After Meadowlands miracle, Eagles lost magic

PHILADELPHIA

So, Andy Reid, were you surprised the Packers punted to DeSean Jackson with a five-point lead and two minutes left last night?

The Eagles coach paused for several seconds, then mumbled, "A little bit.''

A little bit?

Somewhere, Tom Coughlin surely was yelling at his television, everywhere Giants fans were shaking their heads and at Lincoln Financial Field, Eagles fans were in giddy, towel-waving anticipation.

But it soon became evident the Eagles' magic of Dec. 19 had worn off for good, perhaps cosmic payback for having used up several seasons' worth against the Giants.

That afternoon, Jackson ran back a Matt Dodge punt 65 yards for the winning score as time expired, the last of four Eagles touchdowns in the final half-quarter.

On this evening, Jackson, slowed by an earlier knee injury, managed only a 14-yard return. A holding penalty left the Eagles at their 34-yard line.

Still, there remained one more painful echo of the game at New Meadowlands Stadium for the Eagles. After Michael Vick led a desperate charge to the Green Bay 27, he launched a pass into the end zone that Tramon Williams intercepted, securing the Packers' 21-16 wild-card playoff victory.

Intended receiver? Riley Cooper.

If the name isn't familiar, he's the guy who made the other monumental play against the Giants three weeks earlier, recovering a pivotal onside kick when the Giants failed to contest it.

And that was that. After beating the Giants, 38-31, by scoring 28 points in the final 7½ minutes - the Eagles' seventh game in a row with 26 or more points - they finished with three consecutive losses in which they scored 14, 13 and 16 points.

Instead of using the shocker over the Giants to launch a Super Bowl run, as many expected, they followed the Giants and the rest of the NFC East to the division's earliest playoff disappearance in more than a decade.

What the heck happened to your offense down the stretch, coach Reid?

"We did some good things tonight,'' he said. "You probably wouldn't be asking me that question if we hadn't thrown that interception right there.''

Perhaps, but something clearly wasn't quite right in an upset loss to the Vikings during which Vick was hobbled early, and in one to the Cowboys that Vick and other starters skipped, and then Sunday.

Vick had a few dynamic moments against the Packers, but it appeared defenses had started to figure out how to deal with him. His final two games were his only two this season with a passer rating less than 80.

"I think in every game we played since the New York game, we did good things,'' he said. "We just set ourselves back. We had a lot of penalties, a lot of plays we didn't make.''

Said Jackson: "These past three games, teams saw what we do great and did everything they could to stop us. As professional athletes, we have to find a way to go out there and not let them stop doing the things we do best.''

Vick's future with the team is unclear, but he said in the short term, all he would think about was the way the season concluded.

He said the loss hurt more than any of his previous full seasons that ended in the playoffs. "I just think that I didn't finish,'' he said.

The Eagles had one last thing in common with the vanquished Giants: undone in a season-defining game by the Packers and their poised and polished quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.

What happened at the moment of truth? Cooper wasn't sure. "It happened so fast,'' he said.

The Giants can relate.