High stakes in a big battle
The Eagles and Giants renew their rivalry. Whoever wins will sit atop the NFC East.
The Eagles are back in prime time, and this week the stakes are even higher.
After using the big stage of Monday Night Football to announce themselves as Super Bowl contenders and make Michael Vick the biggest story in sports, the Eagles play Sunday night in a game that will determine first place in the NFC East.
The Eagles and Giants are 6-3, tied for the division lead, and have not faced off this year. As the final weeks of November tick off the calendar, both have established themselves as members of the NFC's elite.
And then there are the teams' proximity and fan animosity that add heat to any Eagles-Giants game.
"When I first got here, I heard that the Cowboys rivalry was the biggest. But now that this game's here, everybody is saying this game is even bigger," rookie safety Nate Allen said.
One locker over, his partner in the defensive backfield and a veteran of NFC East scraps, safety Quintin Mikell, says he expects the kind of game that leaves both teams sore for several days.
"When you think about football and what it should be, these are the games I think about," Mikell said.
Added wide receiver DeSean Jackson: "We love these big games. Sunday nights, Monday nights, the whole world is watching."
It likely won't be as easy as it was last week.
The Eagles enter the game off a short week, riding a wave of praise. Coach Andy Reid, who has done a remarkable job of keeping the Eagles focused amid turmoil and injuries this season, said he didn't have to tell his team to move past their tremendous win over the Redskins. He said they knew.
Mikell said the team has been focused this week.
"It's not like we're playing nobodies. We know who we're up against," Mikell said. "This team, they're ready to go. And we're going to be ready to go."
The Giants looked as if they might have been the class of the NFC until they got crushed last week by the Cowboys. Their offense ranks second in the NFL in total yards, and their defense is first. Their pass rush has knocked five quarterbacks out of games.
While no one has yet been ableto contain Vick, the Giants may have the best opportunity of any team the Eagles have faced. They boast a stable of athletic linemen.
"We've gone against some good defensive lines, but this one here, collectively, is the best," Reid said.
The Giants have praised Vick's Monday night performance all week while pledging to attack him Sunday. While they won't set out to injure another player, the defense will try to hit Vick as hard as it can and let the results fall as they may.
Asked whether the injuries to opposing quarterbacks were a coincidence, Giants coach Tom Coughlin chalked up the results to hitting.
"I don't think it's anything to do with coincidence. It's good, hard, tough football, and no one goes in with the intent of hurting anybody," Coughlin said. "But in those situations that occurred they were good clean plays that ended up with injuries to the quarterback."
The Eagles know the dangers of facing a team that has just lost. After the Birds took their worst defeat of the season, to the Titans, they had a bye and have since produced their two best wins of the year, vaulting into serious contention.
