The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the defending champion New York Giants 23-11in the NFC Divisional Round, making the Giants the third home team to lose in the divisional round this playoffs. This was billed as a tough matchup for both teams for several reasons. First, the Giants and Eagles are only separated by less than 100 miles. They are also division foes in the NFC East.
The Eagles got the first big score of the game when quarterback Donovan McNabb ran in a yard for a touchdown to give them a 7-3 lead. That was after they got good field position because of defensive back Asante Samuel's interception of Giants quarterback Eli Manning. The game was close at halftime, with the score being 10-8. The Giants took an 11-10 lead early in the third quarter after defensive lineman Fred Robbins.
That was the last time the Giants had the lead. The Eagles scored 13 unanswered points and made key defensive stops to top the Giants. McNabb didn't have a good game but he made plays when he needed to. That was the opposite for Manning. Manning was only 15 of 29 for 169 yards and two interceptions. He didn't throw a touchdown pass, and the Giants as a team didn't score a touchdown either.
I believe there were differences in both teams that determined the outcome. For the Eagles, they proved that they are a legit contender. McNabb has reinvented himself after the benching against the Baltimore Ravens in November. Even though running back Brian Westbrook hasn't run the ball well, he is a threat in open space and he has come through. For the Giants, they sorely missed Plaxico Burress and could've used a healthy Justin Tuck. They also could've used kicker Lawrence Tynes, because of the two missed field goals from 44-year-old John Carney.
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