Yes, this is a baseball blog; to paraphrase Rush Limbaugh; “All Baseball, All the time.”

But we can’t live in a total one-sport vacuum when another major Philadelphia sports team advances, as the Eagles did in the post-season on Sunday with a 23-11 win over their turnpike rival New York Giants can we?

The Birds, left for dead just before Thanksgiving with a 5-5-1 record in the regular season, reeled off 4 wins in their finaL 5 games and prospered pummelling the Dallas Cowboys in the regular season final. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Eagles’ major competition for the NFC Wildcard spot, were beaten by the Oakland Raiders enabling the Birds to ascend into the post-season.

The Birds then knocked off the Minnesota Vikings to move on to the Meadowlands.

The Eagles and Giants played to a near-standoff for 3 quarters as quarterback Donovan McNabb scored a 1 yard touchdown to go along with David Akers field goals. The Giants got 3 field goals from John Carney and recorded a 2nd quarter safety as McNabb was called for intentional grounding in the end zone.  The Birds led by 13-11 after 3 quarters.

Giant quarterback Eli Manning could never quite get uncorked as he struggled with a swarming Eagle defense as each quarterback coughed up 2 interceptions.  The Giants were inside the Eagle 20 yardline 5 times and converted 3 field goals to show for it.

But after Carney missed a 47 yard field goal attempt, the Eagles took over on their 37 yardline and reeled off a 10-play drive culminating in a McNabb 1 yard TD pass to make the score 20-13.

After the Giants failed to convert a 4th and 2 on their 48 yardline, the Eagles took over possession.  After running back Correll Buckhalter was thrown for a 1 yard loss, McNabb connected with flanker DeSean Jackson for a 48 yard completion on the 2nd play of the possession placing the Eagles at the Giants’ door at the 1 yardline.  The Birds failed to convert on 3 downs and Akers then booted a 20 yard field goal.

The teams traded possessions and the Giants turned the ball over twice.  The game ended with McNabb falling on the football twice.

Way to go Eagles!   They must be celebrating again Big-Time back in Philly.  Onto the NFC Championship game with the Arizona Cardinals and onto the Superbowl — Hopefully, finally a Superbowl win to go along with a World Series Crown.

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This entry was posted on Monday, January 12th, 2009 at 5:11 am and is filed under Real-Time Baseball News and Commentary
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