How a Potential Rift Turned into Eagles' Revival

It was initially considered the beginning of the end for the NFL's longest-running coach/quarterback tandem.

It may ultimately be remembered as the watershed event that fueled Philadelphia to Super Bowl XLIII. The Eagles wouldn't be in Sunday's first-round playoff game at Minnesota if the franchise hadn't hit rock bottom in late November. The lowest point in the 10 seasons that Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb had spent together actually triggered a rebirth.

Call it "The Benching."

Reid — who had always stuck with McNabb through thick and thin — pulled his struggling quarterback at halftime of a 36-7 loss at Baltimore. Actually, Reid didn't do the literal pulling. He sent an assistant coach to give McNabb the news, making a touchy situation even more volatile.

Oddsmakers, though, have installed Philadelphia as a three-point favorite Sunday. Should the Eagles win, a trip to face the New York Giants awaits. Philadelphia would enter the Meadowlands with confidence, having posted a 20-14 road victory over New York in early December.All thanks to a dark moment that — amazingly enough, in retrospect — can be credited with saving Philadelphia's season as well as probably keeping the Reid-McNabb pairing intact for at least one more year.