By Tucker Bagley, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
Going Deep
Malcolm Jenkins isn't headed to the Pro Bowl this year. He won't be listed on the majority of the All Pro ballots. Hell, he probably won't even be listed in the NFL Network's countdown of the top 100 players in the league.
But for the Philadelphia Eagles, there is no player more important to their success on the defensive side than the eighth-year man out of The Ohio State University. And Thursday night, during the team's win over the New York Giants, that was never more apparent.
Jenkins was on fire from the get-go, recording two pass break-ups on the first drive of the game to force a three-and-out that set up the Eagles first touchdown. On both plays, he was tasked to stop Odell Beckham Jr., a task that would be difficult on its own, but that was just one thing Jim Schwartz asked from his veteran safety.
"I just want to be where the ball is," Jenkins said during his postgame press conference.
The ball certainly made it's way to Jenkins as he recorded a total of three pass break-ups, two interceptions, one touchdown and six total tackles.
He played over the top in cover two situations, breaking up a deep pass to Beckham on the sideline. He covered Beckham in the slot, breaking up a fade route on a third down. He came up in the box to help stuff the run. He was the quarterback of the defense and his stats finally reflected the hard work and the impact he has had on the Eagles defense since signing here in 2014.
Playing safety in the NFL is a relatively thankless job. Unless you're Earl Thomas or Tyrann Mathieu and have made a living making highlight plays, the majority of casual fans don't even know you exist. Jenkins has certainly endeared himself to fans in his time here, but he has gone from good player to irreplaceable leader on the back end of the defense.
Jenkins' pick six came when he was covering Giants' tight end Will Tye over the middle. A bad pass landed in his lap, but he has developed a knack for returning these interceptions for six points, sitting 10th among active players in return touchdowns with six in his career.
But his second interception was a thing of beauty, and a moment of retribution. After Sterling Shepard abused Jenkins in press coverage at the end of the first half to score the Giants' lone touchdown of the night, the veteran safety found himself matched up with the rookie receiver again in the fourth quarter. Shepard ran a corner route that Jenkins undercut. A leap, a catch, a few quick steps and Jenkins was on the sideline, with the ball safely cradled in his arms and the Eagles offense was setup for an eventual field goal attempt.
Caleb Sturgis knocked home a 41-yarder that proved to be the Birds final points in the game as they held on to win, 24-19.
It will be hard for Jenkins to replicate two-interception games week in and week out, but it's time to recognize the impact he has on the Eagles defense and this team as a whole. He's a leader on the field and he's a leader in the locker room. He needs to be appreciated.
Injury Report
Did Not Play: Halapoulivaati Vaitai (knee)
Allen Barbre: Barbre had been hampered by a hamstring injury for the past few weeks, but made an attempt at playing last night. However, he was unable to make it through the first half and was replaced by Stefen Wisniewski. With an extended week leading up until the final game of the season, it will be interesting to see if Barbre tries to get back on the field for next week's game against the Cowboys.
Carson Wentz: The quarterback left the game with a head injury in the third quarter and went into the locker room to go through concussion protocol. Wentz passed all his tests and returned to the field on the Eagles next drive. The injury didn't seem to bother him much as he had no issue throwing himself into the fire as a lead blocker on a double reverse.
Jason Peters: Peters suffered an injury to his right ankle, but returned quickly and played well down the stretch.
Jaylen Watkins: Watkins was ruled out in the second half with a concussion after what amounted to a rough outing for the safety. In his absence, Schwartz tapped Terrence Brooks to fill Watkins' role and Brooks came up with the game-sealing interception.
Ryan Mathews: Mathews went down with a stinger in the second half and was unable to return. Mathews gained 17 yards on his first carry of the day, but finished with just 46 rushing yards on 17 total carries. That's not an ideal way to follow up a career day, but Mathews should be ready to go by next Sunday afternoon to play against the Cowboys.
Numbers Game
.778: The Eagles are 14-4 against the New York Football Giants since December of 2008. That stretch of games includes winning streaks of six and four games and no consecutive losses. For how uneven the Eagles have been since the start of this trend, their dominance over their division rival is something that has remained through three head coaches and five different starting quarterbacks.
184: Despite getting the win, the Eagles were out-gained by 184 yards. Thursday night was the first time that's happened in a win since Andy Reid and company beat the New York Giants in 2003, 14-10. The Eagles gained just 134 yards that afternoon, but Brian Westbrook returned a punt 84 yards in the closing minutes of the game to spark the beginning of a nine-game winning streak that propelled the Eagles to the playoffs.
4: Defensive end Brandon Graham finished the game with four quarterback hits, more than any other Eagles defender and more than the entire Giants' defense combined. Quarterback hits and hurries don't get players into the Pro Bowl, but anyone who watched the game can't deny the impact Graham had on the Giants offensive game plan, especially on the final drive of the game.
Quotables
Malcolm Jenkins said the Eagles "made up" a new defense for their final drive against Giants. They played a box-and-1 on OBJ.
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) December 23, 2016
The Eagles have rotated their cornerbacks a lot this year and Jalen Mills was the guy who ended up on Beckham at the end of the game. The rookie has played a lot of snaps this year, and for Schwartz to trust him man-to-man on the Giants' best receiver in the closing minutes of the game shows what the Eagles think about their seventh-round pick.
Can’t stop laughing at this Eli Manning photo.
(📷: James Lang | USATSI) pic.twitter.com/aaSYo876wS
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) December 23, 2016
He's just the gift that keeps giving.
"You need to go to the sideline, bud."
-Jason Peters to Wentz following the quarterback being hit by Olivier Vernon
I really liked Peters looking out for his quarterback's health. Not many players would have that sort of awareness to see when their teammate's bell has been rung and get him out of harm's way before he hurts himself trying to be a hero.
Three-Step Drop
1. Lane Johnson looked really good for a guy who wasn't allowed to play football for over two months. The right tackle looked so much better than his replacements from the get-go and it seemed like we all forgot just how good Johnson is at mauling defenders. If he can keep his body clean and closely monitor what he puts into his body, the Eagles will have their line anchored by a great tackle for the next decade. The only downfall is he will always have these suspensions hanging over his head and the possibility of a full-year ban will force the Eagles to make sure their bench is full of capable reserves.
2. Nelson Agholor led all Eagles receivers in yards with 47 and added a touchdown following another horrendous drop. The young receiver becomes more and more confounding by the week as he bounces between being completely useless and possibly salvageable. I really don't know what to say about this kid. I think Agholor can still be a decent receiver in the NFL, but how long it takes him to get there is anyone's guess.
3. Thursday night's win could go a long way to teaching these Eagles how to win close games down the stretch. Just look at their opponent last night. The Giants struggled to pull out close wins a season ago, but they figured out their issues and had pulled out eight straight one-possession wins before last night. If the Eagles can use this win as a launching pad in 2017 and beyond, it will go a long way in defining this team's success.
Who's Next
The Eagles will close out their season against the Dallas Cowboys at the Linc on New Year's Day. With nothing left to play for, it wouldn't be surprising if the Cowboys rest some of their key starters such as Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott in order to keep them fresh for the playoffs. There isn't much to look forward to in this contest, but I'm sure a lot of fans would be happy with another division win to ring in the new year.
