John Smallwood: Eagles QB McNabb beats the rap in big win over Dallas

SO DOES yesterday's game qualify as a big game? You know, the kind in which some Eagles fans claim Donovan McNabb never shows up to play.

If your answer is no, then why doesn't it?

This game against the Dallas Cowboys wasn't just do-or-die for the NFC's final wild-card spot.

It was possibly do-or-get-out-of-town for a number of Eagles, starting with McNabb.

Perhaps a loss would not have signaled the end of McNabb's decade as the Eagles' quarterback, but it's certainly less likely to end now that he has led the Birds into the playoffs.

"We couldn't control anything that happened elsewhere, but what we could control was what happened out here today," McNabb said. "And once we got word that there was an opportunity, that a door had been opened, we played with the passion to make sure we took full advantage of it."

The funny thing is that the brilliance of McNabb's performance could easily be lost in the magnificence of the Eagles' 44-6 dismantling of the Cowboys.

His final statistics (12-for-21 for 175 yards) weren't eye-catching, but remember that this was a 3-3 game after the first quarter.

Then McNabb put together a highlight-reel performance that sent the odds-defying Eagles into an improbable playoff game Sunday at Minnesota.

In the second quarter, McNabb completed nine of 13 passes for 139 yards with two touchdowns. He also had a 1-yard touchdown run.

The Eagles went ahead, 27-3, to all but seal the game.

It was the biggest game in which McNabb has played since the Eagles lost the Super Bowl in February 2005.

He showed up.

"Since y'all talk about me not being in the playoffs for the last 4 years, I'm in," said McNabb, who missed the playoffs 2 years ago with a torn ACL. "It's sweet. But you know what, I've got a job to do. My job is to make sure we are ready to go against Minnesota."

After last week's 10-3 choke against Washington, it took a perfect storm of out-of-town results to set things up for the Eagles.

Still, Tampa Bay losing at home to Oakland and Chicago losing in Houston would not have mattered had the Eagles not taken care of the Cowboys.

If ever McNabb was going to display his leadership qualities that so often have been questioned, this had to be that moment.