|
PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- The
Philadelphia Eagles
turned around their season in the first meeting against the NFC East rival
New York Giants
.
Heading into Sunday's contest at Lincoln Financial Field, the Giants still are searching for answers.
After losing in the NFC championship game each of the last two seasons, the Eagles were 2-3 entering the first contest against the Giants on October 19.
It looked like the Eagles would be headed toward another loss after getting outplayed most of the afternoon. But
Brian Westbrook
provided a miracle, returning a punt 84 yards for a touchdown with 1:16 left to give the Eagles a 14-10 win.
Westbrook's return helped overshadow a futile offensive performance by the Eagles, who were held to 134 total yards and nine first downs.
Donovan McNabb
was particularly shaky, going 9-of-23 for 64 yards with an interception while getting sacked three times.
Meanwhile, the Giants lost despite racking up 339 total yards and 25 first downs.
Tiki Barber
rushed for 79 yards and had five catches for 34 yards.
The victory over the Giants seemed to get things going for the Eagles, who have won four straight to pull within one game of division-leading Dallas.
The Giants recovered from the defeat to win their next two games before enduring an embarrassing 27-7 loss to the
Atlanta Falcons
last week.
Against the Falcons, the Giants committed four turnovers - three deep in Atlanta territory. Barber was responsible for two of the turnovers, losing his fourth and fifth fumbles of the season.
Kerry Collins
also threw two interceptions.
Giants coach Jim Fassel, who has come under fire for his team's inconsistency, has no plans of benching Barber.
With the debacle against the Falcons, the Giants find themselves in a desperate situation against the Eagles. New York is tied with Washington for last place in the division, two games behind Philadelphia and three behind Dallas (7-2).
New York also has a trip on deck next Monday night against defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay.
To make matters worse, the Giants also have lost one of their top offensive weapons as brash tight end
Jeremy Shockey
is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a torn knee ligament.
The game marks the return of punt and kick returner
Brian Mitchell
to Philadelphia. He spent his previous three seasons with the Eagles.
The NFL's all-time leader in punt and kickoff returns, Mitchell signed with the Giants as a free agent in the offseason but has struggled. The 35-year-old is averaging a putrid 4.2 yards on punt returns and 20.5 on kickoffs.
Mitchell has put the blame squarely on his teammates saying the blocking has been the worst for him in his 14 seasons.
Last Monday, the Eagles rallied for the third time in the last four games in the fourth quarter, posting a 17-14 victory at Green Bay. McNabb tossed a six-yard touchdown pass to
Todd Pinkston
with 27 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
McNabb is 12-2 all-time in November, the best record in the NFL among active quarterbacks.
The Eagles have won four of the last five meeting between the teams but trail the series, 75-62-2.
|
