A lot of things happened on the play. For instance, center Jamaal Jackson probably could have been called for holding defensive end Justin Tuck, who was rushing inside. Tuck still managed to get his right arm on McNabb, but the Eagles QB escaped that initial pressure.
A second later, defensive Mathias Kiwanuka was trying to drag down McNabb from behind, but Jackson got just enough of him to allow the quarterback to step up in the pocket and throw across his body to a wide-open Avant, who caught the ball at the 27 and cut inside for 9 more yards and a first down.
Lost in the chaos was a spectacular blitz pickup by Correll Buckhalter, who flattened safety Michael Johnson.
Parker, however, had a huge impact against the Giants. He had pressure in Eli Manning's face on the quarterback's errant first-quarter throw that was intercepted by Asante Samuel, and he set up the Eagles' second fourth-down stop of the fourth quarter with a great play on third and 2. Parker spun off a block by wide receiver Dominik Hixon and took down Derrick Ward for no gain on third down.
His best play against the Giants was in pass coverage. On a third-and-9 play late in the third quarter, Cole dropped off the defensive line at the snap and into coverage. Manning tried to dump the ball to Ward, and Cole immediately hit the running back and jarred the ball loose for an incompletion.
Had Ward picked up just 3 extra yards, kicker John Carney's field-goal attempt might not have missed right, and the Giants would have taken a 14-13 lead.
In Sunday's win, he made a tough 6-yard catch late in the third quarter on the Eagles' only lengthy touchdown drive. It became a 21-yard gain when middle linebacker Antonio Pierce was flagged for a face-mask penalty.
Speaking of Considine, he deserves a lot of credit for his work on special teams. His hit on Giants punt returner Domenik Hixon at the end of the first quarter might have been the best one of the game.
Remember how Brian Mitchell returned the opening kickoff 70 yards against Tampa Bay? Remember how Duce Staley scored two plays later? Remember how the Eagles seemed to have all the momentum?
Giants fans must have felt that way, too, when Ahmad Bradshaw returned the opening kickoff 65 yards, thanks in large part to running back Ward's flattening block on Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard.
The electricity in Giants Stadium seemed very much like it was in the Vet six years ago, and the place would have been even louder if not for a touchdown-saving tackle by Eagles kicker David Akers. But the momentum eventually swung the other way, and the visiting team left with the huge victory.
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