EAST RUTHERFORD -- The Eagles beat the Giants 34-29 Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium, but not before Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins seemingly won a war of words against Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard.

Late in the fourth quarter, Jenkins and Shepard got into a scrum near the Eagles' sideline that wound up drawing in several players from both teams but did not draw a flag.

Shepard said afterwards that Jenkins goaded him into the extracurriculars, but that he believes his success against the Eagles is what sparked the brief dustup.

"I guess the guy over the top of me [Jenkins], he doesn't like the way I did him," Shepard said after the game. "So, he tried to get after me a little bit. I've got to be better at that, too. Can't let that get to us and effect the game."

"I guess he didn't like the way that I do him. Every time that we play. He had some words to say, and I did, too."

For his part, Jenkins did not deny Shepard's charge that he instigated the skirmish.

"That's completely accurate," Jenkins said. "I try to get under everybody's skin. Whoever I play, I want to own you not only physically, but mentally. I don't think I did anything outside the rules, or dirty. I'm just an annoying player.

"I think the scrum was more the people around us than us. We were kind of tussling. We both hit the ground. I think other people started tussling around us, and I was just trying to get up. It wasn't anything personal. I don't have any beef with him. It's just part of the game."

Shepard led all receivers Sunday with 11 catches for 139 yards and a touchdown. His latest dominant performance against the Eagles. In four games against the Eagles, Shepard has caught 28 passes for 383 yards and four touchdowns.

According got Shepard, Jenkins talking trash is nothing new.

"He does all the vet move stuff," Shepard said. "Trying to get underneath your skin, but it doesn't really work on me."

Despite the tempers boiling over late in Sunday's game, Jenkins says that he has plenty of respect for the second-year Giants' receiver.

"He's a competitor," Jenkins said. "He's a young guy. I've got a lot of respect for him. I think that's part of the reason he's so fiery and successful is because he's got so much fight in him. He's a younger guy, a smaller guy. That's just me."

NJ Advance Media's Ryan Dunleavy contributed to this report.

Matt Lombardo may be reached at MLombardo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattLombardoPHL.