The defending Champions New York Giants season came to an abrupt end on a cold, windy day in the Meadowlands Sunday. The Philadelphia Eagles, the hottest team in the NFL right now, came in for the second time in five weeks and beat the Giants on their home turf, this time nearly as convincing as the first.
The Giants opened the game with a huge 65-yard return by RB Ahmad Bradshaw, but after driving down to the five, they were stopped short of the goal line and forced to settle for a FG. Not something they could afford to do against this hot Eagles’ team.
After forcing the Eagles to punt, the Giants took over at their 10-yard line after a penalty pushed them back. Then, the first head-scratching call took place; going into the wind, something that Eli clearly struggles with, the Giants called a pass play and Manning’s overthrown ball was picked by CB Asante Samuel and returned to the one. McNabb put the ball in from there.
The Giants actually controlled the game for the entire first half but were unable to put the ball into the end zone or do anything once they got inside the Eagles’ 30. Coaching too easily abandoned the run and this was a recipe for disaster.
And the worst play-calling sequence, and there were many in the game, came when they had a 1st-and-5 at the 18 with a little over a minute and a half to play before halftime.
Instead of continuing to pound the ball with RB Jacobs, who had run with great success all day, the Giants dialed up three consecutive passing plays, none able to net over five yards, and were forced to settle for a FG with a little over a minute on the clock.
And the Eagles capitalized on the time. They drove down the field and scored a FG just before the half to give them a 10-8 lead.
In the second half, the play of the day was turned in by McNabb. After an earlier pick had given the Giants an 11-10 lead, the Eagles faced 3rd-and-20 from their 10-yard line. The Giants brought heavy pressure but were unable to get to Donovan, who stepped up in the pocket and located his receiver for a 21-yard reception.
The Eagles would go down and kick a FG before putting it away at the beginning of the fourth quarter with a TD pass to the TE near the goal line.
The Eagles used a stellar defense and timely plays from McNabb and Reid and Co. out coached Coughlin and his staff on this day. Now they face a feisty Cardinals team for the right to play in the Super Bowl.
In the late game, the Steelers pulled away in the second half from the Chargers to move onto the AFC Championship Game this Sunday, which, thanks to the Ravens’ upset on Saturday, will be played in Pittsburgh.
The Chargers started out hot, scoring on their first drive on a long bomb to WR Vincent Jackson, but after that, their offense went cold. Without the real threat of a running game—the Steelers didn’t fear that Sproles could pound the rock—Pittsburgh was able to key on Rivers and the passing game and limited the offense to just three more points until the game was out of reach.
And the reason it was out of reach was the third quarter. Perhaps the most dominant third quarter in NFL Playoff history. Thanks to a Rivers interception in between, the Steelers held the ball for 14:43 seconds of the quarter and limited San Diego to just one play the entire time. And before the Chargers knew it, the score was 28-10 and the game was over.
San Diego battled back late to make things interesting, but it was too little, too late; another failed postseason performance by the Chargers, whose Super Bowl window is closing quickly. Tomlinson’s clearly not the same back he was two years ago and other guys are set for free agency, so keeping this team intact will be difficult.
The Steelers, on the other hand, led behind its ferocious defense, now plays host to the Baltimore Ravens in what should be a very physical contest this Sunday and look poised to head down to Tampa and go for their sixth Lombari Trophy.
