It was October.

It was Eagles-Giants.

It was Monday Night Football.

It was a little more than a year ago, and with one play, the Eagles cleared the hurdle represented by the New York Giants en route to their best season in more than two decades. The 18-yard touchdown pass from Donovan McNabb to James Thrash was not some magical play that transformed the Eagles. As a matter of fact, it wasn't a play at all.

"James ran a post route," fellow wide receiver Todd Pinkston said. "I was on the opposite side. He ran his route, and Donovan got flushed out of the pocket and started to his right. So, James used his instincts. He came back toward the ball, toward the corner.

"Donovan gave him a chance over on the side."

Thrash caught it, diving for the low throw just a stride in front of Giants cornerback Will Peterson. The Eagles' only touchdown of the game made the score 10-9, giving them their first victory over the Giants in 10 tries.

"It was a big play because it gave us a win," Thrash said. "I don't know if I would say it was a pivotal play for our season, but it was an important game for us to win."

Indeed, the Eagles lost the next week to the Oakland Raiders. But that one touchdown made a huge difference, and not just in that game. It was as if a weight - yes, a giant weight - had been lifted from the Eagles' shoulders, just like that.

"I'm not saying our guys didn't believe they could score against that team," Eagles safety Brian Dawkins said. "But it had been a long time since they were able to drive on that team and score a touchdown like that. And to get it in a situation like that, that was huge for us."

It was not really that much of a drive. Thanks to a shanked punt by the Giants' Rodney Williams, the Eagles got the ball on the New York 40-yard line. McNabb made a couple of plays to get it to the 18 with two minutes remaining in the game. On second down from there, he rolled right with running back Correll Buckhalter in front of him. It would have been easy for McNabb to take the sure thing and dump the ball off to Buckhalter.

But he waited. He found Thrash. And the Eagles found deliverance from their domination at the hands of the Giants.

"It was an ugly win to the outside world," Dawkins said. "But it was tremendous for us to be able to come from behind and win. It was great for our confidence."

The Giants had beaten them nine straight times. The streak started in 1997, just as the Ray Rhodes era was turning bad. It continued through 1998, but then, nearly everyone beat the Eagles that year. They were 3-13. The Giants swept the Eagles again in 1999, Andy Reid's first season as coach. Again, no big deal, because the Eagles were just getting turned around.

The streak became a Streak in 2000. The Eagles thought they might be a pretty good team when they whipped Dallas, 41-14, to open the season. The next week, the Giants handed it to them, 33-18, at Veterans Stadium. Later in the year, with the Eagles at 5-3 and starting to play well together, the Giants beat them, 24-7, at the Meadowlands.

The Eagles went back to Giants Stadium in January, a week after a big playoff win over Tampa Bay. They believed things would be different right up until Ron Dixon returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown.

As much as it galled the Eagles to admit it, the Giants were firmly entrenched in their heads. They were the team the Eagles could not beat. For most of that Monday night game last year, things seemed to be the same. The Eagles managed two first downs and held the ball for less than six minutes in the first half. Through 58 minutes, they had scored exactly one field goal.

Then McNabb found Thrash, and this rivalry went through an instant paradigm shift.

"It seems as if they're just hanging around," Giants defensive end Michael Strahan said. "They don't seem to be doing anything, and then they suddenly make a big play."

The Eagles beat the Giants again in December to clinch the NFC East title. The rivalry is renewed tonight, in prime time. Once again, the Eagles' defense will try to contain Tiki Barber. ABC's cameras will isolate on the battle between Strahan and Eagles tackle Jon Runyan. New York quarterback Kerry Collins will play his best, and McNabb will try to extend this new streak of big plays against the Giants.

"This game is huge," Dawkins said. "Every game is big, but this is special. It's at the house [the Vet]. It's a great rivalry. The Giants had our number for four or five years. The Giants can play any other team, and they don't look like the Giants who play us. They look like a completely different team when they play us.

"They know us. We know them. This game is huge for us."