After comeback, Eagles as stunned as Giants
Before his turn at the podium, DeSean Jackson sat down and drank a bottle of water.
"I gotta catch my breath," he said before his postgame news conference, "and think about what I'm gonna say."
So did the 81,223 fans as they streamed out of New Meadowlands Stadium Sunday afternoon, baffled by what they had just seen. Walk-off 65-yard punt returns will do that to you.
Brent Celek, whose 65-yard touchdown catch ignited the Eagles' run of 28 unanswered points in the final 7:28 of the 38-31 win over the Giants, likened it to winning a championship.
"When you came into the locker room, it was almost like we won the Super Bowl," Celek said. "I've never been a part of anything like this."
If the Eagles are to feel the real thing come February, it'll happen in another one of their rivals' digs (this season's Super Bowl is in Dallas). They took a big step toward that goal with Sunday's win.
One Philly win or Giants loss in the next two weeks will give the Eagles (10-4) their second straight NFC East title. They also have a chance to earn a first-round bye. But that was in doubt in the fourth quarter yesterday.
"I'll tell ya what, my heart's a little weaker after this one," said Andy Reid, who still had sweat pouring down his face during his postgame news conference. "It's what the NFL is all about, man."
This season, the NFL has been all about the renaissance of Michael Vick and the big-play ability of Jackson. Both were nearly invisible in the first half but went bonkers as the momentum started changing.
Vick amassed 316 of his 372 total yards and all four of his touchdowns (three passing and one rushing) in the second half. His 130 rushing yards on 10 carries were his most since before he was exiled to prison.
"We were discouraged in the first half," he said. "Once we made some plays, we saw the momentum shift. By far, this is one of the greatest comebacks of my career."
Jackson, questionable for the game with a right foot injury, saved his heroics - and his antics - for the buzzer. At the end of the return, he ran parallel to the goal line before finally scoring. He said it was to make sure the clock had run out (it already had when he was at the 20), but he added: "I always try to do something out of the ordinary. I probably would have dove in from the 12-yard line if I could."
Jackson has four return touchdowns in his career, and his 11 touchdowns of at least 60 yards are one behind Gale Sayers' all-time record. The final punt was the only one Jackson fielded all day. Jeremy Maclin (who had two second-half touchdowns) and Jorrick Calvin alternated deep-man duties because of Jackson's injury.
"This is terrible to say," Reid said, "but I wanted to make sure he was there at the end if we had ones that were in a crazy situation."Jackson's lost fumble that was recovered by Kenny Phillips led to Kevin Boss' 8-yard touchdown reception that gave the Giants a 31-10 lead. It appeared as though the fumble would have been overturned if the Eagles had challenged the call, and Reid had the challenge flag in his hands, but he didn't go through with it. After the game, Reid said he "goofed" by not challenging the play.
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