Minneapolis ? Above the Metrodome’s deafening noise, Donovan McNabb stayed poised.

Completing passes precisely when the Eagles needed him to, McNabb repeatedly sidestepped the Minnesota rush and sent Philadelphia to a 26-14 playoff win Sunday after being all but forgotten as a postseason contender just one month earlier.

Next up: the Super Bowl champion New York Giants.

Brian Westbrook caught a short pass out of the backfield and zigzagged for a devastating 71-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, and the Eagles spoiled the Vikings’ first home playoff game in eight years.

“I’ve seen this team have confidence in each other and try to have one another’s back,” McNabb said. “What you’re seeing is a team playing with a lot of energy, playing with emotion, and just having fun.”

Asante Samuel’s 44-yard interception return of Tarvaris Jackson’s errant pass in the second quarter set a tone for the kind of game most Vikings fans feared from the unpolished quarterback.

Coach Andy Reid improved his playoff record to 9-6, including at least one win each time the Eagles have qualified in his 10 years. He bested his buddy and former offensive coordinator Brad Childress in this one, and they spoke for several moments on the field after the game while maybe a thousand Eagles fans cheered around the tunnel entrance and began a derogatory chant toward the Giants.

“I think we’re dangerous,” Samuel said. “We’ve just got to see how it plays out.”

Philadelphia will play next Sunday in New Jersey against the top-seeded defending champs, where they won 20-14 on Dec. 7, putting Arizona in the other NFC semifinal Saturday at Carolina and sending the Vikings home.

Jackson, who lost his job in September but got it back when Gus Frerotte was hurt, went 15-for-35 for 164 yards. Adrian Peterson’s two touchdown runs weren’t nearly enough for NFC North champion Minnesota, which will head to yet another offseason with burning questions about the quarterbacks.

Westbrook couldn’t find any room to run, finishing with 38 yards on 20 carries even with two starters (Ray Edwards and Pat Williams) missing on Minnesota’s defensive line. But McNabb, who went 23-for-34 for 300 yards, kept the offense from derailing.

McNabb wasn’t perfect. He threw an interception, lost a fumble in the third quarter and took an eight-yard sack to push the Eagles out of field-goal range. But the Vikings didn’t capitalize on the turnovers and left plenty of receivers open in the middle of the field.