After two weeks of talk about potential rust and pregame jitters, the Eagles jumped out to a 14-0 lead and haven’t looked back as they lead 28-0 at the half.
Jalen Hurts has two passing touchdowns and three touchdowns on the day as Philadelphia dominated their NFC East rival in the third matchup of the season between both teams.
Hurts was 12-17 passing for 118 yards, while also logging eight carries for 30 rushing yards. For the Giants, quarterback Daniel Jones is 6-10 for 57 yards and one interception.
With another half of football to play, here are ten takeaways from the Eagles’ dominant first half.
1. Jalen Hurts opening drives
Philadelphia couldn’t afford a three-and-out or offensive inefficiency on their first drive and it went just about as perfectly as an opening drive could go.
Hurts went 5-5 passing for 68 yards on the opening drive and ran twice — including the zone read, before hitting tight end Dallas Goedert for a touchdown.
The All-Pro quarterback added two more completions for 21 yards after the defense turned the Giants over on downs.
In that perfect first quarter, Jalen Hurts was 7-7 passing for 89 yards, 2 TDs, and 14 rush yards.
2. DeVonta Smith set for a monster night
Smith opened the first drive with a 40-yard catch on a dime from quarterback Jalen Hurts.
SMITTY DEEP❗️#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/XOmMzWAo9u
— JAKIB Sports (@JAKIBSports) January 22, 2023
He then finished the first quarter with a nine-yard touchdown off a wide receiver screen to put Philadelphia up 14-0.
2 TOUCHDOWNS IN 2 POSSESSIONS! HURTS SO GOOD INTO THE BREAK! FEELS LIKE A ROUT! pic.twitter.com/aIO0eXzO0F
— Crossing Broad (@CrossingBroad) January 22, 2023
Smith finished the first half with four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown.
3. Adoree' Jackson traveling
The Giants’ veteran cornerback missed both regular season contests against Philadelphia but opened up the divisional matchup against the Eagles traveling with A.J. Brown.
Brown had two catches for 17 yards in the first half.
4. Haason Reddick was dominant early on
On back-to-back plays with under six minutes remaining in the first quarter, Haason Reddick was able to get pressure on Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, ruining a potential scoring drive.
Reddick beat Giants rookie Evan Neal for a sack on 3rd down, and then was used in a stunt to loop inside and sack Daniel Jones on a fourth-down pass attempt.
Reddickulous@Haason7Reddick | #NYGvsPHI | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/5cYl8wJiEI
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 22, 2023
Reddick had 2 sacks, 3 tackles, 3 QB hits, and 3 TFLs on Philadelphia’s opening drive.
5. Dominant first quarter on defense
The media talked all week about the Giants being dangerous on offense, and through one quarter, Brian Daboll’s squad had only produced 64 total yards on 19 total plays in a disastrous first quarter that saw Daniel Jones get picked off by former teammate James Bradberry.
Bradberry interception. Surprised Jones didn't throw the swing to Barkley versus Josh Sweat in space. pic.twitter.com/firZT88gM6
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) January 22, 2023
6. Boston Scott scores another touchdown
After scoring another touchdown, 11 of his career 19 touchdowns have come vs the Giants.
That means 61% of them have come against the Giants, including one tonight.
Eagles running back Boston Scott has scored 18 career touchdowns (regular season & playoffs), 61% of them have come against the Giants, including one tonight.#NYGvsPHI | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/Wdtxm8LrSq
— Pro Football Reference (@pfref) January 22, 2023
7. Saquon Barkley contained in first half
Barkley has four carries for seven yards in the first half, and one reception for two yards as Philadelphia worked to bottle up the Giants’ star running back.
8. Eagles have dominated Giants on scoreboard
In the first half of three matchups, the Eagles have outscored the Giants 68-7 after jumping out to an early 28-0 lead.
9. Shane Steichen-Jonathan Gannon are out of here
After Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon both interviewed for head coach jobs this week, there was some discussion about the Eagles’ focus.
If the first half at Lincoln Financial Field is any indication, Nick Sirianni will be replacing his offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator in the coming weeks.
Steichen had the Eagles’ offense rolling in the first half to the tune of almost 300 total yards and a brilliant run-pass strategy.
Gannon’s defense harassed Daniel Jones and the Giants’ offense in the first half, as New York struggled to break 60 total yards.
10. Random notes
Philadelphia had 15 first downs in the first half compared to the Giants’ two.
Philadelphia was 5-6 on third down during an efficient first half.
Philadelphia was 4-4 in the red zone for an efficient first half.
