The Eagles may be trudging through a season with little to celebrate, but Braden Mann gave them a rare jolt on Sunday against the Giants.
Philadelphia came into Week 9 at 2-6, with all six losses coming during the current skid and Jalen Hurts among the notable injuries and subtractions since Week 1. That has the Eagles looking more like a team headed for a top-5 pick next spring than a playoff push. Still, for one snap late in the first half, Mann turned a bad spot into something memorable.
Pinned deep in their own territory on a 4th & 4, the Eagles sent Mann out from just inside his own end zone. He drove the punt toward the Giants’ 25-yard line, and the ball kept tumbling all the way to the 5. The result: an 86-yard punt.
That kick landed in rare company. It was the longest punt in the NFL since 2001, the second-longest in the league since 2000, and the second-longest in Eagles history.
The last NFL punter to reach 86 yards was Rodney Williams, who had a 90-yard punt for the Giants in 2001. That kick is tied for the fourth-longest in NFL history. The record still belongs to Steve O’Neal, whose 98-yard punt in 1969 stands alone at the top.
As for the Eagles’ franchise mark, that one belongs to Randall Cunningham. The former star quarterback famously blasted a 91-yard punt in 1989 against the Giants after convincing Buddy Ryan to let him punt because of his college background as an all-conference punter. Cunningham’s kick remains the third-longest in NFL history.
In Other News...
Giants Win Leaves One Big Concern After Harbaugh Statement In Philly
The Giants finally got a result in Philadelphia, and it carried some real weight beyond the standings. For the first time since 2013, New York left Lincoln Financial Field with a win, ending a 12-game road losing streak there and giving John Harbaughs team another firm hold on the NFC East race. J.J. McCarthy helped make it happen with a few sharp third-down throws, even as the offense spent much of the afternoon fighting uphill.
What should linger, though, is how often the pocket collapsed around him. The offensive line gave up six sacks and never really opened much for the run game, which made every sustained drive feel harder than it should have been. McCarthy also had to deal with a hip issue during the game, and while the Giants were able to finish the job, the protection problems remain the kind of concern that can travel with a team deeper into the season. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Have A Backfield Concern At The Worst Time Vs Eagles
The Giants head into their Week 9 matchup with the Eagles carrying a familiar kind of late-season injury concern, and this one lands in the backfield at an awkward time. Cam Skattebo is listed as doubtful with a hamstring injury, leaving New York to sort through its running back plan while the rest of the roster also deals with a few bumps and bruises.
Malik Nabers, meanwhile, appears set to give the offense a lift after working through a recent knee issue, which helps soften the blow on the perimeter. The Eagles are also shorthanded at receiver, with DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks out, but the Giants bigger question is whether they can find enough stability on the ground to keep their offense balanced in a game where every possession figures to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Finally Ended A Philly Curse But One Problem Remains
For the first time in 13 years, the Giants walked out of Philadelphia with a win, grinding out a 19-11 victory that felt as much about relief as it did about standings. It was the kind of road result this franchise has been chasing for a long time in a building that had become a problem spot, and it came with enough defensive resistance and special-teams steadiness to keep New York moving in the right direction in the NFC East.
Arvell Reese was everywhere for the Giants, piling up 12 tackles and 3 sacks, while Dominic Zvada gave the offense a steady hand by converting all four of his field-goal tries. Even so, the game still carried the familiar warning signs of undisciplined stretches and an offense that never fully found its rhythm, which is why this win may say as much about what the Giants still need to clean up as it does about the streak they finally snapped. [Read more 🡒]