PHILADELPHIA - Freddie Mitchell backed up his big mouth with a big game.

Mitchell did his best Terrell Owens impersonation with two touchdowns and a clever celebration, helping the Philadelphia Eagles advance to their fourth straight NFC championship game with a 27-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

And, just like Owens, the All-Pro wide receiver sidelined by an ankle injury, the loquacious Mitchell enjoyed the spotlight.

"I'm a special player," Mitchell said, wearing a cowboy hat and bow tie. "I'm just going to take advantage of every opportunity because I don't get much. I want to thank my hands for being so great."

Though it was the Eagles' first meaningful game in nearly a month, they showed no rust. Donovan McNabb led the offense into the end zone on three of the first four possessions and the defense shut down Daunte Culpepper, Randy Moss and the rest of the NFC's second-highest scoring offense.

Only Michael Vick and the Falcons stand in the way of the Eagles' first trip to the Super Bowl in 24 years. Philadelphia, which has lost three consecutive NFC title games, the last two at home, hosts Atlanta next Sunday - the first time a team has hosted three straight conference championships.

"We need to seal the deal next week, no questions asked," said linebacker Ike Reese, who had one of the team's two interceptions. "I talked to the players and said, `Sacrifice for a week. Sacrifice for the good of the team, whatever it is. Do extra.'"

The Eagles (14-3) did enough against the Vikings, coming up with big plays on offense and defense, silencing critics who thought coach Andy Reid shouldn't have rested most of his starters for almost two full games.

McNabb finished 21-for-33 for 286 yards and two TDs, and Mitchell had five catches for 65 yards and one TD and recovered a fumble in the end zone for another score.

"I guess the time we had off, we weren't too rusty," McNabb said.

The Eagles got plenty of help from the Vikings (9-9), who showed exactly why they lost seven of their last 10 regular-season games to back into the playoffs. Minnesota's high-powered offense couldn't handle defensive end Jevon Kearse and linebacker Jeremiah Trotter.

The inept Vikings botched a fake field goal, the defense committed four costly penalties and Culpepper turned it over twice.

"Mistakes, penalties at the wrong time, taking some points off the board, stopping a drive, having a nice play called back," said Vikings coach Mike Tice, rattling off Minnesota's miscues. "We made some mistakes when we had a little bit of rhythm going. We didn't finish anything."

Kearse pressured and harassed Culpepper throughout the game, and Lito Sheppard, Sheldon Brown and Rod Hood held Moss to just three catches for 51 yards.

When the Vikings drove, they found ways to stay out off the scoreboard. An offensive lineman remained on the field instead of Moss for a fake field goal, leaving no receivers to catch holder Gus Frerotte's pass in the second quarter.

Culpepper, who had 39 TD passes and only 11 interceptions during the season, threw picks to Reese and Trotter in Eagles territory in the third.

With Owens watching from a luxury box, Mitchell got the Eagles started, catching a 2-yard TD pass then mocking Moss' simulated mooning by pretending to pull his pants up.

Mitchell got lucky on his second TD, catching a fumble by tight end L.J. Smith in the end zone.

"I want to say `Hi' to all my new friends out there, those people who doubted me and the receivers," said Mitchell, a former first-round pick known more for his nicknames - "Hollywood," "First-down Freddie," "The People's Champ," and "FredEx" - than clutch catches.

Under Reid, the Eagles never have lost after a bye, and the regulars basically had three weeks of non-action. It didn't hurt, and Philly led 14-0 just 44 seconds into the second quarter.

Mitchell caught his TD pass from McNabb midway in the opening period, then did his reverse moon. Greg Lewis' graceful catch of a 52-yard throw set up Brian Westbrook's 7-yard TD reception, the versatile running back's first postseason score; he was injured for last year's playoffs.

Moss, who was fined $10,000 by the NFL for his fake mooning of the Green Bay crowd last weekend, didn't catch his first pass until 20 minutes in. Culpepper was sacked three times and befuddled nearly the entire game.

"You try to play mistake-free football," Culpepper said. "But when you do make mistakes, you got to do something to compensate for it."

The Vikings gained more on one second-quarter play, a 40-yard pass to Marcus Robinson, than they managed in total before that. It sparked a drive that culminated in Culpepper's 7-yard scramble to make it 14-7.

But Minnesota immediately messed up again. J.R. Reed returned the kickoff to the Vikings 46, then Minnesota was hit for two pass interference calls. From the 14, McNabb found Smith over the middle, and Smith fumbled at the 4. The ball shot directly to Mitchell, who caught it in the end zone for his second score.

"That just goes to show you things are going our way," McNabb said.

Only Mitchell's fourth-and-26 reception in the playoffs against Green Bay last January was more meaningful. That catch pretty much got the Eagles to the NFC title game, where they lost to Carolina.

Minnesota got a 32-yard TD reception by Robinson with 1:59 remaining. By then, the Eagles were already thinking about Vick and the Falcons.

"It's going to be a challenge, but we're ready for it," Kearse said.