The Giants lost trying to do what they do best: run the football. Yes, it wasn’t Eli Manning’s finest hour and they could have used Plaxico Burress. The Eagles moved the ball fairly well in the second half. But when the Giants absolutely needed a few yards in the fourth quarter, they failed in short-yardage situations four separate times, ending two drives.

Until New York’s meaningless final two drives, the Giants called 32 runs and 22 passes. Because of the wind, this was a game played in the trenches. That should have favored the rugged Giants, but the Eagles’ linemen collectively played better.

Eli shrunk in the moment this time, but Philly’s defense deserves the credit. It has been the Jim Johnson defense that has carried this Eagles team for seven weeks. The Philly offense is probably worse than it usually is. Brian Westbrook does not appear to be 100% and hasn’t averaged four yards-per-carry in a game since Week 14. Donovan McNabb is making the plays to beat good defense, but the Eagles passing game is no longer the center of this team. A robust rush defense led by tackles Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley, with the help of Asante Samuel’s thieving ways, is the foundation of the Eagles playoff run.

So many times, we hear from Monday Morning quarterbacks that a team went away from their strengths when pushed hard. That wasn’t the case Sunday; Philadelphia just stuffed New York. For the second straight year, the division champ was not the toughest team in the NFC East.