Giants cornerback Cor'Dale Flott capitalizes on opportunity with game-breaking interception against Eagles
While the story of the Giants' upset win over the Eagles on Thursday Night Football will surround rookies Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo, it's the defense that put the game away, especially in the fourth quarter.
After two straight Giants punts, the Eagles were driving down 27-17 early in the final frame. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts took the snap in the shotgun on the Giants' 15-yard line, looking to cut New York's lead to just three points. He threw to his left for Jahan Dotson on the flat, but cornerback Cor'Dale Flott was there and snatched the ball out of the air and ran 68 yards down the sideline. Not only was it the first turnover of the game, but it stopped a would-be touchdown drive and set up what would be the final nail in the game when the offense scored a touchdown to go up 17 points.
"What a play by Flott," coach Brian Daboll said after the win. "Down there to get it. We talked about it last week, he was going back to down South and said he owed me because he said he was going to get one down there. What a big play in a big moment."
Last week on the road against the Saints, the Giants turned the ball over five times and didn't force one en route to a deflating loss. On Thursday, it was the opposite. The Giants had two turnovers (Flott's interception and a forced fumble by Dane Belton) and didn't commit any. It was a recipe for success, and it started with Flott.
"I snatched it out of the air. I had to capitalize on the moment and I did," Flott said of his interception. "Just football IQ. I was focused, I was dialed in when they had the cut split, I figured that route was coming and I reacted to it."
The former Giants third-round pick had seen his snaps drop this season as Daboll has resorted to a rotation between Flott and former first-round pick Deonte Banks as the team's CB2. However, Flott's play was rewarded as the LSU product was on the field for most of the snaps at CB. The 24-year-old said he was told Wednesday that it wouldn't be a rotation and he made the most of it.
"Coming into the game, I was confident. I appreciate [Daboll] for giving me the opportunity," Flott said after the game. "In my head, I have to make the most out of it. To stay and to prove to my defense, my whole team, and my coaching staff that I can do it."
The fourth-year corner is having a good year. After Thursday's win, Flott has 19 tackles (15 solo), five passes defended and now, an interception.
He later said, "It’s the opportunity I was waiting for and I made the most of it."
Matthew Berry’s Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 6 of 2025 season
Below are my Week 6, 2025 positional ranks for PPR leagues.
As always, these ranks are continually updated throughout the week, so check back often. And don’t forget to check out Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry every weekday LIVE at 12 p.m. ET on YouTube and on Peacock at 5 p.m. ET.
And then on Sunday mornings, be sure to tune into Fantasy Football Pregame, 11 a.m. ET to 1 p.m. ET on Peacock and the NFL on NBC YouTube channel.
Eagles' stunning loss to Giants exposes Super Bowl hangover and a few troubling flaws
Somehow, the New York Giants' secondary completely missed the Philadelphia Eagles' DeVonta Smith in coverage. He was as wide open as you'll find an NFL receiver, and all quarterback Jalen Hurts needed to do was hit a layup pass for an 89-yard touchdown.
Hurts missed him. He threw it too far. It wasn't even close.
Oh man. DeVonta Smith got behind the #Giants defense on what should’ve been an 89-yard TD — but Jalen Hurts overthrew him. pic.twitter.com/DsxztjcNUM
The 2024 Eagles weren't perfect. They didn't hit every touchdown that presented itself. But more often than not, they made those plays.
And from September on, they were never embarrassed by a team they should have beat.
Most of the Eagles' roster returned but so far this season, it's not the same team. They're not making those key plays anymore. Hurts and the passing game has been off. Saquon Barkley's production has been a fraction of what it was last season.
The Eagles' defense has slipped too, and was pushed around Thursday night by a Giants team that was 1-4 coming in. Thursday night's 34-17 loss to the Giants put all of the Eagles' issues this season on full display.
Philadelphia skated by the first four games, going 4-0, despite quarters or sometimes full halves of football in which it disappeared. Then over the course of five days the Eagles lost to the Broncos and Giants. There are real issues they have to fix if they're going to come close to another championship. Those problems have been there all season, they just could ignore them while they were winning.
