Pivotal Play: Eagles at Giants
Shot through the heart and they're too late
Posted on Monday, January 12, 2009 at 2:30 PMAt first glance, you could probably pinpoint several instances in which the New York Giants shot themselves in the foot on Sunday afternoon. They repeatedly allowed the Philadelphia Eagles to capitalize on mistakes in clutch situations, and continuously choked when they had the opportunity to take control of the game.
But if you're looking for one play that really epitomized Big Blue's stagnant performance on Sunday, look no further than the back-breaker in the third quarter.
With 11:50 remaining, trailing 11-10 and facing a third-and-20 from their own 15, Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles were merely looking to gain some garbage yards in an effort to damage New York's upcoming field position.
What they got, however, would change the game and cripple the Giants mentality.
McNabb dropped back and saw the blitz coming. Rather than throwing the ball away or leaving one up that could possibly be picked off, he hit Jason Avant underneath. Much to Avant's surprise, the Giants remaining defensive backs had all followed their men deep, opening up a large gap for him to exploit.
With a quick kick into hyper-drive and one little shimmy to shake-off a would-be tackler, Avant took off toward the first-down marker. And despite Corey Webster's best effort, the Eagles' relatively unknown wide receiver was able to move the chains in what would be the most telling play of the game.
The drive, which New York seemed poised to stop, would eventually end in a field goal, putting Philadelphia up 13-11 ... a lead that they would never relinquish.
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