Donovan McNabb Set To Start, Avoid Getting Sacked 12 Times By Giants

The Philadelphia Eagles will be fighting for their playoff lives this week when the New York Giants make the trip down the turnpike for an NFC battle for the ages. Okay, it's not exactly a battle for the ages. It's more of a battle between a rather unimpressive Giants team who at 8-4 has their sights firmly set on a wild card birth and a marginally mediocre Eagles team whose playoff hopes are still alive but only recognized by mathematicians (and Dave Spadaro).

Last time McNabb got treated so poorly by the Giants -- sacked a record twelve times! -- even The Onion decided to weigh in on the issue with an article titled "Umenyiora Comes Out Of Nowhere To Sack McNabb In Parking Lot."

This time, the Eagles may have a little more help.
In the September 30th game in which McNabb was sacked a record 12 times by the Giants, the Eagles were without one of McNabb's most loyal protectors, William "Tra" Thomas, who was out with a bum knee. His replacement, Winston Justice, didn't exactly perform real well.

"Although Tra didn't play, Winston still prepared well. He's going to be a great player. I think we all could have done something to eliminate those sacks."

McNabb is being generous. Justice was awful, allowing five of six sacks recorded by Osi Umenyiora, who finished one sack shy of the NFL record of seven.

"I got away from my technique," Justice said after practice yesterday. "I have the ability to handle him, but that game, I just didn't show it."

Winston may or may not have the ability to stop Osi, but he will hopefully have to wait a while to show it as William Thomas is healthy and back in the lineup for Sunday.

It should be an interesting game Sunday and the Birds will have something to prove after the ugly first meeting. There is some parity here despite very different records. The Giants aren't a very dominant wild card team while the Eagles aren't exactly a horrid non-playoff team.

Eli Manning showed last week that... well, I'm not sure exactly what he showed but he did in fact get his team a win. On the other side, Donovan McNabb will prevent A.J. Feeley from throwing this one away. Look for a close game that will likely be decided by the play of the QBs.