Eagle Fletcher Cox gave Giant QB Eli Manning a night from hell!
By Martha Sullivan
Two and a half years into Eagle coach Chip Kelly’s reign, the face of the Birds is not the offense but a rock-solid defense, as was amply demonstrated Monday night in their 27-7 victory over the Giants.
“I think we just settled down and went out there and trusted our stuff,” rookie linebacker Jordan Hicks said. “We got two turnovers in a row and one of them was obviously huge with the touchdown. The momentum switched right there, so it was big.”
After that first drive, on which the Giants went 80 yards in eight plays, New York had the ball 11 more times.
They picked up more than 30 yards only twice. The Eagles took the ball away with three turnovers and forced eight consecutive punts.
“We were talking about turnovers and all that stuff all offseason,” safety Malcolm Jenkins said. “We not only had the players we identified, we also talked about how we wanted to play defense. That’s taking the ball away, winning on third down, playing good in the red zone.
“We’ve got a lot of red zone takeaways. Three takeovers is a high goal, but we’ve been reaching that lately. We’re always looking for those opportunities.”
The Eagles have sacked opposing quarterbacks 14 times in six games. They have intercepted eight passes and recovered eight fumbles.
“Last week, we should have held New Orleans to 10 points,” Davis said, referring to the Saints’ final, last-second touchdown that made the score 39-17. “They got that last touchdown on us. We’re really focused on turnovers and points allowed. That’s what we talk about often and that’s what we know the best defenses do.
“Right now, we’re getting turnovers at a high rate and the points are down.”
