Giants in charge

PHILADELPHIA – If there had been any doubt the New York Giants rule the NFC East, the Super Bowl champions erased it Sunday night.

Eli Manning threw two touchdown passes, Brandon Jacobs had two TD runs and the Giants held on to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 36-31 and further distance themselves from the pack in the NFL’s toughest division.

The Eagles had the ball at their own 45 with 1:55 left, but Brian Westbrook was stopped by Chase Blackburn on fourth-and-1.

“It was exhilarating,” Blackburn said of the clinching tackle.

The Giants (8-1) are two games ahead of the Washington Redskins and three in front of the Eagles (5-4) and Dallas Cowboys. New York is 3-0 against its division rivals, but has only one other win against an opponent with a winning record.

Perhaps the Giants’ easy first-half schedule — their first eight opponents are a combined 27-44 — was a reason oddsmakers made the Eagles a three-point favorite.

Miffed by the prognosticators’ pick, the Giants proved them all wrong. They did get help from the referees on two close calls in the second half.

Jacobs lost the ball at the goal line on his 2-yard TD run that made it 36-24. The Eagles challenged, but officials upheld the play.

The Giants went ahead 27-24 two plays after a reversed call gave them a first down at the Eagles 3. Manning’s 17-yard pass to Kevin Boss on third-and-10 was initially ruled illegal because he appeared to release the ball from beyond the line of scrimmage. Replays showed Manning’s back foot was behind the line, and Jacobs ran in from the 3 for the go-ahead score.

“I think the way the rule is written, it was worth taking a shot at it,” said Manning, who urged coach Tom Coughlin to challenge the call. “If you have one toe on the line of scrimmage, then it’s a legal pass. I thought it was worth the risk.”

The Eagles were surprised the play was overturned.

“I don’t know what they were looking at,” defensive tackle Mike Patterson said.

Donovan McNabb had three TD passes for the Eagles, but the Giants shut down Westbrook.

McNabb’s 2-yard TD toss to Kevin Curtis on fourth down cut it to 36-31 with 5:30 left.

The defense stopped the Giants on the ensuing possession and the Eagles took over at their 14 with 3:14 and one timeout remaining. But they couldn’t put together a winning drive.

Westbrook was stuffed on two straight plays after McNabb’s 7-yard scramble set up a third-and-3 near midfield. McNabb didn’t seem to agree with the playcalling on Philadelphia’s final two plays.

“I want the ball, but the coaches felt we can run it for the yards,” he said.

Westbrook was held to 59 total yards. The versatile halfback had at least 123 combined yards in six straight games against the Giants.

The Eagles used a trick play to take a 7-0 lead after Patterson’s interception set them up at the Giants 9. Patterson rumbled 21 yards after he picked off Manning’s pass for his first career interception.

Wide receiver DeSean Jackson scored on a 9-yard run, taking the snap out of a shotgun formation with McNabb lined up wide to the left. The Miami Dolphins rejuvenated the single wing this season, and it was the first time the Eagles used a variation of that gimmick offense.