Dethroned: Eagles end Giants' season 23-11

January 11, 4:46 PMPhiladelphia Sports ExaminerAndrew Tulin

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Asante Samuel's early pick set up the Eagles' first TD. (AP photo/Julie Jacobson)

The Philadelphia Eagles' defense, which flew most of the season under the radar, has officially made itself known after keeping the Giants' offense out of the end zone in a 23-11 NFC Divisional Playoff victory at Giants Stadium.  The game was amazingly similar to the second game the teams played this season, also at the Meadowlands in early December.  Despite Brandon Jacobs being relatively productive, the Giants struggled to run the ball when down and distance allowed the Eagles to stack up against the run, highlighted by a pair of fourth quarter Giants drives ending in turnovers on downs.  The Eagles became the first NFC 6 seed to knock off a 1 seed, and set up a showdown with the resurgent Arizona Cardinals for a trip to the Super Bowl.  The final score of 23-11 was also a first in NFL history, facilitated by the Giants' red zone ineptitude and an early safety against Donovan McNabb for intentional grounding in the end zone.  Big Blue are now the third home team to go down during the Divisional round, in which all four home teams were favored.  Last week, with all four road teams favored, only two home teams lost.