Eagles Ground Game Shines in Win Versus Giants

Domination. Pure and utter domination. That's how you describe the Eagles' stunning 20-14 victory over the Super Bowl champion Giants in East Rutherford on Sunday.

EAGLES BREAKDOWN: Philly was led by a revived running game which totaled 144 yards on the day. Brian Westbrook was the team's catalyst with 203 total yards (131 rushing, 72 receiving) and both Eagles touchdowns.

McNabb completed 19 of 31 passes for 191 yards on the day with one touchdown. That one touchdown was a back-breaking 40-yard pass to Brian Westbrook, who made the grab around the 35-yard line and outran Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce to the end zone.

McNabb got the job done with his arm, but also made plays with his feet. Captain Five picked up 20 yards on his five carries, most of those yards coming on critical third downs.

I applaud the effort and execution of the Eagles offensive line this afternoon. They overcame a very shaky start to open holes for Westbrook and give McNabb ample time in the pocket. Aside from the first quarter, they dominated the line of scrimmage, which allowed #36 to have the stellar afternoon he had.

Now, in my pre-game breakdown, I said the Giants would need to shut down DeSean Jackson AND Brian Westbrook. Today showed how hard it can be to contain both of them. Jackson was invisible this afternoon while Westbrook shined.

On defense, this was the Eagles best effort by far this season. They blew the Giants off of the ball throughout the game which allowed them to keep the Giants ground game in check.

Aside from some coverage miscues, the Eagles pass defense was good-but-not-great today. The most noticeable gaffe was on a pass where Giants receiver Domenik Hixon simply out-sprinted Sheldon Brown down field for what seemed to be a 75-yard touchdown. But Hixon let the ball go right through his hands for an incomplete pass.

Unlike four weeks ago, the Giants ground attack was rendered powerless on Sunday. New Yorks' Earth, Wind and Fire running trio combined for just 88 total yards. The Eagles defense played very disciplined football. They stayed in their lanes, they didn't over pursue, they played very well all game long.

Giants Breakdown: This was easily the Giants worst performance of the season. On offense they were just completely out of sync, and on defense they were just out worked. People may say that the distraction of Plaxico Burress' situation was what doomed the G-men this afternoon, but that is complete hogwash.

When Burress was first suspended following the Giants bye week, they were swarmed with reporters questioning exactly why he was suspended. That Sunday, they embarrassed the Seahawks, putting up 44 points.

Eli Manning had one of his worst outings of the season this afternoon without his biggest weapon. Manning, who had been phenomenal throughout the year, completed just 13 of 27 passes for 123 yards and one touchdown in garbage time with 15 seconds left to play. He was dealt a few uncharacteristic drops from his receivers, but he also had quite a few passes sail on him.

The Giants ground attack, which had been so dominant throughout the year, had its worst outing today, rushing for just 88 total yards. Brandon Jacobs was injured in the second quarter and did not return, something that took a lot of wind from the Giants sails.

New York's receiving corps were missing their biggest threat, but that is no excuse for the way they played on Sunday. They dropped numerous passes, squandering scoring chances. A few of their drops occurred on third down, a situation where the defending champs have had so much success this season.

The Giants' offensive line did a fine job of protecting Manning, but really struggled getting off the ball to lead the rush. They did not play Giants football.

Aside from the first quarter, the Giants defense played their worst game of the season today. They were uncharacteristically dominated on the line of scrimmage, they were very soft in coverage and the tackling left a lot to be desired. They simply played sloppy, uninspired football.

They let Brian Westbrook go absolutely nuts, something I said they had to keep from happening. Westbrook repeatedly was stopped at the line of scrimmage, but wasn't wrapped up, which allowed him to break out for five or ten yard gains.

The secondary pretty much did their job. Eagles receivers went pretty much unnoticed, aside from Kevin Curtis. Curtis came up with two huge third down pass completions before leaving the game with a concussion.

What was really shocking was how the defensive line got completely blown off the ball. What has made this defense so tough to run on was their ability to control the line, and that was not the case this week.

Inside the numbers: The biggest stat of this game has to be third and fourth down offense for both teams. New York converted on just 3 of 11 third downs and converted none of their three fourth down attempts. When the two teams met in November, the Giants converted 7 of 15 third downs, Sunday there was a noticeable difference.

The Eagles, on the other hand, were able to convert on 12 of their 18 third downs (66 percent). In week 10 when the two teams met last, the Eagles were only able to convert on 3 of 11 third downs.

Another stat that played a huge factor in the game was time of possession. In week 10, the Giants held the ball for 39 minutes and 10 seconds while the Eagles only held the ball for 20 minutes and 50 seconds. This time the tables were completely turned. The Eagles held the ball for 34 minutes and 54 seconds while the Giants only held it for 25 minutes and 6 seconds.

What's next? With the win, the Eagles move to 7-5-1. With Atlanta, Dallas and Washington all losing, the once very slim chances for the Eagles making the playoffs continue to rise. Philly will host the Cleveland Browns next Monday night in Philadelphia.

The Giants fall to 11-2, but remain atop the NFC East. Although they lost, they still win the division because of Dallas' choke job this week. They travel to Dallas to battle the 'Boys on Sunday Night in prime time.