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Eagles pull out win against Giants to take NFC East lead

Nov 22, 2010 - 6:31 AM Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - LeSean McCoy rumbled 50 yards for the go- ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter, and David Akers' fourth field goal following an Eli Manning fumble helped the Philadelphia Eagles hold on for a 27-17 victory over the New York Giants in a battle of the top two teams in the NFC East.

McCoy rushed for 111 yards on just 14 carries, and Asante Samuel accounted for three turnovers in the victory.

Michael Vick, coming off a historic performance against Washington on Monday, completed 24-of-38 passes for 258 yards and rushed for a score in the Eagles' (7-3) third straight win.

Manning threw three interceptions, finishing 20-of-33 for 147 yards with two touchdowns for New York (6-4), which lost to then one-win Dallas last week.

That loss dropped the Giants into a tie for first place with Philadelphia, which was riding high after hammering the Redskins, 59-28, last week.

The Eagles gained a franchise-record 592 yards in that one and held a decided yardage advantage again Sunday night, 392-208, but still found themselves down 17-16 and facing a 4th-and-1 at midfield with 4:34 remaining in the game.

McCoy, hardly used in the second half until that point, took a pitch to the right after Vick bobbled the snap and simply had to outrun the secondary after making one quick cut inside.

Jason Avant followed the TD jaunt by catching the two-point conversion on an out route, and the Eagles led 24-17.

"It was good to see this team in that position fight back and win the game," Eagles head coach Andy Reid said. "It's good to see a young team against a tough NFC East opponent get down and come back and show some fight. It will help us out down the road."

On the next play from scrimmage, Samuel intercepted a tipped pass at the Eagles' 43. On the return, however, Ahmad Bradshaw jarred the ball loose, causing a fumble that Rich Seubert recovered to give the Giants the ball back with four minutes to play.

Manning, after throwing incomplete on second and third down of the next series, used his legs on the next play. The not-so-nimble quarterback gained plenty for the first down on the scramble but lost the ball as he hit the ground untouched. Darryl Tapp avoided contact and jumped on the loose ball at the Eagles' 40. The Giants challenged the ruling, but the turnover was upheld.

"I have to slide," lamented Manning, who dove head first. "I got to the point where I couldn't slow down. It was too late, so I went down the fastest way I knew how to. I can't worry about the yardage. We had the first down and I should have went feet first and moved the chains."

McCoy took off for 40 yards to the Giants' 20 prior to the two-minute warning, and Akers' 30-yarder with 22 seconds left sealed a critical win for the hosts.

The Eagles controlled the pace of the game throughout the first half but had only a 13-3 lead at the break.

Vick capped a 13-play, 68-yard drive with 2:16 left in the opening quarter by beating the defensive end to the front left pylon on a four-yard keeper.

Lawrence Tynes got the Giants on the board with a 24-yard field goal 5:50 into the second quarter to make it 7-3.

The Eagles forced two turnovers deep in New York territory later in the second stanza but only managed a pair of field goals.

First, a Bradshaw fumble at his own 24 led to a 38-yard Akers field goal with 5:37 showing. On the second play of the next Giants series, Samuel stepped in front of Hakeem Nicks and picked off Manning's pass. Again the Eagles failed to move the chains and settled on a 24-yard Akers kick that snuck inside the right upright. The second field goal came after Avant dropped a sure touchdown in the back of the end zone.

Akers had a 42-yard attempt blocked at the end of the half, but the kicker was right back at it in the third, finishing a lengthy 14-play, 82-yard march with a 28-yard boot. The trek lasted 8:22 and featured a fourth-down conversion when Vick gained two yards on 4th-and-1 from the New York 19.

The Giants got moving on their first touch of the second half, and a 31-yard pass interference penalty on Eagles safety Quintin Mikell on a third-down play moved the ball to the Eagles' two. From there, Manning hit Travis Beckum in the end zone, cutting the deficit to 16-10 in the final minute of the third.

On the second play of the final quarter, Vick turned the ball over for the first time this season. Giants defensive end Justin Tuck spun through a pair of defenders and stripped the quarterback of the ball, and Barry Cofield recovered for New York at the Philadelphia 27. Brandon Jacobs' 22-yard reception on the next play set the stage for Derek Hagan's go-ahead TD grab.

Philadelphia failed to take advantage of Tynes sending the ensuing kickoff out of bounds, and the Giants caught a break when replay overturned a Bradshaw fumble with 8 1/2 minutes remaining, as it was ruled his left forearm touched the ground before losing the ball.

Game Notes

A scary moment occurred on the second-half kickoff when Eagles return man Ellis Hobbs was leveled with a helmet-to-helmet hit. He was carted off the field and X-rays of his neck came back negative...The Eagles have won five straight in the series, including playoffs...Vick, who became the first player in NFL history to pass for 300 yards, rush for 50 yards, throw four touchdown passes and rush for two touchdowns all in the same game last week, is 5-0 in games he has started and finished this year...Philadelphia's Jeremy Maclin led all receivers with nine catches for 120 yards...Nicks finished with 65 yards on six receptions...Bradshaw gained just 29 yards on 12 carries...Philadelphia held the ball for a little over 34 minutes.