Life is all about momentum.

Getting hot at the right time can lead to career promotions, huge gains at the blackjack table, or a string of STDs even the Fonz would be proud of.  Having that confidence is the same force that led A.C. Slater to an undefeated wrestling career or Rocky Balboa to run through forty some odd random opponents while Clubber Lang looked on in disgust/with feather earrings.

The Philadelphia Eagles have momentum.

The Eagles stood on the brink of elimination weeks ago, a mere afterthought to an NFC East that was almost surely going to produce both the Giants and the Cowboys as playoff contenders. Now a few short surprising plays from the Birds and  Romo-to T.O. EHarmony match made by Satan and the Eagles are flying high faster than Coach Reid could look up from his $5 foot-long to notice.  So as Brian Westbrook feat. The Philadelphia Eagles prepare to face the New York Giants (playing the role of Plaxico Burress tonight will be no one) a case can be made for either team to come on top.  So I’ll try:

The Case for the Eagles:

The Eagles will take on a Giants team that hasn’t played a do-or-die game since they pounded Tom Brady a season ago.  Sure they had division clinching games and a home field nail-biter against the Panthers, but the Giants and the playoffs have been a formality since the Mop Top began throwing to the Gun Slinger in week 1.  Now Plax is gone, and while commentators from every network (Come On Man) originally said that the likes of Hixon, Smith, and Toomer can replace him, clearly they haven’t done the job yet.  Now the Giants are left with a receiving core that looks like a collection of #3 wide outs (Andy Reid: “Hey that’s my idea!”) and are forced to rely heavily on the run.  Throw in that everyone on Coughlin’s staff has been interviewing all week for the 20 some odd coaching vacancies in the NFL and distractions might be running ramped.

The Eagles have the coveted chip on their shoulder though.  They have nothing to lose, no business in being there, and with no expectations they have no pressure.  They can handle New York’s excellent pass rush with 2 yard dump off passes to Westbrook in the flat for 13 yard gains, and it will eat at the Giants defense like Tony Siragusa eats small children on the sidelines.  The Eagles are relentless in their use of Westbrook, rightfully so, as he is the Tiki Barber of five years ago sans creepy twin: a back that is involved in every aspect of your offense.  Add that to an Eagles defense that always shows up in NFC East matchups and Philly has a team that looks very familiar to the Giants of a year ago: defense that clicks at the right time, a shaky QB who always seems to grind out a win, and a we-might-not-belong-here mentality.

The Case for the Giants:

Donovan McNabb.

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It took me every ounce of resistance not to leave this section at just McNabb alone but I should probably explain.  Isn’t this the same quarterback who was benched weeks ago for playing so poorly?  Isn’t this the same quarterback who both literally and metaphorically threw up at the Super Bowl a few years ago?  The same quarterback who has Eagle fans calling for his head at least twice a season for his entire career?  McNabb has never, ever, had the full confidence from his fan base.  He is the Keanu Reeves of the NFL: a big name that people continuously pay money to see thus keeping him a job and qualifying him as “successful” yet still would never be trusted with an Oscar caliber role- there’s just too much riding on it.  Add that to the fact that he admits he didn’t know you could tie in a game and he might as well say he knows kung fu.

The Giants run game has been a beast, and with a rested Jacobs and Ward they should be able to give the youngest Prince Manning enough leverage for a few successful play action strikes.  It’s when they let Eli do his best Brett Favre impersonation (throw on 3 straight downs mixed with a slow scramble and a floater off the back foot into triple coverage capped off with a surprised “what are you guys doing?” look when camped under and caught by 6 safeties simultaneously) when the Giants offense sputters, so a commitment to the run should lead to victory.

The Case for Fans to Have Two-Cups-of-Coffee-Before-Breakfast Bowel Movements

There’s no clear cut way to call this game.  The Giants blow the Eagles out? It could happen.  The Eagles upset the Giants by twenty? Yeah that too.  They play into OT? Sure but McNabb would be worried about a tie.  Regardless any outcome of this game is believable because any outcome of this game would make perfect sense.  The underdog riding a hot streak with something to prove or the reigning champs throwing their weight around would both make perfect stories for Monday.

But this is New York vs. Philly.  It’s Eagles- Giants, Sixers-Knicks, Phillies-Mets, Flyers-Rangers, Cheesesteaks-Pizza, Loud and Obnoxious- Loud and Obnoxious: they are all classic battles.  It’s the reason fans are on edge more so than if it were Giants-Chiefs or Eagles-Rams; there’s a rivalry involved.  So now fans will have to sit at the screen and yell “where are you throwing Donovan?!” or “why are we throwing screen passes to Steve Smith?!” all game as they sweat four quarters out and internally make up excuses if their team loses like “Westbrook didn’t show up” or “we couldn’t get a pass rush on McNabb” or “I will murder you”.  Either way it should be an edge of your seat “Guys shut up I’m trying to hear Troy Aikman” type game, with the winner needing that price asset to move on in the playoffs:

Momentum.

(Do you get momentum with a tie?)