EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.-- Donovan McNabb will surely be sorry to see Giants Stadium go.
The veteran quarterback led the Eagles to a 45-38 win in his final trip to the Giants' soon-to-be-torn-down confines and helped the team grab hold of first place in the NFC East. In a wild game, McNabb threw for 275 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, producing a 110.3 QB rating. The win, couple with a Dallas Cowboys' loss, gives the Eagles a one-game lead in the division and the opportunity to clinch a playoff berth next week.
"We were looking forward to this game," McNabb said. "When you play on Sunday night, it's just like Monday night. Everyone is watching, so for teams that obviously are battling for spots, they're watching. We just want to put out a good show. Today, our team just really focused in on what our job entailed, and that was for us to be very effective in all phases of the game and do whatever it took to win the game."
If McNabb's goal was to put on a show for the national audience, he certainly delivered.
The Eagles raced out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but the game was far from over. The Giants produced over 500 yards of total offense and the teams' traded big play after big play. After the Giants took their first and only lead of the game, 31-30, in the third quarter, McNabb and the Eagles responded on their very first play from scrimmage with a 60-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson.
"I just tried to motivate all the guys," McNabb said, of what he said in the huddle. "The way the game was going, it was just uncharacteristic of us. Every now and then you need a spark. It was a great play by DeSean."
The Eagles are now in position to make the playoffs for the eighth time during McNabb's 11-year career. But McNabb's focus was only on the team in blue and white.
"We truly do not focus on (the playoffs) aspect of it," he said. "Our main focus was to come out here and do what we needed to do to win this game. When you play against a team you play twice a year, you know they're going to bring everything."
As tight as the game was, the Eagles' offense would be happy to see the Giants' defense every week. In the two games against the Giants this season, the Eagles have scored a combined 85 points, the most ever against the Giants. With Jackson's return to the lineup, and the forthcoming return of running back Brian Westbrook on the horizon, the Eagles' offense looks like a juggernaut.
"The sky is the limit for us," McNabb said. "When we can drive down consistently like we did, and be able to come out with touchdowns, that's the most important thing and I think we were able to do that today."
-- Posted by Bo Wulf, 2:17 a.m., December 14
