The Eagles–Giants rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. The rivalry began in 1933 with the founding of the Eagles, and slowly strengthened when both teams came to relative prominence in the 1940s and 1950s. The two teams have played in the same division in the NFL every year since 1933, making it the second-oldest rivalry in the NFC East division, behind only New York's rivalry with the Washington Commanders. The ferocity of the rivalry can also be attributed to the geographic New York-Philadelphia rivalry, which is mirrored in Major League Baseball's Mets–Phillies rivalry and the National Hockey League's Flyers–Rangers rivalry. It is ranked by NFL Network as the number one rivalry of all-time and Sports Illustrated ranks it amongst the top ten NFL rivalries of all-time at number four, and according to ESPN, it is one of the fiercest and most well-known rivalries in the football community. The Eagles lead the overall series, 95–89–2. The two teams have met five times in the playoffs, with the Eagles holding a 3–2 advantage.

Notable rivalry moments

The Hit: 1960

In a November 20, 1960, game, the Eagles' Chuck Bednarik cleanly blindsided Giants running back Frank Gifford in a play known as The Hit, widely considered the hardest, or one of the hardest, tackles in the history of the National Football League that sent Gifford to the ground unconscious. He was removed from the field by stretcher, transported to a hospital by ambulance, and diagnosed with a severe concussion. The play forced Gifford out of the game for 18 months before he was ultimately able to return with the Giants.

The Miracle at the Meadowlands/The Fumble: 1978

On November 19, 1978, at Giants Stadium, the Giants were leading the Eagles 17–12 with 20 seconds remaining. Offensive coordinator Bob Gibson called for a running play when all that was needed was for the Giants to take a knee having previously got ran over while kneeling the very prior play. The handoff between quarterback Joe Pisarcik and Larry Csonka was fumbled and Eagles cornerback Herman Edwards grabbed the loose ball and returned it for the winning score. This play is commonly referred to as The Miracle at the Meadowlands by Eagles fans and just "The Fumble" by Giants fans.

1981 NFC wild card game

In 1981, both the Giants and the defending NFC champion Eagles qualified for playoff berths. The Eagles hosted the Giants on December 27 in a wild card game. The Giants, led by quarterback Scott Brunner and head coach Ray Perkins, took a 20–0 lead in the first quarter. The Eagles rallied but never led and the Giants held on to win 27–21. The game ended with Scott Brunner kneeling down on the ball, which was revenge for the Joe Pisarcik game some three years earlier. The Giants would go on to lose 38–24 to the San Francisco 49ers, the eventual Super Bowl XVI champions.

1988 division title

The 1988 NFL season saw both teams competing for the NFC East title. On November 20, 1988, the Giants hosted the Eagles with both teams in the running for control over their division. The Eagles, led by head coach Buddy Ryan and quarterback Randall Cunningham, fought a tough match to bring the game into overtime with the score tied at 17–17. In overtime, Eagles defensive lineman Clyde Simmons carried the ball 15 yards after a blocked Eagles field goal attempt for the game-winning touchdown, completing a season sweep of the Giants. This was dubbed the "Forgotten Miracle at the Meadowlands." Both teams finished with 10–6 records, but the Eagles won the NFC East due to their head-to-head victories, while the Giants lost the wild card tiebreaker to the Los Angeles Rams and missed the playoffs. The Eagles would lose to the Chicago Bears in a game famously known as the Fog Bowl.

2000 NFC divisional game

On January 7, 2001, the Giants defeated the Eagles 20–10 in a divisional playoff game with the help of Ron Dixon's 97-yard kickoff return and Jason Sehorn's acrobatic 32-yard interception return. This win helped propel the Giants to Super Bowl XXXV, which they lost to the Baltimore Ravens, 34–7.

2006 NFC wild card game

On January 7, 2007, the Eagles defeated the Giants 23–20 in a wild card playoff game on a David Akers field goal as time expired. The Eagles had relinquished a ten-point lead in the fourth quarter, with the Giants tying the game on a touchdown by Plaxico Burress with just over five minutes remaining. Jeff Garcia and Brian Westbrook led the game-winning drive deep into Giants territory, allowing the Eagles to drain the clock to three seconds before Akers lined up his 38-yard kick to win the game.

2008 NFC Divisional Game

The two teams split their 2008 meetings. The Giants rallied to edge the Eagles in Philadelphia 36–31, then the Eagles stymied New York's offense en route to a 20–14 win at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. They met again at Giants Stadium on January 11, 2009, in the 2008 NFC Divisional Playoffs. In what would ultimately be the final playoff game at the venue, the #6 seeded Eagles defeated the top-seeded Giants 23–11, leaving the series tied 2–2 in the all-time playoff series.

Miracle at the New Meadowlands: 2010

On December 19, 2010, the Giants led the Eagles 31–10 with 7:28 left in the first game between the teams at New Meadowlands Stadium where first place in the NFC East was on the line. But the Eagles rallied to tie the score and then won the game on DeSean Jackson's 65 yard punt return for a touchdown with no time left on the clock for a 38–31 victory. The Elias Sports Bureau noted that this is the first walk-off punt return in NFL history. The Giants missed the playoffs, despite finishing tied for first with the Eagles at 10–6, and the Eagles lost their last two games.

Other notable moments

Season-by-season results

Rivalry outside football

Inline citations