Philly fans make right call as Eagles avert upset

PHILADELPHIA — Yes, of course, Jalen Hurts and coach Nick Sirianni heard the booming chants that echoed throughout the Linc from Eagles fans fed up with the pass-heavy offense that stalled in the second half.

"Run the ball! Run the ball!"

"I think I'd hear that too even if I had a double headset on," Sirianni cracked.

No, of course, Hurts, Sirianni and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson weren't going to surrender to the whims of fickle fans and their play-calling proposal from way up in the cheap seats.

So they say.

The Eagles eventually listened, and fans went wild when Kenneth Gainwell ripped off a 22-yard (20-meter) run and D'Andre Swift scored on a 5-yard run — yes, a rushing score that kept their chance of an NFC East title alive.

Hurts scored on the "tush push "that gave him the NFL record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season and he threw for 301 yards and a touchdown to lead the Philadelphia Eagles past the New York Giants 33-25 on Monday night.

They even kept the fans happy — even if the Eagles weren't too pleased with the home crowd.

"They're supposed to get loud for the defense," Hurts said.

The Eagles (11-4) snapped a three-game losing streak that put Philly fans on edge — and led to a shake-up in defensive play calling. The losses to San Francisco, Dallas and Seattle essentially ended Philadelphia's bid for the No 1 seed in the NFC.

But the path to a second straight division title is clear. The Eagles need to beat Arizona next week and defeat the Giants again in the season finale to finish atop the NFC East.

After three crushing defeats, it took a visit from the Giants to straighten out the Eagles. The Eagles are 11-0 at the Linc against New York since 2014 and beat the Giants three times last season.

Adoree' Jackson gave the Giants (5-10) a late spark when he returned an interception 76 yards for a score and Saquon Barkley converted a 2-point conversion that made it 20-18 late in the third quarter.

Hurts and the Eagles held on thanks to the play calls of the fans, many dressed as Santa Claus.

It was still a largely sloppy effort, the kind that cost the Eagles of late against the more elite teams in the NFL.

"I'd love to say we're close," Hurts said. "I think it's trending in the right direction."

Swift's TD made it 27-18 and it came in handy when New York's Tyrod Taylor — who replaced Tommy DeVito to open the second half — connected with Darius Slayton for a 69-yard score late in the fourth that made it 30-25.

With the Giants driving and at the Eagles 26, Taylor was picked off in the end zone by Kelee Ringo on the final play of the game.

"On those last-second plays, you are just trying to get a guy to get him one-on-one and a chance to make a play," Taylor said. "Their guys were kind of restricting our guys physically without saying too much, from making those plays."

Agencies Via Xinhua