Eagles-Giants analysis: Sloppy Birds survive to snap a three-game losing streak and retain NFC East lead

One week after he questioned the commitment level on the heels of a season-high three-game skid, quarterback Jalen Hurts helped deliver a sweaty but needed 33-25 victory Monday over the New York Giants.

Hurts threw for 301 yards, rushed for 34, and accounted for two touchdowns as the Eagles climbed back in the win column and improved their record to 11-4.

“We’re hungry, we’re motivated, eager,” Hurts said of the team’s current state. “Just in terms of chasing that standard ourselves and demanding it of ourselves ... it’s just a matter of being together and committing yourselves to that excellence and chasing that.

“It’s great to get a win. We went through a little, tough stretch there. To be able to overcome the things we did today, defense played the way they did, some unfortunate things happened with turnovers. In the end, we just have to continue to grow. It takes everyone. It’s still a process, still a journey, with no arrival.”

» READ MORE: Eagles grades: Jalen Hurts bounces back, Shaquille Leonard steps up for Birds

Thanks to an early spark via Britain Covey’s 54-yard punt return, the Eagles began their first drive in prime field position from New York’s 13-yard line. On just the offense’s second play, Hurts found the end zone on a quarterback sneak, recording his 15th rushing touchdown this season to give the Eagles an early lead.

Hurts’ score set an NFL record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season, surpassing Cam Newton’s 14 in 2011.

Despite Hurts’ latest historic mark, the 25-year-old will likely leave the game with added senses of urgency and disappointment rooted from the unit’s struggles. Facing the NFL’s 24th-ranked red-zone defense, the Eagles finished 2 of 5 in the red zone. Of the team’s nine penalties, four were credited to the offensive line and also occurred before the snap.

Hurts also was picked off in the second half by Adoree’ Jackson, who returned the interception 76 yards for a touchdown. On the play, tight end Dallas Goedert appeared to slip as Hurts delivered him the football on a simple out route. Goedert finished with seven catches for 71 yards.

“It’s very unfortunate,” Hurts said of his latest interception, which increased his career-high mark to 13 this season.

Wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith paced the offense with 159combined yards, while Smith added his seventh receiving touchdown this season. With Smith’s score, the third-year player has tied his career high for a season and also exceeded 1,000 receiving yards in consecutive seasons.

“I’m not satisfied right now,” Smith said. “We’re not playing good as an offense. There’s a lot more that we can do. So I’m not satisfied right now.”

On the ground, running back D’Andre Swift powered the Eagles with his 92 rushing yards and one touchdown across 20 carries. Tailback Kenneth Gainwell added six rushes for 41 yards.

Recently-appointed defensive play-caller Matt Patricia incorporated several new wrinkles against the Giants.

With starting linebackers Nicholas Morrow (abdomen) and Zach Cunningham (knee) sidelined, the Eagles turned to veteran Shaquille Leonard and undrafted rookie Ben VanSumeren. Rookie Nolan Smith, somewhat surprisingly, received a few snaps at off-ball linebacker as well.

Smith, a first-round pick out of Georgia, built his draft portfolio as an edge rusher with a high ceiling. But with the Eagles lacking bodies at the defense’s second level, Patricia and the coaching staff deemed Smith capable of handling responsibilities both near and also away from the line of scrimmage. Smith finished with two tackles, while VanSumeren tallied six. Leonard recorded a team-high seven tackles with one sack and two tackles for loss.

“[People] wrote me off, talked down on me, talked down a lot on my name,” Leonard said. “I’m just here to prove it. Prove I still have something left in the tank. That’s my goal, to come out, and prove to myself that I can still play, that I can still make plays.”

Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito completed nine passes for 55 yards with zero touchdowns before he was benched at halftime in favor of veteran Tyrod Taylor. The change provided the visitors with some life after the Giants managed just three points at the half.

But this divisional contest still featured too many mistakes from an Eagles team that has lofty expectations. Coming out of the half, wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus collided with returner Boston Scott, and Scott fumbled away the kickoff return. The team’s latest turnover negated any advantage gained from winning the game’s coin toss.

In the fourth quarter, Taylor connected with wide receiver Darius Slayton for a 69-yard touchdown reception down the left sideline to trim the Eagles’ lead to just one possession. Taylor finished with 133 passing yards and one touchdown.

“Slayton was on the safety [Reed Blankenship], one-on-one. I like that matchup as well as he does,” Taylor said. “He did a great job of tracking the ball and staying in at the end as well. Obviously, it was explosive for us and it put us back in the game where we needed to. We needed a quick score right there.”

The Giants then had an improbable chance to tie the contest at the end of regulation. With four seconds remaining and the Giants facing second-and-10 from the Eagles’ 26, Taylor tossed a prayer toward the end zone, and he was picked off by rookie cornerback Kelee Ringo as time expired.

“I’m just continuing to build,” said Ringo, who has started two straight games in place of Darius Slay. “I view every single play as a one-on-one rep, so when the ball does come, it is not surprising. We needed to buckle down.”

The second-year punt returner Covey continued his strong season with another statement outing. His 54-yard return marked a new career high.

Covey fielded four punts with 66 return yards and one fair catch. He now leads the NFL with 409 punt-return yards. Covey’s 717 punt-return yards since 2022 rank first in the league.

“I knew going into today how much of a help it would be to get our offense going early, just based on how we’ve been performing these last few weeks,” Covey said. “So [coordinator] Michael Clay schemed it up pretty good in practice, and the guys made lanes in front of me. I’m going to try to hit whatever hole at any time. I look at it, if I’m getting positive yards for the team, then I’m doing my job. I’m hoping pretty soon we can bring one back for a touchdown, but all in all, it was a spark for our offense.”

Covey also hauled in his first career reception — a 7-yard catch — on a bubble screen completion from Hurts.