PRO FOOTBALL : Rutledge Gets His Second Win as Giants Beat Eagles, 20-17

Raul Allegre kicked a 52-yard game-winning field goal 3:48 into the fourth quarter and the New York Giants twice rallied to beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 20-17, Sunday.

Allegre also kicked a 53-yarder in the second quarter to tie the game, 10-10.

The Eagles had a chance to tie with 25 seconds left, but Paul McFadden’s 39-yard field-goal attempt went wide left.

The victory allowed the Giants, defending Super Bowl champions, to retain their slim chances of reaching this year’s playoffs.

The Giants, who lost their first five games, boosted their record to 3-6 and probably will have to win their remaining six to receive a wild-card berth.

“A loss more or less would have finished us this year,” said Lionel Manuel, who caught 4 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. “This is a game of survival, and we had to win.”

The Giants suffered at least two injuries during the game. Linebacker Lawrence Taylor reportedly suffered a slight hamstring pull on the Eagles’ last drive, and running back Joe Morris left the game with a reported injury to his collarbone early in the first half.

Jeff Rutledge, subbing the second straight week for injured quarterback Phil Simms, completed 16 of 30 passes for 298 yards and a touchdown. Simms sprained a knee three weeks ago against Dallas.

Rutledge, a former Ram, recorded the second starting victory of his nine-year pro career. He led the Giants to a 17-10 win over New England last week.

The Eagles, who had won three straight, are 4-5 after Sunday’s loss.

Coach Buddy Ryan said: “The only thing I saw was the defense looked great at times and terrible at times. The offense looked great at times and terrible at times.”

Ryan put the blame squarely on McFadden for the failure to tie the game at the last minute.

“Our kicker has got to kick the ball through the uprights,” Ryan said. “They kicked two of more than 50 yards. We missed one of 39 that could have tied the game at the end.

“I didn’t see anything wrong with the snap or the hold.”

McFadden agreed.

“The kick was misdirected,” he said. “The snap and the hold were good.”

The Giants fell behind, 10-0, in the first quarter but rallied to tie at halftime.

In the third period, Philadelphia regained the lead, 17-10, on a 10-play, 80-yard drive with Randall Cunningham passing the final eight yards to Keith Byars in the end zone.

But before the quarter ended, the Giants drove 69 yards in 8 plays to tie it on George Adams’ one-yard dive.