Take the game. Line up against the defending Super Bowl champions on their home field and take the game.
"They pushed us," Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce said.
He meant the Eagles' offensive line, which took to the rare opportunity to run-block the way sharks take to flailing, wounded fish.
"That was just a very physical win," left tackle Tra Thomas said. "We just kept putting a body on a body. We just have to push, man. It was just a good, physical win. You just keep pounding on them and that was that."
Four weeks ago, it was the Giants who pushed the Eagles around, the Giants who ran all over Lincoln Financial Field in a 36-31 victory. This wasn't just about committing to the running game, it was about the rudiments of football - blocking, tackling, toughness. It was about beating the other team up a little, too.
The wind had something to do with Andy Reid's reliance on the run game. But you suspect the need to reestablish a physical personality was in there, too.
"I think Coach was trying to make a statement, that he has a tough football team," cornerback Sheldon Brown said. "He took a lot of heat in the previous matchup where they ran the ball on us. I think he wanted to make it a point of emphasis to be the more physical team and run the football."
While Brian Westbrook was carrying the ball a career-high 33 times, the Eagles' defense was holding the Giants' high-scoring, run-first offense in check. A month after scoring 36 points at the Linc, the Giants needed a blocked-field-goal return and a two-minute desperation drive to put 14 on the board.
"The memory was short," Johnson said. "It was only about four weeks ago. We said that wasn't Eagle football. We've got to stay in the game. We've got to win one series at a time. I think it was a personal challenge."
