On This Date in Sports December 3, 1989 Randall Kicking It
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
Randall Cunningham nails a 91-yard punt as the Philadelphia Eagles beat the New York Giants 24-17 at the Meadowlands. It was the Eagles’ fourth straight win over the Giants, as both teams were fighting for first place in the NFC East. Philadelphia’s defense helped build a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Giants fought back to tie the game before Keith Byars won the game with a touchdown.
The rivalry between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles had never been hotter as both teams were fighting for first place in the NFC East. The Eagles won the division in 1988 by sweeping the Giants and were looking to do it again. Entering a crucial Week 13 meeting, the Giants coached by Bill Parcells were 9-3, while the Eagles 8-4. In Week 5, the Eagles beat New York 21-19 at Veteran’s Stadium as Randall Cunningham flipped into the end zone.
It was a blustery cold day at Giants Stadium, as wind chill values were hovering near ten degrees. To say things started poorly for the Giants would be an understatement as Andre Waters scored when Phil Simms as stripped sacked. Waters scored on a lateral from Eric Frizzell. On the next series, Clyde Simmons returned an interception 60 yards to give Philadelphia a 14-0 lead. The Giants later scored when Mark Ingram hauled in a 41-yard pass from Simms. Roger Ruzak added a 35-yard field goal as the Eagles held a 17-7 lead at the half.
The third quarter was all Giants, Bjorn Nittmo kicked a 38-yard field goal, and Ottis Anderson had a one-yard run to tie the game 17-17. The Giants defense had Randall Cunningham under wraps all game, limiting the Eagles quarterback to 140 yards with one interception. In the fourth quarter, the Giants looked close to grabbing the lead as they sacked Cunningham at the edge of the goal line. Occasional Buddy Ryan called on his quarterback to punt, with no room for error Cunningham was pressed to the back of the end zone when he unleashed a 91-yard punt that swung the game back in favor of the Eagles. One play after the punt the Eagles defense recovered a Phil Simms fumble at the New York seven. From there, they quickly got the ball into the end zone on a two-yard run by Keith Byars.
With the 24-17 win, the Eagles tied the Giants atop the NFC East at 9-4. The Giants would rebound and win their last three games, while the Eagles lost in Week 15 to the New Orleans Saints, finishing at 11-5 one game behind the Giants.