The New York Giants ended a 13-game road losing streak to the Philadelphia Eagles with a hard-fought win at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday -- a result that carried extra meaning for both head coach John Harbaugh and quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
Harbaugh described the atmosphere as memorable from the moment the team arrived.
“Coming back in on the bus, seeing Lincoln Financial Field, coming down the highway 95, and in a Giants bus, it was really something,” he told reporters after the game. “This is Giants-Eagles in Philadelphia. This is a big rivalry.”
Harbaugh credited both teams for a physical contest and said the Giants never backed down.
“Our guys met the challenge and never flinched and never blinked,” Harbaugh said. “We did play winning football,
not perfect football, but winning football and found a way to win the game in all three phases, especially starting with the defense.”
Harbaugh noted the streak had been “hovering” over the matchup. The first game ball went to owner John Mara, accepted by Chris Mara, who relayed that John had been texting throughout the game. Harbaugh also highlighted the Giants fans who made the trip.
“We had a bunch of fans here. They were loud. They were great,” he said. “This is a special place.”
McCarthy said the victory meant the world to him and the team.
“The fact that [Jameis Winston] and I got to do it, it’s just a testament to what this team’s all about,” McCarthy said. “I can’t thank the Mara’s, the ownership, just the organization for putting this group together because it’s a really special group. To get a gritty win like this and an environment like this and obviously the past was what it was, but to find a way to win, that’s all that matters is going 1-0 every week and we did that today.”
McCarthy also pointed to the energy from the stands, telling teammates in the huddle that blue was starting to fill the stadium more than green.
For the Giants, the result closed a long chapter on the road against their division rival.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Snapping 13-year road losing streak vs. Philly 'means the world' to Giants
