With the New York Giants in need of perhaps one final first down to help them polish off a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night, the opportunity slipped away.
Giants tight end Evan Engram was unable to haul in a pass from Daniel Jones that would have converted a first down on a third-and-six with 2:14 left to play in the game. Engram beat safety Will Parks on a slot-fade in man-to-man coverage with Jones dropping in a perfect pass over his shoulder outside the numbers. A catch would have moved the Giants inside the Eagles’ 25-yard line and allowed the clock to reach the two-minute warning.
“Got the look we wanted. DJ threw a great ball. Just didn’t finish the play. One hundred percent I got to make that play,” Engram said, via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
“Sucky feeling.”
Had Engram made the catch, the Giants would have at least been able to waste away close to another minute off the clock. The Eagles only had two timeouts remaining at that point. That would have allowed approximately 50 seconds to run down considering the 40-second play clock and the two timeouts that would stop it before a third down play would keep the clock moving.
With the field position as well, the Giants could have attempted a field goal that then would have made it an eight-point lead inside the final minute of play However, it should be noted that kicker Graham Gano did appear to be dealing with a leg injury in the latter stages of the game.
Instead, the Giants punted to the Eagles and six plays later Carson Wentz hit Boston Scott behind Jabrill Peppers for an 18-yard touchdown that gave the Eagles the victory.