Watching out-of-town scoreboard more exciting than game at Lincoln Financial Field

The Eagles were scoreboard-watching, and who could blame them? It was more exciting than watching Kevin Kolb, hurried and harried by a relentless Dallas pass rush, throw time after time off his back foot and occasionally into the hands of a Cowboys defender.

Besides, while the game at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday meant absolutely zero in the grand scheme of the team, two games being played at the same time meant everything to the Eagles and their immediate future: Bears-Packers, Giants-Redskins.

The Eagles' players knew the deal. Green Bay had to beat Chicago to get a first-round playoff date against the Eagles. New York had to beat Washington and hope that the Bears beat the Packers, and they would get the Eagles in the playoffs. If both the Packers and Giants lost, Tampa Bay, which beat New Orleans earlier in the afternoon, would be in.

And so the Eagles watched.

"We welcome all challengers," Jason Avant said.

As the Eagles slogged through the second half with almost all of their starters on the bench, the other games took dramatic turns. It made for a riveting hour of football during which it looked for a while as if the Eagles would get to play the Giants for a third time. It also looked as if Tampa Bay might sneak in.

The tick-tock:

5:52 p.m.: On the Packers' first play of the second half, Aaron Rodgers threw an interception right to Charles Tillman, who scooted through several Green Bay players, including Rodgers, for a 42-yard return. The Bears, nursing a 3-0 lead, had the ball at the Green Bay 15-yard line, poised to score.

At the exact same time, Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham caught a short pass from Eli Manning at the New York 35 and ran untouched 65 yards into the end zone. The touchdown gave the Giants a 17-7 lead, and a little cushion.

6:01 p.m.: With the Bears in field-goal range, Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler threw an unforgivable interception in the end zone.

6:13 p.m.: Rodgers completed a deep pass to Greg Jennings for 33 yards, giving the Packers first and goal at the 1. After a running play for no gain, Rodgers fumbled the snap and then took a sack and Green Bay settled for a field goal to tie the score at 3.

6:16 p.m.: Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes missed a field goal wide right that would have given New York a 20-7 lead.

6:29 p.m.: After a 46-yard pass to Jennings again gave the Packers first and goal at the Chicago 1, Rodgers hit Donald Lee with a soft pass to give Green Bay its first lead of the game, 10-3.

6:48 p.m.: Grossman slipped rolling out and got punished for it by New York defensive end Osi Umenyiora to set up fourth and 1. The Redskins went for it at the Giants' 32-yard line, but Ryan Torain ran east-west and got slammed well short of the first down.

6:52 p.m.: On third and 10, the Bears dropped everybody into coverage, with Brian Urlacher spying Rodgers, who fell short of the first down. The Packers then pinned the Bears deep in their own territory with a good punt.

6:53 p.m.: Grossman threw a 64-yard bomb to Anthony Armstrong to pull the Redskins within 17-14 with 5 minutes, 52 seconds to play. Tom Coughlin's face turned a deeper shade of red.

7:05 p.m.: On the 15th play of the drive and with 10 seconds left in the game, Cutler threw to Devin Hester, but Nick Collins picked it off at the 11-yard line. Game over. Packers win.

The Giants won moments later, but it did not matter. The playoff match up was set, and the Eagles were happy about it.

"It's exciting," safety Quintin Mikell said. "The regular season is over and everyone's going to be watching us next week. This is what you play for."

And there is delicious symmetry with the opponent being the Packers. They precipitated the Eagles' quarterback change by knocking Kevin Kolb out of the game in the first half of the opener. Michael Vick came in and played well, leading the Eagles back from a 27-10 fourth-quarter deficit, only to fall short, 27-20.

Walking off the field that day, Avant told his friend Jennings, the Packers wide receiver, "We'll see you in the playoffs," and how right he was.

"We know that we have a lot of challenges ahead of us," Avant said. "This will be our biggest challenge so far this year. . . . We're a lot better team than we were in Week 1."

Not that you could tell watching the Dallas game. It was better to watch the games that mattered.