Divisional Round: Day 2 — Pennsylvania Power

In a game that was, at one point, 11-10, the Eagles pulled away and knocked off the Giants to earn a trip to Arizona for the NFC Championship game. The last I saw of this game was David Akers kicking a field goal to put the Eagles ahead 13-11 and preserve the Steelers-Chargers game as the only 11-10 game in NFL history. After that, I was headed down to Heinz Field for the game, so you’ll have to forgive my succinct recap of this game. McNabb and Manning both threw two interceptions in the swirling winds, but McNabb cashed in with a touchdown, whereas Manning couldn’t find the end zone. In the Giants 5 trips to the Red Zone, they managed only 3 field goals. Now that’s pulling a Plaxico.

There will be a full-game recap coming this week, so I’ll keep this one short. This past week, John and I were talking about our “Impact Players” for the game. I chose Heath Miller and John chose LaMarr Woodley. Both players came up huge in key situations for the Steelers today. However, the two biggest players of the game have to be Santonio Holmes and Willie Parker. Holmes, who not only got the Steelers on the board with a punt return for a touchdown, also converted 3 third downs to keep drives alive. The Flash ran for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns, carving up San Diego’s defense. The Steelers were the only home team to win this weekend, and earn a date with Baltimore for a chance to dance with Lombardi.