The Eagles are (finally) doing well. It only took the postseason to get them off of their collective ass. But the Giants will win on Sunday because they’re motivated to defend last year’s Super Bowl title. And I just don’t think the Eagles are a force strong enough to stifle that motivation. Here’s why:

Brandon Jacobs

Jacobs is simply a fantastic running back. He will be playing on Sunday, despite an earlier knee injury. Jacobs says “I can go out and run full speed and I can make harder cuts. I feel real good; I feel real good about our situation and where we are right now.” He averaged almost 84 yards per game this season and I expect the same, if not more from him against the Eagles’ defense. Jacobs carried 22 times for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns last time they played each other. Philly cannot stop his running game.

Eli Manning

Gone is the inexperienced, nervous QB we first saw 5 years ago. Instead, Elis has gotten the Giants into the playoffs every year since he became the starting QB. Manning has a great record against the Eagles; he’s gone 5-1 in the regular season since 2005.

Defense

The Giants will stop the Eagles’ best scoring option; their running game. Brian Westbrook rushed for only 38 yards against the Vikings and against the Giants’ defense, Westbrook won’t be able to get it done. And then there’s Mathias Kiwanuka. He sacked McNabb 3 times during the September 30th game for a loss of 6 yards total in a game where the G-men set a team record of 12 sacks.

The Choke Factor

Lest we forget, the Eagles always choke during postseason. McNabb is way inconsistent. He had a good game against the Vikings; history dictates that he won’t deliver Sunday.