Eagles' loss to Giants shows they're broken, first place or not

Boston Scott breaks free and heads down the sideline, barely keeping himself in bounds on his way to the end zone for a 56-yard score. (0:41)

The Philadelphia Eagles feel broken, no matter their first-place standing in the horrendous NFC East.

They had a bye week to recalibrate and entered Sunday's game against the New York Giants as healthy as they'd been since the beginning of the season, but the same old warts surfaced in a 27-17 loss.

The defense talked all week about respecting Daniel Jones' legs after he posted 92 rushing yards in their Week 7 matchup but were again vexed by New York's zone-read game as Jones racked up 64 rushing yards on nine carries (7.1 average) with a touchdown.

There was an emphasis on eliminating self-inflicted wounds, yet the lack of discipline persisted in the form of 11 Eagles penalties. They went 0-for-9 on third down -- the first time they were held without a third-down conversion since 2004.

Everything you need this week:
• Full schedule » | Standings »
• Depth charts for every team »
• Transactions » | Injuries »
• Football Power Index rankings »

More NFL coverage »

Carson Wentz was looking to rebound from a rocky first half but continued to struggle with his accuracy, going 21-of-37 for 208 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Some passes sailed high. Some were at his receivers' shoelaces. He's playing erratic football, and it's hurting his team.

The loss dropped the Eagles to 3-5-1. Even so, the Eagles remain in first place and still have a 70% chance of winning the division. But this season should be setting off alarm bells inside the NovaCare facility, regardless of whether it ends with an NFC East title by default.

Silver lining: While Wentz wasn't great, he did avoid committing a turnover for the first time in nine games. His streak of eight straight games with a turnover was the longest active streak in the NFL.

Eye-popping NextGen Stat: Running back Boston Scott would be on track for a Hall of Fame career if he played the Giants every week. He now has 421 total yards and six TDs in four career games against the Giants, compared to 377 yards and one TD against the rest of the NFL.

Up next: The Eagles really could have used this win, as they are heading into the roughest part of their schedule. They're at the Cleveland Browns next before facing the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints.