TURNING POINT

	Donovan McNabb threw two toudchdowns and no interceptions on Sunday. Harry How/Getty Images

By John Donovan, SI.com

With Michael Vick on the other side, a 10-point lead is nothing. Nothing. So the Eagles knew, as they sent the offense on the field with a little bit more than 10 minutes left in Sunday's NFC Championship game, that they needed another score. Another touchdown, at least.

And, for once in the NFC title game, the Eagles got exactly what they needed.

An 11-play, 65-yard drive that wound almost seven minutes off the clock proved to be the stake through the Falcons' heart on Sunday, sending the Eagles to the Super Bowl and sending the deliriously sick fans of Philly -- sick, in a good sort of way -- into a state of all-out wackiness.

The drive was a thing of beauty, with three key third-down conversions, a huge 20-yard pass to unheralded wide receiver Greg Lewis and heroes all over the place. Quarterback Donovan McNabb was good on all four of his passes and ran for 12 yards on two plays. All-purpose back Brian Westbrook ran for 10 yards and caught a 5-yard pass. And Chad Lewis, the big tight end, was on the good end of a pass interference call and two completed passes, including the two-yard gimmee from McNabb for the touchdown that sealed the deal.

"I knew if we got the touchdown there, we could seal the deal," Chad Lewis said. "I was so pumped and happy."

A few plays in the drive stood out.

• On the second play of the drive, McNabb scrambled out of the pocket and ran around Falcons end Brady Smith for a six-yard gain.

• On third-and-two from the Eagles 43-yard line, McNabb dropped back, got great protection from his line and lasered a pass to Chad Lewis in the middle of the field for a 12-yard gain.

• After hitting Greg Lewis, who was running a crossing route, with a beautifully timed pass for the 20-yard gain, McNabb dropped back on third-and-four from the Falcons 14-yard line and burst up the middle for a 6-yard gain and another first down.

Then, finally, three plays later on the last third down, McNabb rolled to his right and flipped the touchdown pass to Chad Lewis, who had beaten safety Bryan Scott along the back line of the end zone. That pushed the score to 27-10 and spelled the end for Atlanta.

"I suppose their last drive for a touchdown, that if you want to make a case [for being worn down]," said a perturbed Falcons coach Jim Mora, who didn't want to make that case at all, "then you can find something there."

PLAYER I SAW WHO REALLY IMPRESSED ME

Let's go with players ...

A big part of the Falcons' defense this season was Rod Coleman, the 285-pound defensive tackle who helped keep opposing running games honest and helped hassle opposing QBs. He had two tackles last week against the Rams, including a sack. He had 11 ½ sacks during the regular season.

Sunday against the Eagles, he was shut out. No sacks and, according to the postgame defensive stats (which are always up for review), nary a tackle, either.

It's difficult to point out one guy who put the shackles on Coleman. Three guys on the Eagles offensive line -- guards Jermane Mayberry and Artis Hicks and center Hank Fraley -- all helped. Coleman got a push a lot of times, flushing McNabb out of the pocket. But he couldn't get in on any tackles (or many, if the stats change), and that affected the whole Atlanta defense.

"It was a combination of a lot of things," Hicks said. "Donovan was getting the ball out on time, we were good with blocking him and we just had a good day."

The Falcons led the NFL with 48 sacks this season. Sunday, they got to McNabb only twice.

LOCKER ROOM CONFIDENTIAL

The Philadelphia defense kept Vick from going wild, in large part by not going wild themselves. Though they're known to have a pretty aggressive defense, coordinator Jim Johnson said after the game that the Eagles stunted along the defensive front only a few times -- far less than they usually do. That made it easier for everyone to stay where they were supposed to stay and keep the elusive Vick pinned back in a collapsing pocket.

THE BIG PICTURE

First, the Falcons: They'll be OK. With an owner like Arthur Blank willing to write the checks and a city that is behind them, they'll be fine and back in contention next season.

Everybody knows that Vick has the potential to be one of the game's best QBs. But he'll have to cut out the dumb plays. Sunday, he threw a terrible ball in the third quarter that was intercepted, and another pick earlier in the game was nullified by a Philly penalty.

The thing is, Vick will cut out the dumbness, eventually. With another year in the system, another year of maturity, he'll learn to take what the defenses give him and not force the action. That day is coming. Maybe next year.

As for the Eagles, they will be the underdogs -- big underdogs -- in the Super Bowl. Whoever came out of the NFC was destined to play second fiddle in Jacksonville.

But the defense is for real, McNabb is having the season of his young career -- a season that a lot of Hall of Famers never had -- and, if Philly gets Terrell Owens back for the game, the Eagles have some weapons to give the AFC champs a hard time.

Philly won't be the favorite for the Feb. 6 game, and I'm not saying the Eagles should be. But hey, it's not like anybody in the AFC really put up a fight against the Patriots, either.