Giants psyched to get even with Eagles

The Giants are headed to Philadelphia, not for a football game but for an exorcism.

Nine months ago, they suffered what, for most of them, was the worst loss of their careers. Coaches, players, trainers, ticket-takers, all of them were crushed by the events that unfolded in the last seven minutes of the home game against the Eagles on Dec. 19. They saw a 31-10 lead vanish before DeSean Jackson returned a wayward punt 65 yards on the final play to give the Eagles a 38-31 win.

How big of an impact did that game make on the Giants?

"Last year will linger with me until I die," Justin Tuck said without a hint of hyperbole.

There's no erasing such a deflating loss, but a win Sunday certainly would help the healing process along. The Giants have lost six straight to the Eagles, and their last two playoff exits came at the hands of the team down the turnpike. The Cowboys and Redskins may be traditional rivals, and the loudmouth Jets may be the latest nemesis, but no team churns up the bile of the Giants like the Eagles do.

Which is why, about an hour after Monday night's game, with the Rams still packing their belongings in MetLife Stadium, the Giants' attention was already on the Eagles. Football teams traditionally wait until the day after a game to start talking about the next opponent. Not this time.

"Beating an Eagles team with everything they have on paper is definitely going to be a confidence booster," linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka said. "We're ready to roll. We know we have the personnel to do it and I'm looking forward to it."

"Obviously, it's a big game, division rivals," guard David Diehl said. "And nobody forgot last year."

Forgot last year? It's only shaped just about everything the Giants have done since, from changing punters -- they would have thrown Matt Dodge into a volcano as a sacrifice if they'd thought it would improve their luck against Philly -- to drafting more speed on defense to adopting a poignant, one-word motto for the season: finish.

The familiarity between the teams is intense. Running back LeSean McCoy called out Osi Umenyiora during the offseason, calling him "soft" and referring to him as the team's third-best defensive end. Umenyiora, who probably won't play Sunday, returned fire by revealing that the Giants refer to McCoy as "Lady Gaga." And then-Giants receiver Steve Smith came to Umenyiora's defense, sending an electronic picture of the Giants' Super Bowl trophies at McCoy. Now Smith and McCoy are teammates, trying to fill the empty trophy case in Philadelphia together.

And then there is Michael Vick, who engineered the comeback in December. The Eagles quarterback might not be able to face the Giants on Sunday because of a concussion he suffered Sunday night. Rather than rejoicing, the Giants have been sending get-well cards to Vick.

"I want the best of the best and he is the best," safety Antrel Rolle said on his weekly WFAN appearance. "I hope Michael Vick plays because at the end of the day, I don't want any excuses when we go down to Philly and put it to them. I want Michael Vick on the field."

That may sound illogical. The Giants surely would have a better chance of winning if Mike Kafka were at quarterback.

But what fun is an exorcism if the demon is on the sideline?

"I think it'd be good for this team to get some redemption," Kiwanuka said. "We get a win with Vick in the game, that would be a confidence booster."