Eagles upset Super Bowl champion New York Giants

The Eagles, who won their first divisional game this season (1-3), managed to overcome Akers missing his next field-goal attempt, a 34-yarder that might have been tipped by Terrell Thomas, with Akers kicking into the wind. Coughlin took the wind in the third quarter, which might have helped him on that play, but definitely didn't help when the Giants were trying to come back in the fourth.

In the previous meeting, Westbrook was hobbled and was held to 26 yards on 13 carries, along with three catches for 33 yards. He broke two huge plays yesterday, a 30-yard, second-quarter TD run against a nine-man front, which Westbrook broke through untouched, and a 40-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown catch-and-run on which McNabb said Westbrook was his fourth read. Westbrook took off down the middle, reeling in the ball and running away from Burress' nightclub buddy, linebacker Antonio Pierce.

"I jumped inside. He went outside," Pierce said.

"Once you get Westbrook in the open field, it's over. He takes it to the house,'' said Nick Cole, who started for only the third time in his career, all of them against the Giants.

Overall, it's amazing how just as their postseason hopes slipped to the margins, the Eagles reeled off their two best all-around efforts of the season, Thanksgiving night against Arizona and yesterday.

"I really like what I'm feeling in our locker room right now," said free safety Brian Dawkins. "The confidence guys are playing with, the attention to detail in practice and when we touch the field, I think you are seeing the results, these last couple of weeks, of what I feel."

Three more of those weeks, and who knows? *

For more Eagles coverage and opinion, read the Daily News' Eagles blog, Eagletarian, at www.eagletarian.com.