Saquon Barkley and the Eagles have not been able to recapture the form that made them Super Bowl champions. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
Kevin Sabitus via Getty Images
Eagles haven't recaptured championship form
Last season, the Eagles started slow. They were 2-2 going into the bye. In Week 6 they had a wholly unimpressive win over the Cleveland Browns. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni yelled at home fans. There were questions about Sirianni's job security.
So it's not time to panic about the Eagles yet. They won 16 of their final 17 games, including a dominant Super Bowl win, after it seemed like everything was beyond repair last season.
But that doesn't mean the Eagles should assume it happens again.
It's hard to know where to start on the Eagles' issues this season. It probably should begin with the running game, which was the foundation of their success last season. Saquon Barkley ran for 2,000 yards last season. This season he's not even on pace for 1,000. Maybe the 482 touches from last season have caught up to him. The offensive line struggling this season after a dominant 2024 is a factor too. Injuries have hit that unit.
The play-calling might be an issue. After the 2022 season, in which the Eagles lost in the Super Bowl, they lost offensive coordinator Shane Steichen to a head coaching job. Then 2023 was a big step back with a new coordinator. This past offseason the Eagles had offensive coordinator Kellen Moore hired away by the New Orleans Saints to be their next head coach. Kevin Patullo was promoted, but Philly's offense looks like a bad replica of what it was last season. That's what happened in 2023, too. The Eagles weren't a prolific passing team last season either, but it's undeniably worse to begin this season. Ask A.J. Brown.
Despite the drop in production in all areas, a roster this talented — they lost some key players in the offseason, but the consensus was that it was still the most talented roster in the NFL coming into this season — shouldn't struggle as much as it has. The Giants aren't as talented as the Eagles. There's not much question there. But on Thursday night the Giants were the team that clearly had more energy and desire to win.
That's alarming.
An Eagles Super Bowl hangover?
Zack Baun was an All-Pro last season. His story, becoming one of the NFL's best players after being mostly a special teamer before that on the Saints, was symbolic of the Eagles' rise to the top of the NFL. On a key series Thursday night, he got ran over by Giants rookie Cam Skattebo. Twice. Skattebo trucked him in the open field, then later in the drive Skattebo dragged Baun in the end zone for his second touchdown.
Nobody is questioning Baun's effort. It's just that everything that was good for the Eagles last season isn't repeating itself yet.
General manager Howie Roseman might need to get busy at the trade deadline. The Eagles' biggest issue seems to be cornerback depth, which was exposed further when Quinyon Mitchell left Thursday's game with a hamstring injury. The offensive line looks like a shell of itself as some players fight through injuries, and it will be hard to fix that in a trade. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter missed Thursday night's game due to a heel injury, and like in the opener when Carter was ejected before the first play, that's when they've missed Milton Williams, who left to the Patriots in free agency. The Eagles still have plenty of talent, but all of a sudden there are some holes too.
Super Bowl hangovers are real and not just for the losing team. The Eagles played a lot of extra football last season. Barkley, to single out one player, got a lot of extra touches during that Super Bowl run. It's not easy to reach the pinnacle of the sport, then do it again. No matter how much the Eagles tried to convince everyone they remained focused on nothing but this season — Sirianni didn't let his team watch the championship banner get unfurled on opening night to make that point — it's natural to have a letdown. It's why so few teams repeat.
Even when the Eagles were 4-0 there were warning signs. In every game they had strange stretches in which they looked bad, either on offense, defense or both. The offense gained only 216 yards in a win over the Chiefs. The Rams dominated them for about two and a half quarters before the Eagles rallied. Philadelphia didn't complete a pass in the second half of a Week 4 win over the Buccaneers, as Tampa Bay almost rallied to win. In Week 5 the in-game nap finally led to a loss, as the Broncos outscored them 18-0 in the fourth quarter to pull off a comeback win.
Despite all those issues, nobody saw a 17-point loss to the Giants coming. It seems like that will be a wake-up call for the Eagles. But the loss to the Broncos, blowing a fourth-quarter lead at home, was supposed to do that. It clearly didn't.
Most of the Eagles' roster remained intact from last season. Hurts, Barkley, Brown, Smith, Lane Johnson, Baun and many other key players are still in the lineup and in their prime. But somehow, nothing seems the same.