AP News, January 8th, 2007
Eli Manning hit Plaxico Burress on an 11-yard touchdown pass to shake off a sluggish performance and pull the New York Giants into a 20-20 tie with the Philadelphia Eagles with five minutes left in Sunday's NFC wild-card game.
Manning also connected with Burress on a 17-yard score on New York's opening possession.
Brian Westbrook broke off a 49-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, Donte' Stallworth caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Garcia and David Akers kicked three field goals for the Eagles.
The Giants twice had to settle for short field goals after impressive defensive stands by the Eagles inside their own 10-yard line.
Tiki Barber, in what may be his last game, carried 26 times for 137 yards.
The Giants had virtually been written off after losing six of their last eight games of the season. Their defense was awful down the stretch, their offense inconsistent and they've been a dysfunctional team.
A month ago, it would've been inconceivable to see the Eagles in this position. They were counted out after a knee injury ended Donovan McNabb's season in Week 11 and a 24-point loss in Indianapolis a week later left them at 5-6.
Led by Garcia and a rejuvenated defense, Philadelphia won five straight to capture its fifth NFC East title in six years and earn the No. 3 seed in the conference.
The Giants needed a career performance from the retirement-bound Barber just to beat Washington last Saturday and prolong a disappointing season. Barber had a franchise-record 234 yards rushing and three touchdowns against the Redskins.
