PHILADELPHIA — The Giants tried everything to upset the Eagles except playing their best talent. 

Elevated from the practice squad to make his first career start, quarterback Davis Webb led a scrappy cast of second- and third-stringers that pushed the Eagles to the limit Sunday before falling 22-16 at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles needed the win to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs and a bye. 

“We took them four quarters,” said Webb, who engineered three second-half scoring drives to rally against a 16-0 halftime deficit. “I wish myself, first, and the offense, second, got off to a better start, but that second half was really fun — and that’s something I’ll never forget.” 

Locked into the No. 6 seed in the playoffs with nothing to gain from a win, only three of the Giants’ regular 22 starters played: Right tackle Evan Neal, cornerback Nick McCloud and inside linebacker Landon Collins. It was the formula for a blowout, but Webb spun in circles and kept plays alive when the backup offensive linemen blocking for him couldn’t hold up or the mostly special-teamers catching his passes couldn’t gain separation. 

The Giants trailed 19-3 when Webb lowered his shoulder and trucked Reed Blackenship at the goal line on a 14-yard shotgun draw. The former third-round pick once considered an heir apparent to Eli Manning looked like he would’ve challenged a brick wall for his first career touchdown — or like someone who waited five years and changed teams three times on a circuitous path to an opportunity that might or might not come again. 

“Spot on,” Webb said. “There were some predetermined decisions there: You’ve got to get in or get it close. When it was that opportunity, anticipate and execute.” 

The play seemed to galvanize the sideline. 

“I thought he was going to go down,” center Nick Gates said. “It was cool to see him get into the end zone, especially that way. Everybody was ecstatic, jumping and yelling and screaming for him. He’s a good teammate, so everybody wants to be a good teammate for him.” 

The Giants were undermanned but creative as Daboll showed his competitiveness by calling for two trick plays on special teams — a fake field goal and an onside kick to start the second half, neither of which worked — and a double-pass that Webb waved off as it developed. 

The defense forced five field goals from Jake Elliott as the Eagles’ high-powered offense looked out of sync with MVP candidate Jalen Hurts returning after two games missed with a shoulder injury to throw an end-zone interception to Dane Belton. Boston Scott scored an 8-yard run to up his remarkable total to 10 of 17 career touchdowns against the Giants. 

Webb, who turned down a chance to be the Bills quarterbacks coach in the offseason, finished 23 of 40 for 168 yards with no turnovers and his first career touchdown pass to Kenny Golladay, who scored for the first time in the 33 games since he signed a $72 million free-agent deal. Golladay’s acrobatic grab closed the deficit to six with 1:38 remaining, but the Giants failed to recover a second onside kick. 

“It especially felt good to make a play for Webb and for him to get a touchdown,” Golladay said. 

Daboll was pumping his fists after momentum-shifting plays like the game mattered more than his personnel strategy suggested. The backups didn’t fare any worse than the Giants usually do against the Eagles, losing for the 24th time in the last 30 meetings, including a 48-22 loss on Dec. 4 and nine straight defeats in Philly. 

“It’s the NFL so the guys you have on your team you have confidence in,” Daboll said. “I certainly have confidence in all of the guys we have. You’re not playing walk-ons. You’re playing people who earned the right to be on a team and compete and play.”