PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The Philadelphia Eagles are defying football clich

es by thinking two games at a time rather than one.

“I think no one really says it but everyone knows. We’ve been here before,” offensive tackle Tra Thomas said as the Eagles, who have lost the last two NFC championship games, prepared to play Green Bay on Sunday in a second-round playoff game.

“It’s not a big celebration for us to make it to the playoffs and be division champions so we’re just going to keep pushing and we have a major goal in mind,” Thomas added. “I don’t think anyone is going to settle until we reach it.”

The goal, of course, is the Super Bowl, two games away. In the past two seasons, the Eagles got by their first game, but lost the second one at St. Louis, then last season at home to Tampa Bay.

Green Bay comes first this season.

Neither the Eagles nor Packers had an easy journey to this game, their first postseason meeting since Philadelphia beat Vince Lombardi’s team 17-13 for the 1960 NFL title.

Philadelphia started 0-2 and was 2-3 as Donovan McNabb, bothered by a thumb injury, got off to a horrible start that was compounded by the flurry over Rush Limbaugh’s public criticism. Then the Eagles ran off nine straight wins and gained a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a 12-4 record.

The Packers were 4-5 after losing 17-14 at home to the Eagles on Nov. 10, a Monday night contest in which the winning score came on a 6-yard TD pass from McNabb to Todd Pinkston with 27 seconds left.

Then they won six of seven, including their last four games, but still needed a last-minute miracle touchdown by Arizona to knock Minnesota out of the playoffs and put them in. Then they beat Seattle in overtime last week on an interception return by former Eagle Al Harris.

One theory is that the Packers (11-6) have something more than luck and skill working for them because of the death of Brett Favre’s father, Irvin, three weeks ago. Are they “a team of destiny” because of it, or simply a team that started playing it’s best at the most important time?

Try the latter.

Favre, playing with a splint on his thumb, fumbled three times in the rain during the first Eagles game and Ahman Green fumbled twice. Neither has dropped the ball since Green in 219 touches as he finished with 1,883 yards rushing, second in the league to Baltimore’s Jamal Lewis.

But fumbles remain on the collective mind of the Packers.

“I have to be more conscious of taking care of the ball, especially when you have a broken thumb and splint on your hand,” Favre says.

The Eagles’ advantage would seem to be home field. Teams with byes are 43-9 in the second round since 1990, the first season there were six playoff teams from each conference. But three of Philly’s four losses this season came at their new home at Lincoln Financial Field, which doesn’t seem to terrify visitors the way crumbling Veterans Stadium did.

Nor will the prospect of cold weather at the 4:45 p.m. kickoff scare Green Bay, the ultimate cold-weather team.

“I like playing in places like that,” says center Mike Flanagan of the Packers, who were 5-3 at home and 5-3 on the road this season. “If you can take the fans out of the game, it’s a little bit of satisfaction, but ultimately, it’s played between the hashes. It’s those guys in those jerseys and those pads across from us, those are the ones we’ve got to worry about.”

Both teams enter this game relatively healthy. Favre’s thumb has improved and the Eagles may have their secondary intact for one of the few times this season if cornerback Troy Vincent’s hip problems allow him to play.

But Philadelphia will be without two important players: linebacker Carlos Emmons and Brian Westbrook, their all-purpose running back.

The Eagles insist there will be no falloff.

“This year has been a lot more exciting than the last couple of years because it’s been challenging,” McNabb says. “It doesn’t stop right now. We have to improve and try to take this thing further.”

Two games further, not one.

AP-ES-01-10-04 1253EST