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Eagles edge Giants on Young's late TD toss

Nov 21, 2011 - 6:21 AM East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) - Vince Young, the backup quarterback who dubbed Philadelphia the "Dream Team," let his play do the talking Sunday night, leading the Eagles to a 17-10 victory over the Giants.

The Eagles (4-6) threatened to squander another fourth-quarter lead, as Eli Manning hit Victor Cruz for a 24-yard, game-tying touchdown with 11:36 remaining.

But Young, playing in place of injured starter Michael Vick, engineered an 18- play, 80-yard drive, hitting Riley Cooper in the back of the end zone for the winning touchdown.

"We just knew we had to dig deep," said Cooper. "We knew we had to dig deep and put the ball in the end zone. We pieced that drive together in the run game and pass game."

The Giants (6-4) received the ball back with 2:45 remaining, but the Philadelphia defense, largely culpable in five fourth-quarter collapses this season, delivered the decisive blow, as Manning fumbled the ball away on a Jason Babin sack.

Young completed 23-of-36 passes for 258 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions for the Eagles, who halted a two-game slide.

LeSean McCoy ran for 113 yards in the win and DeSean Jackson and Cooper tallied 88 and 75 receiving yards, respectively. Steve Smith had a 14-yard touchdown reception against his former team.

Manning threw for 264 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Giants, who have dropped two in a row.

Cruz caught six passes for 128 yards, while Brandon Jacobs totaled just 21 yards on 12 rushes to lead the team.

"That is the biggest disappointment that we have had around here in a long time," said Giants coach Tom Coughlin. "I didn't like the way we played. I know our offensive line was completely outplayed by the front eight of [the Eagles]."

Philadelphia has lost five games this season when holding a fourth-quarter lead -- the 10th team in NFL history to do so.

No team has ever dropped six such games in a season, but a familiar trend appeared to be emerging when Manning found Cruz in the end zone early in the fourth.

Young, who signed with Philadelphia during a busy offseason and has drawn increasing ire for his preseason "Dream Team" comment refused to be on the wrong end of history.

The Eagles' game-winning drive featured six third-down conversion, including Young's 3rd-and-8 touchdown pass to Cooper, who was filling in for the injured Jeremy Maclin.

On the Giants' ensuing drive, Manning connected with Cruz for a 47-yard completion on 3rd-and-3, but Babin blindsided the signal caller on the next play and Derek Landri made the recovery at the Eagles' 31.

Two plays later, McCoy escaped for a 60-yard run to the New York two, sealing the final result.

Young, making his first start since Week 11 of last season as a member of the Titans, showed signs of rust early, tossing two first-half interceptions.

"I had a couple of little jitters," said Young. "It's been a while."

Rookie cornerback Prince Amukamara, playing in his first NFL game, made one of those picks. The Giants' first-round pick has been out since breaking his foot in training camp.

The Eagles struck first on Alex Henery's 33-yard field goal early in the second quarter.

Later, Jackson returned a Steve Weatherford punt 51 yards to the New York 14 and Young found Smith -- another offseason signee and former Giant -- for a touchdown and a 10-0 lead.

"It's a great feeling," said Smith. "It's like a cherry on top of the win, to be able to make a play and contribute, and especially against my old team."

Meanwhile, the Giants, without injured running back Ahmad Bradshaw, struggled against a maligned Eagles defense.

Manning was intercepted during the first quarter and Jacobs failed to generate a rush.

"Just couldn't get anything going," said Manning. "We had trouble running the ball, had some penalties, had some drops, and just never got in good rhythm."

They finally broke through late in the first half, as D. J. Ware's 10-yard reception set up Lawrence Tynes' 48-yard field goal as time expired, making it 10-3 at the break.

Game Notes

Amukamara was taken with the 19th overall selection in this year's draft out of Nebraska...Rookie linebacker Mark Herzlich, a cancer survivor, made his first career start for the Giants and recorded four tackles...Jackson returned from a team-mandated one-game suspension...Jamar Chaney had an interception for the Eagles, while Kenny Phillips and Aaron Ross had picks for the Giants.