Les Bowen: The Bottom Line: Eagles coach Reid won't admit running more led to win over Vikings

The most remarkable stat from the Eagles' wild-card round victory Sunday might have been this one: 23 carries for 67 rushing yards. Twenty-seven of those yards came on one Correll Buckhalter romp. The other 22 times the Eagles ran the ball, they gained all of 40 yards. Brian Westbrook finished the game with 38 yards on 20 carries.

There was a time - say, Nov. 16 at Cincinnati - when Andy Reid would have pulled the plug on the ground game about halfway through the afternoon. Reid, who can be just a tad stubborn, didn't want to acknowledge yesterday that he'd done anything unusual in continuing to run into the teeth of Minnesota's No. 1-ranked run defense, but the fact is, in that infuriating tie in Cincinnati, Reid ran just 18 times, in five quarters, against the 25th-ranked run defense, gaining 68 yards. He called 60 pass plays.

Sunday's totals were 37 called pass plays, and those 23 runs, which gained so little - except that they kept the Vikings' pass rush off Donovan McNabb, and ran minutes off the clock in a game the Eagles led most of the way, while giving the Birds' defense valuable time to recharge.

Reid is not accustomed to being asked about his commitment to the run, at least, not in a positive way.

"I can't even believe that you asked that question, but I kind of feel good that you did," Reid said yesterday. "We tried to keep it as balanced as we could, so I wouldn't have to answer that question."

There was a larger point to be made, as well, about hanging in and not getting frustrated.

"You're coming off a [44-6 victory] against the Cowboys, that everything worked. This was a game where everything didn't work. But it was important that you kept focus on that next play, to try to make it work, and I thought that was what the guys did," Reid said.

Obviously, the Eagles will need to commit to balance again this week, which might be tougher, because they might not be playing with a lead as much. And obviously, they'll need to be more effective. If Westbrook finishes his day against the Giants at the Meadowlands with 38 yards on 20 carries, the Birds' season will be over.

The Eagles' running game seemed to stun the Giants in that unexpected 20-14 Birds' victory back on Dec. 7. The Giants were supposed to be the team with the dominant ground attack, but rushing first downs that day were 11-3, Eagles. Westbrook ran for 131 yards on 33 carries, after being held to 26 on 13 in the Giants' victory at Linc on Nov. 9.