Eagles Down the Defending Champs

AP
posted: 1 HOUR 9 MINUTES AGO

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (Jan. 11) - Donovan McNabb made all the big plays that Eli Manning did not, and the Philadelphia Eagles eliminated the Super Bowl champion New York Giants 23-11 Sunday to reach the NFC title game for the fifth time in eight seasons.Throw in Philadelphia's hard-hitting, ball-hawking defense, and these NFL playoffs are now for the Birds - the underdog Eagles, Cardinals and Ravens all won on the road this weekend.
McNabb lunged for one touchdown, threw for another and converted several key third downs to move the sixth-seeded Eagles (11-6-1) into next Sunday's title game at Arizona (11-7). Philadelphia beat the Cardinals 48-20 on Thanksgiving night.
"It feels like it was years ago," McNabb said.
Gusting, swirling winds played havoc with any ball in the air, and also helped produce an odd-looking score: This was the first game in NFL history to finish 23-11, the Elias Sports Bureau said.
A year after road success fueled the Giants' route, the Eagles are taking the same path. They opened the postseason by winning at Minnesota and, after their sixth victory in seven tries, look nothing like a team that needed several breaks on the final day simply to make the playoffs.
David Akers added three field goals - extending his NFL record to 18 straight in the postseason - to fend off the top-seeded Giants (12-5).
Manning never resembled the quarterback who won last year's Super Bowl with that one perfect spiral to Plaxico Burress. MVP of that huge upset over New England, Manning was in trouble from the start. His first pass wobbled out of his hand, got caught in the wind and missed a wide-open receiver.
Manning ended up 15-for-29 with two interceptions, often overthrowing his targets. The Giants did not score a touchdown and lost for the fourth time in five games.
"It all comes down to what you do in the playoffs. That makes your season a good one or a disappointment," Manning said. "This is a disappointment.
"We felt this was a special team that could go far. The defense played outstanding today and gave us opportunities. Offensively, we didn't do our job. We didn't score enough points."