Eagles quarterback Michael Vick finally went an entire game without coughing up the football, one of the key ingredients to the Eagles' 19-17 win over the arch-rival New York Giants. (US Presswire)
The Eagles have now won three games by a total of four points, all of them with late scoring drives, and Sunday’s 19-17 victory over the New York Giants is a perfect example of how they’ve been living on the edge this season. They won because Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes – who came into the game 10-for-10 on field goal attempts -- missed not one, but two tries from 54 yards, the second one falling short by about a foot or two.

The Eagles' positives included RB LeSean McCoy, QB Michael Vick, K Alex Henery and WR DeSean Jackson, as well as an offensive line that did better than expected against a rugged Giants front seven.

But the Eagles still have plenty of problems and Sunday’s game highlighted them, especially their kick coverage. Still, none of that matters when you win, even if it is by just a foot.

Offense: B

It took them a long time to get it going, but once they did the Eagles showed the balanced attack they’ve been missing all season. RB LeSean McCoy gained 123 yards on 23 carries, with 121 of those yards and 17 of those carries coming in the second half. WR DeSean Jackson, who tends to disappear at times, had a big game, while the patchwork offensive line did a pretty good job opening holes for the run game and protecting QB Michael Vick. And Vick, who came into the game with nine turnovers, didn’t turn it over once. That, more than anything, was the key in the close game.

Previous game's grade: F

Defense: B+

They came into the game knowing they had to shut down the Giants running game and they did that -- Ahmad Bradshaw had just 39 yards on 13 carries. They also knew they had to pressure Eli Manning and they were somewhat successful at that -- even though they didn’t sack Manning at all, they did get decent pressure on him early in the game and that forced the Giants to keep in extra blockers in the second half. The Eagles also knew they had to have good coverage to give the pass rush time to get to Manning and that was a sore spot, as the Giants gained 309 yards through the air and WRs Victor Cruz and Dominique Hixon combined for 15 catches for 223 yards.

Previous game's grade: B-

Special teams: C

Kicker Alex Henery, who was 4-for-4 on FGs, scored 13 of the Eagles’ 19 points and they needed every one of them. But kick coverage was terrible and it almost cost them the game. The Giants’ David Wilson returned six kickoffs for 217 yards, an average of 36.2 yards per return, which would have led the NFL last season. Because of that the Giants started drives on their 39, 43 and 35 and the Eagles’ 49. You usually lose the game if you lose the battle for field position that badly and the Eagles were lucky to survive this time.

Previous game's grade: D

Coaches: B

Andy Reid’s team hung in there against the defending Super Bowl champions and found a way to win, which is what good teams do. Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg finally decided to give the ball to their best player, RB LeSean McCoy, and that paid big dividends in the second half. But Reid almost ruined everything with his decision to call a timeout just before Tynes’ first miss and he was plain lucky that Tynes missed the second one, too, or they'd be burning Big Red in effigy in South Philly this morning.

Previous game's grade: D-

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The Eagles have now won three games by a total of four points, all of them with late scoring drives, and Sunday’s 19-17 victory over the New York Giants is a perfect example of how they’ve been living on the edge this season. They won because Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes – who came into the game 10-for-10 on field goal attempts – missed not one, but two tries from 54 yards, the second one falling short by about a foot or two.
The Eagles' positives included RB LeSean McCoy, QB Michael Vick, K Alex Henery and WR DeSean Jackson, as well as an offensive line that did better than expected against a rugged Giants front seven.
But the Eagles still have plenty of problems and Sunday’s game highlighted them, especially their kick coverage. Still, none of that matters when you win, even if it is by just a foot.

Offense: B
It took them a long time to get it going, but once they did the Eagles showed the balanced attack they’ve been missing all season. RB LeSean McCoy gained 123 yards on 23 carries, with 121 of those yards and 17 of those carries coming in the second half. WR DeSean Jackson, who tends to disappear at times, had a big game, while the patchwork offensive line did a pretty good job opening holes for the run game and protecting QB Michael Vick. And Vick, who came into the game with nine turnovers, didn’t turn it over once. That, more than anything, was the key in the close game.

Defense: B+
They came into the game knowing they had to shut down the Giants running game and they did that -- Ahmad Bradshaw had just 39 yards on 13 carries. They also knew they had to pressure Eli Manning and they were somewhat successful at that -- even though they didn’t sack Manning at all, they did get decent pressure on him early in the game and that forced the Giants to keep in extra blockers in the second half. The Eagles also knew they had to have good coverage to give the pass rush time to get to Manning and that was a sore spot, as the Giants gained 309 yards through the air and WRs Victor Cruz and Dominique Hixon combined for 15 catches for 223 yards.

Special teams: C

Kicker Alex Henery, who was 4-for-4 on FGs, scored 13 of the Eagles’ 19 points and they needed every one of them. But kick coverage was terrible and it almost cost them the game. The Giants’ David Wilson returned six kickoffs for 217 yards, an average of 36.2 yards per return, which would have led the NFL last season. Because of that the Giants started drives on their 39, 43 and 35 and the Eagles’ 49. You usually lose the game if you lose the battle for field position that badly and the Eagles were lucky to survive this time.

Coaches: B
Andy Reid’s team hung in there against the defending Super Bowl champions and found a way to win, which is what good teams do. Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg finally decided to give the ball to their best player, RB LeSean McCoy, and that paid big dividends in the second half. But Reid almost ruined everything with his decision to call a timeout just before Tynes’ first miss and he was plain lucky that Tynes missed the second one, too, or they'd be burning Big Red in effigy in South Philly this morning.