PHILADELPHIA -- Ray Rhodes was in his second season as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Bill Clinton had just been elected to a second term. The Philadelphia Eagles shut out the New York Giants, 24-0, on Dec. 1, 1996.
On Sunday night, the Eagles shut the Giants out, 27-0. It was their first shutout in 18 years -- through Rhodes' final couple years, Andy Reid's 14 seasons, the entire careers of such defensive stars as Brian Dawkins and Jeremiah Trotter.
"It's very hard to do in the NFL," Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis said. "It's rare. And like I said, it's a team shutout. It takes everybody to get one."
It was significant that the Eagles were able to shut out the Giants, who had scored 105 points in their previous three games. Quarterback Eli Manning had gotten comfortable in new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo's system, and the Giants were looking like a tough team to beat, let alone hold scoreless.
It was significant, too, because it came one week after the Eagles let a 34-7 lead over the St. Louis Rams turn into a 34-28 nail-biter.
"I think collectively it was a great performance from each and every person out there," Eagles cornerback Cary Williams said. "We all worked as a cohesive unit to get the job done."
The Eagles sacked Manning and backup Ryan Nassib eight times. Outside linebacker Connor Barwin, who had three of the sacks, credited the Eagles' secondary. Manning wasn't able to make the quick reads and timing throws that are staples of McAdoo's offense. That allowed the pass rush to get to him.
"From the beginning, Eli Manning was holding onto the ball," Barwin said. "It might have been our looks. Obviously, the coverage was really good. He was holding the ball and it allowed us to get an extra second to get there."
The Eagles were able to get excellent pressure with their base defense and without having to blitz. That allowed Davis to drop six or seven men into coverage, and it also allowed the Eagles to hold up against the Giants' running game. That, in turn, left Manning to deal with a lot of third-and-long situations.
The Giants drove to the Eagles' 3-yard line in the third quarter. Down by 20-0, they went for the touchdown on fourth-and-goal. Manning's throw to Victor Cruz fell incomplete as the wide receiver tore the patellar tendon in his knee.
That was the closest the Giants got.
"We may have added a couple of new wrinkles," Davis said. "But it was the players executing, it really was. It was great coverage. We pressed up on guys and we were disguising some coverages. You know, with a guy like Eli, you have to show him one thing and give him another. The way [the players] were together, it really was just fun to watch."
