PHILADELPHIA -- Ask a Philadelphia Eagles fan, and they'll likely tell you the Dallas Cowboys are their biggest rival. Ask an Eagles player, and most will tell you it's the New York Giants.

The scene that unfolded Thursday night told you everything you needed to know. The Eagles were amped for the opportunity to deliver their adversaries a stomach blow and send them back up the turnpike without the very thing they traveled to Philly for: a ticket to the postseason. They succeeded with a 24-19 win at Lincoln Financial Field.

"Not on our watch. Not on our home field," cornerback Leodis McKelvin said. "That's one thing that we take pride in. Even though we're not in the playoffs, we're definitely not going to let someone else come in our home and clinch a playoff."

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During the week, Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins called the opportunity to finish the season on a strong note "huge."

"You can never be OK with losing. And right now, we're fighting to get a win," Jenkins said of the Eagles, who had lost five straight and nine of 11 coming in and had yet to register a win against a division opponent. "You can go out on a positive note. You can kind of build a foundation to roll into next year."

The intensity was there. That was evident before the game even started, as defensive tackle Bennie Logan jawed with Giants offensive lineman Bobby Hart by the visitors tunnel during warm-ups.

"I just don't like him," Logan said. "He was kind of looking a certain way and he was like chatting, so I just let him know he'll see us the whole game."

That chippiness carried into the game, and after every big play, the home sideline buzzed.

The Eagles knew they had to get off to a fast start after falling into a 14-0 hole during their November matchup in New York. The idea was to muddy the looks for Eli Manning and to get the Giants' offense off-kilter. The defense was able to do just that, and a Jenkins interception return for a touchdown -- the first of two picks by him -- helped flip the script and give the Eagles a 14-0 lead this time.

The boost of energy can also be attributed in part to the return of Lane Johnson, who missed the past 10 games for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy for a second time. The right tackle gave an emphatic fist pump and raised his arms to the sparked crowd as Darren Sproles sprang free off the right side and weaved his way for an early 25-yard touchdown.

Between the big plays on defense, the O-line lift provided by Johnson and a few flashes from rookie quarterback Carson Wentz, there were shades of the team that started off 3-0 and captured the city's imagination. That magic was rediscovered much too late, and the Eagles' playoff chances have faded from sight. But they at least had reason for celebration at the Giants' expense on Thursday.

"We knew going into this game that if they win, they had a chance to go to the playoffs. So, we weren't going to let that go through us," Logan said. "Maybe next week."

The Eagles close out their season at home against another divisional rival, the Cowboys, next Sunday.