EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Eli Manning dropped back, saw Steve Smith shake loose from the Philadelphia defense and threw. The ball wobbled, got caught in the wind and fell to the turf.

Gone was the chance for a completion deep downfield on Manning's first pass of the afternoon. Gone, too, it seemed, was the touch that made him the Super Bowl MVP in his last postseason game.

While Manning and the New York Giants struggled, Donovan McNabb and the Eagles kept making all the key plays. Philadelphia eliminated the defending champs 23-11 Sunday and reached the NFC title game for the fifth time in eight seasons.

"The players executed like crazy," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "They never wavered one bit. That's tough to find in this league."

These NFL playoffs are clearly for the Birds — the underdog Eagles, Cardinals and Ravens all won on the road this weekend.

McNabb lunged for one touchdown, threw for another and converted several tough third downs to move the sixth-seeded Eagles (11-6-1) into next Sunday's title game at Arizona (11-7). Philadelphia beat the Cardinals 48-20 on Thanksgiving night.

A year after road success fueled the Giants' route, the Eagles are taking the same path. They opened the postseason by winning at Minnesota and, after their sixth victory in seven tries, look nothing like a team that needed several breaks on the final day simply to make the playoffs.

"It's been a very delightful, intriguing, and pleasant journey right now," defensive back Brian Dawkins said.

David Akers added three field goals — extending his NFL record to 18 straight in the postseason — to fend off the top-seeded Giants (12-5).

"I am very, very disappointed," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "I am sorry to see the season come to an end. There is remorse for opportunities lost."

Five times New York got inside the Eagles 20. The result? A mere three field goals.

The swirling winds played havoc with any ball in the air, and also helped skew the score: This was the first game in NFL history to finish 23-11, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Manning never resembled the poised quarterback who sealed last year's Super Bowl upset of New England with that one perfect spiral to Plaxico Burress.

"When we needed to get something done, get a spark to make a big play, that's when we didn't do our best," Manning said.

Benched by Reid in late November for half a game, McNabb never has acknowledged that the slight hurt him. He has, however, seemed to play with a huge chip on his shoulder — to the Eagles' benefit.

"He is the best quarterback in the NFL," Reid said. "I don't think I have to say anything more than that."

McNabb converted a third-and-20, setting set up Akers' 34-yard kick for a 13-11 lead in the third quarter. On the first play of the fourth quarter, he made a perfect play-action fake for a 1-yard TD toss to Brent Celek.