All-too-familiar opponent awaiting confident Eagles after ousting Vikes

Asante Samuel, who signed with the Eagles before the season, returned an interception 44 yards for a TD in the win. Al Tielemans/SI Related Links Eagles bounce Vikes; key date with Giants DUERSON: McNabb shines, Tarvaris stumbles

MINNEAPOLIS -- If you're Asante Samuel, it must feel like you're either playing or getting ready to play the New York Giants every 10 minutes or so. For the fifth time in a span of a little more than a year, Samuel looked up early Sunday evening and saw the Giants looming in the distance. This time, as the Philadelphia Eagles opponent in next Sunday's NFC divisional round playoff game at Giants Stadium.

So what's new? When he was with the New England Patriots last season, Samuel did battle with the Giants once in Week 17's memorable regular-season finale, and again five weeks later in a Super Bowl that will stand as an upset for the ages. This year, as the Eagles headline free-agent acquisition, Samuel has twice more faced the defending champs. Once in a bruising 36-31 Sunday-night loss in Week 10 in Philadelphia, and again in a much more satisfying 20-14 Week 14 upset at the Meadowlands. It has been four very tough games for Samuel against New York, evenly split between thrilling victories and excruciating defeats.

"I guess I have faced them more than anybody,'' said Samuel, chuckling at the thought in the happy afterglow of the Eagles' 26-14 win over Minnesota in an NFC first-round playoff game at the Metrodome. "But we're 1-1 [this season]. We've got to see who's going to break the tie. Hopefully we can get the tiebreaker.''

They'll be more than just the season series tiebreaker at stake next week, of course. The Eagles-Giants rubber match will determine who advances on to the Jan. 18 NFC Championship Game, which would be Philadelphia's first such title-game appearance in four years. And I get the feeling these Eagles not only aren't fearful of the Giants, they're almost eager to face the champs once more.

"It's always a hard-nose game against them,'' Samuel said. "They're going to take their shots, and [Giants running back] Brandon Jacobs is going to run the ball right at you. But you've got to stay on top of their running game.''

Kind of the way the Eagles on Sunday stayed on top of the Vikings' vaunted Adrian Peterson-led running game, with the NFL's premier running back gaining just 83 yards on 20 carries, a total that seems even less damaging when you consider that 40 of those yards came on one second-quarter Peterson touchdown run.

Though the NFC North champion Vikings made a game of it into the fourth quarter, the Eagles defense never seriously lost control of this one. And that's only going to build Philly's confidence going back into Giants Stadium next week to face the NFC's No. 1 seed. The Eagles defense threw a shutout at the Vikings in the final two quarters, forcing Minnesota into five consecutive punts and then a fumble on its six meaningful second-half possessions.

Though the Eagles wouldn't dare say it -- head coach Andy Reid would have had their heads -- I got the sense that the feeling in the Eagles locker room was "Bring on the Giants.'' And why not? This Eagles defense has surrendered 14 points or fewer in its past five games, a streak that began when Philadelphia held New York's offense to just seven points and a season-low 211 yards in that 20-14 upset in the Meadowlands.

New York scored that day on a 71-yard Kevin Dockery return of a blocked David Akers field goal attempt on the final play of the first half, and added a garbage-time touchdown with 20 seconds remaining. But it was a domination through and through by the Eagles defense, with the Giants top-ranked running game producing just three first downs and only 88 yards. That loss snapped New York's seven-game winning streak, denied the Giants the privilege of clinching the NFC East title on their homefield, and started off a 1-3 final month of the season for Tom Coughlin's club.

"Every game is different, but we do understand that it can be done, and not too long ago we did it,'' said Eagles safety Brian Dawkins, of Philadelphia's chances to dethrone the Giants. "That means we're going to have to go up and play physical ball against a physical team, but we feel good right now.''

The Eagles are feeling good because they're playing their style of defense at the perfect time of the year. The kind of swarming, pressure-creating defense that Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Johnson specializes in. Minnesota had just six first downs and 106 yards of offense in the second half, with Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson limited to a woeful 8 of 19, 78-yard passing performance in the second half.

"Against the Giants, it's a physical, bruising big-time bout, no matter the situation,'' Eagles middle linebacker Stewart Bradley said. "But after our loss in the Baltimore game [in Week 12], we've definitely had sort of a relentlessness in our mentality. It's good that we know we can beat that team [the Giants], but they've beat us once too.''

It was Samuel, sore hip and all, who produced the Eagles defense's signature moment Sunday against the Vikings. He stepped in front of a telegraphed Jackson pass intended for Sidney Rice and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown and a 16-7 Philly lead. The Eagles never trailed thereafter, and Philadelphia had a nice playoff-season return on their huge free-agent investment. Samuel now has six career playoff picks, returning an NFL record four of them for touchdowns.

"We have a good team,'' Samuel said. "Like I said, I think we're dangerous. Now we just have to see how it plays out.''

Thanks to its first-round bye, New York (12-4) will be rested and ready for Philadelphia (10-6-1). But the Giants are getting a confident bunch of Eagles who know the formula for beating New York at its own game.

"I knew we'd do a better job against the Giants the last time we played them,'' Johnson said. "We were really disciplined against them, and we made some plays. Now we have to come up with some new wrinkles in our pressure game, and make sure we put some pressure on Eli [Manning]. It's going to come down to third downs and putting pressure on him. It always does.''

Next week, it's going to come down to the Eagles and the Giants. Two teams that know each other well, and can't seem to escape one another. It should be fun.