EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Giants head coach Tom Coughlin has been in the coaching business for many, many years. And not even he had been around anything like what happened Sunday night at New Meadowlands Stadium. The Eagles erased a 31-10 fourth-quarter deficit and won 38-31 on DeSean Jackson's game-winning 65-yard punt return for a touchdown as time expired.

"It's about as empty as you get to feel in this business, right there," Coughlin said.

Coughlin's players struggled to find the words to describe the feeling of losing a pivotal division game that put the Eagles in the driver's seat to win their first division crown since 2006.

"This is disastrous," linebacker Chase Blackburn said. "We were self-destructive today."

Tight end Kevin Boss' 8-yard touchdown reception put the Giants ahead 31-10. Against almost any other team, that would have sealed the win. The Eagles proved to not be just any other team.

"I'm in disbelief right now. I'm in shock," Boss said.

Many of the other Giants simply remarked that Sunday's game proved the old cliché - that you have to play for 60 minutes.

Punter Matt Dodge, who allowed Jackson the opportunity to make the game-winning return, was told by "everyone on the sideline" to kick the ball out of bounds. Needless to say, he didn't.

"Just extremely frustrated," Dodge said.

While there is despair in North Jersey, about two hours south in Philadelphia, there is a tremendous sense of euphoria after a win that years from now will provoke fans to exclaim, ""Where were you when DeSean Jackson scored on the game-winning punt return as time expired?""

-- Posted by Chris McPherson, 8:00 p.m., December 19