EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -Andy Reid needled Jim Johnson about sitting in the press box. The way the Philadelphia Eagles are playing defense, the veteran coordinator can grab a seat anywhere he wants.
A swarming, suffocating defense harassed Eli Manning, shut down New York’s passing game and contained the NFL’s best rushing attack Sunday. It got big plays, created turnovers and made important stops against the Giants in a 23-11 victory that sent the defending Super Bowl champions home.
Now the Eagles (11-6-1) are heading back to the NFC title game for the fifth time in eight years. They’ll play the Arizona Cardinals (11-7) at University of Phoenix Stadium next Sunday. Not bad for a team that was nearly eliminated from the playoffs before even playing its final regular-season game.
pe with the wild card.”
Johnson outcoached his pupil, Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. But he chose to make the calls in a more comfortable climate on a cold, windy day at Giants Stadium.
“I’m partial, but I have the best defensive coordinator in the NFL,” Reid said. “The guys believe in him and the things he does. He’s kept it fresh for them. For being almost 100 years old, he’s kept it fresh. If you noticed, he sat in the box. The poor guy, his back is aching. Coach (Joe) Paterno was a good example.”
Next week, look for Johnson on the sideline. It’s usually warm in Arizona.
Playing his fifth game against the Giants in 12 1/2 months, Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel got Philly going with another playoff pick. He returned this one to the 2 to set up Donovan McNabb’s touchdown run that gave the Eagles a 7-3 lead in the first quarter.
It was Samuel’s seventh interception in 16 postseason games. He’s returned four for scores, including one last week in Philadelphia’s first-round win at Minnesota.
Samuel and Sheldon Brown eliminated New York’s wide receivers from the offense. They held the trio of Domenik Hixon, Steve Smith and Amani Toomer to one catch in the first half and six total. The Giants didn’t need Plaxico Burress to earn the NFC’s top seed, but they sure could’ve used him against the Eagles.
‘ Brown said.
Manning wasn’t sacked, but he was pressured and hurried enough to be ineffective. Last year’s Super Bowl MVP finished 15-of-29 for 169 yards and two interceptions.
When it mattered most, Philadelphia’s front seven delivered. Tackle Mike Patterson and linebacker Chris Gocong stopped Manning on fourth-and-inches from the Giants 45 early in the fourth quarter.
On the next possession, tackle Brodrick Bunkley slammed into Brandon Jacobs to keep him short on fourth-and-2 from the Giants 47.
“That’s where it starts, with those two in the middle,” Reid said of Patterson and Bunkley.
The performances of Patterson and Bunkley, two former first-round picks, prompted Pro Bowl safety Brian Dawkins to call this defense the best he’s played on in his 13 seasons with the Eagles.
It might be one of the best all-around defenses in team history. Even Buddy Ryan’s “Gang Green” crew led by Reggie White in the late 1980s didn’t get to the NFC championship game. Ryan was 0-3 in the playoffs before he got fired. The defense Ryan put together ranked first in the NFL in 1991 under defensive coordinator Bud Carson, but the Eagles missed the playoffs at 10-6.
ed.
By the way, the defense held Tony Romo, Terrell Owens and the Cowboys’ high-potent attack to a pair of field goals and scored two TDs on fumble returns in a do-or-die game for both teams.
Overall, the defense has allowed just four TDs in the last six games and scored four itself. The unit nearly pitched a shutout in a 20-14 victory at Giants Stadium last month. The Giants scored on a blocked field goal at the end of the first half and got their only offensive touchdown in the final minute.
“This team, we have a lot of unity,” Samuel said. “We stick together and we know what we have to do to execute. We’re playing consistent.”
Add A Comment