It wasn’t pretty, but the New York Giants finally put an end to their 13-game losing streak in Philadelphia, with a 19-11 victory over the Eagles.

It was perceived that the Giants would have an easy time with the Eagles, who lost six straight heading into this game. But this was a tough physical contest throughout.

At one point in the third quarter, Jameis Winston had to come in for an injured J.J. McCarthy and throw the go-ahead five-yard touchdown to Isaiah Likely. McCarthy would return and engineer two scoring drives that resulted in field goals.

In the NFL, an ugly win is a beautiful thing, especially against a division rival. We’ll look at the biggest takeaways from New York’s victory.

Arvell Reese Is An Absolute Beast

In addition to being one of the favorites to win Defensive Rookie of the Year, after his performance on Sunday, Arvell Reese is in the running to be named Defensive Player of the Year.

He had a game-high 12 tackles, 10 of those tackles were solo, and he had three sacks. He was a major factor in the defense forcing seven 3-and-outs on the afternoon. The 21-year-old linebacker put the NFL world on notice that despite being a rookie, he’s one of the best defenders in the league.

Running Game Is Still A Major Concern

There was a report that the Giants have offered the Indianapolis Colts a 2 nd and 5th-round pick in an effort to trade for Jonathan Taylor. The Colts rejected the offer, and it was rumored that New York is no longer interested in the star running back.

However, after their performance on Sunday, they may need to rethink their stance on trading for Taylor. In the first half, the Giants ran the ball 10 times for 16 yards. They finished the game with 80 yards rushing on 31 carries. Their leading rusher, Devin Singletary, gained 31 yards on 21 carries.

Even though the team was without Cam Skattebo due to a hamstring injury, and Tryone Tracy Jr., who’s on IR, nobody expected the rushing attack to perform this poorly. Big Blue has a commanding lead in the division, but if they had a legit rushing attack, they could cause some noise in the playoffs.

If head coach John Harbaugh and the front office have this sentiment, expect them to offer the Colts another package in hopes of landing Taylor.

J.J. McCarthy Came Back Down To Earth

After looking solid since taking over as the starter in the 4 th quarter of Week 7, J.J. McCarthy came back down to earth against the Eagles. He completed 12 out of 19 passes for 127 yards and ran the ball four times for 22 yards.

Some of his struggles were in part due to the play of an offensive line that allowed him to be sacked five times, and Malik Nabers did drop a touchdown in the fourth quarter. But after coming off a bye, he was expected to play better.

After playing so well coming into this week, some were saying he might be in a quarterback competition with Jaxson Dart next season. Those who had that opinion will need to temper their expectations after his performance on Sunday.

Dominic Zvada Is Back On Track

In the previous three games, undrafted rookie kicker Dominic Zvada had connected on just four of his last nine field goal attempts. But on Sunday, he was the team’s best offensive weapon.

Zvada connected on all four of his field goal attempts from 53, 49, 38, and 49 yards. If his confidence was shaky coming into Sunday, it isn’t anymore. He has re-established himself as a kicker the team can trust no matter the distance.