Manning — ended with field goals. When he finally hit the end zone in the third quarter, it was too little too late.

After seeing what he can do to nearly any defense, Barkley gives the one-win Giants some hope — especially when Manning isn't connecting with his receivers.

Barkley racked up 130 yards on just 13 carries and he contributed in the passing game, as well. Manning looked to Barkley multiple times, and the rookie ended with more than half of the team's total yards (229 out of 401).

 

Alexis Mansanarez