Eagles, Raiders play for home field

NEW YORK, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- The Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders can clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs by winning on Saturday.

The two teams also could be on a collision course to Super Bowl XXXVII in San Diego, but they must beat division rivals who are fighting for wild card spots in their final regular season games to assure themselves of not hitting the road in the postseason.

The Eagles (12-3) visit the New York Giants (9-6) in Saturday's first contest, and the Raiders host the Kansas City Chiefs (8-7), one of six 8-7 teams in the AFC, in the second game.

Despite losing star quarterback Donovan McNabb to a broken ankle last month, the Eagles have already secured a first-round bye to go along with a second straight NFC East title under Coach Andy Reid.

The Giants are seeking their third postseason appearance in six years under Coach Jim Fassel, who has an 18-5 record in December, including three straight wins, but still has to worry about job security.

He'll need another win on Saturday or a loss by the New Orleans Saints, who host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, to make the playoffs. If the Giants lose, they will need a favor from former defensive coordinator John Fox, who left to become the Panthers' head coach.

New York wants to take care of its own business.

"It's our own destiny," said Pro Bowl tight end Jeremy Shockey. "We don't wait for someone else to lose. We've got to beat the Eagles, and then we'll be on our way to something special."

It was Shockey who created some controversy before the first meeting between the division rivals on Oct. 28, saying that Philadelphia's secondary was "overrated." Three members of that secondary -- safety Brian Dawkins and cornerbacks Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor -- were named to the Pro Bowl, and the Giants managed just a field goal in a 17-3 loss.

Meanwhile, the Eagles rolled up an astounding 295 yards on the ground in that contest. Duce Staley rushed for 126 and McNabb added 111, including a 40-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Since losing at Philadelphia, the Giants have gone 6-2, but no team is hotter than the Eagles, who have won six straight, including five with quarterbacks Koy Detmer and A.J. Feeley, and nine of 10 overall.

With Detmer still recovering from a dislocated left elbow suffered in a Nov. 25 win at San Francisco, Feeley will make his fifth start on Saturday.

"I'm excited to play this week as I am every week," said Feeley, who has completed 70-of-126 passes for 844 yards, with five touchdowns and four interceptions in his four starts. "Everyone knows the ramifications of this week's game, and we just have to go out and execute like we have been in recent weeks."

The Eagles have averaged 27 points in the five wins without McNabb.

The Raiders, AFC West champions for the third straight year, can make staying on the West Coast for the postseason a reality with a win on Saturday. The Chiefs need to win Saturday and have both Denver and New England lose or a combination of losses by Denver and the New York Jets and a win by Indianapolis on Sunday.

There is also a scenario in which Kansas City can make the playoffs if Denver and Indianapolis lose, and the Jets and Cleveland win. The bad news is all the possibilities must contain a loss by Denver, which is a heavy favorite Sunday against Arizona.

Chiefs Pro Bowl running back Priest Holmes will not play Saturday after missing last week's 24-22 win over San Diego with a right hip injury. In the Chiefs' 20-10 win over the Raiders at Kansas City on Oct. 27, Holmes accounted for 184 yards and a touchdown.

Quarterback Rich Gannon, a former Chief, is having an MVP-type season for the Raiders with an NFL record for completions (411) and a league-high 4,610 yards.