There was a point midway through the first quarter on Sunday night when the Giants and Eagles each had as many punts as pass completions – two.
So it was clear early on that both sides were going to have to scrape for every yard in the latest edition of this NFC East rivalry. Philadelphia, however, eventually broke the stalemate on a passing touchdown with 1:47 remaining in the first half, leaving the Giants on the verge of being shut out heading into the locker room with the Eagles set to receive to start the third quarter.
The Giants offense, which had put up 77 points in the previous two games combined, needed a spark.
What it got was Domenik Hixon, who hauled in three consecutive passes from Eli Manning on the final drive of the half. The plays of 32, 7 and 10 yards brought the Giants into Eagles' territory and led to a Lawrence Tynes' field goal for the team's first points.
"We were going up against a real good defense, and we knew they were going to make plays," Hixon said after the 19-17 loss to Philadelphia. "But we just had to keep on chipping and hammering away and just keep on competing. They're a really good defense. We just kept at it."
Hixon notched four receptions for 60 yards in the first half en route to a career-high 114 yards on six catches in the game. It was just the second time he had 100 yards receiving in his seven-year career after recording 102 against Seattle in 2008. Meanwhile, playing without an injured Hakeem Nicks, Hixon and Victor Cruz accounted for 223 of Manning's 309 yards as the offense scored both its touchdowns in the second half.
After grabbing a 17-16 lead in the fourth quarter, the Giants gave up a late field goal and found themselves in familiar territory with Manning and company taking the field for a final comeback drive.
But it wasn't in the cards this time in Philadelphia.
"We had opportunities even at the end – a couple plays here and there and throughout the game," Hixon said. "We make one more play, we go ahead and finish them off and get the win."
He added: "We've definitely been in worse situations, and we're going to keep on fighting. We're the New York Giants; we're going to keep on fighting."
