THE NFL PLAYOFFS : On Further Review, It’s Washington : NFC: Instant replay reversal takes away apparent touchdown for Philadelphia. The Redskins stymie Cunningham and the Eagles’ offense in 20-6 victory.

Talk about reversals of fortune.

Philadelphia Eagle quarterback Randall Cunningham came into the NFC wild-card game Saturday heralded as one of the most dangerous quarterbacks who ever played, then was pulled for a series in the middle of the third quarter in favor of backup Jim McMahon.

Washington Redskin quarterback Mark Rypien entered the game expected by the Eagles to crumble under their pass rush, then emerged intact and the possessor of his first playoff victory.

Eagle Coach Buddy Ryan entered the game as a proven winner, then ended it on the losing end of a 20-6 score amid speculation that owner Norman Braman will not keep him around after three consecutive first-round playoff losses.

And in probably the most dramatic use of instant replay in its five years of NFL existence, the big, bad, trash-talking Eagle defense went into the final moments of the first half believing it had turned the game around on cornerback Ben Smith’s 88-yard touchdown return of a fumble recovery, then stood by in disbelief as replay official George Sladky reversed the call and wiped away the apparent score.

Call it a quadruple-reverse, with this kind of reverse psychology: The Redskins entered the game determined to shut the Eagles up and shoot down critics of their play in the last two games of the regular season.

And the Redskins, who will play either the San Francisco 49ers or the New York Giants next weekend, succeeded in doing both.

They also might have irreparably damaged the relationship between Cunningham and Ryan--if that matters anymore, since Braman would not give Ryan a vote of confidence after the game. Ryan’s contract expired as soon as the Eagles lost Saturday.

“It was kind of insulting when I got to think about it,” Cunningham said of being benched so early in a close game, with Washington leading, 13-6. “But that’s part of football. It was kind of strange to be pulled. I’ve been playing hard all year, then to get pulled was really strange.”

Ryan said he decided to insert McMahon to try to make something happen, because the Redskin defense had dominated the Eagle offense. At the time, Cunningham had completed six of 13 passes.

Cunningham, who was sacked five times by a relentless rush, seemed puzzled that Ryan never told him he was coming out. Cunningham said offensive coordinator Rich Kotite gave him the news.

“It was very unbelievable to me because I thought this would never happen in a playoff game,” Cunningham said. “Some guys on the sideline were saying, ‘Well, if Randall can’t do it because of the pass rush, well, Jim’s not as mobile. . . .’ But I have to be a man about it.”

McMahon threw three wobbly incompletions, then went back to the sideline for good. After McMahon’s series, the Redskins scored on a touchdown pass from Rypien to Gary Clark to put the game out of reach.

With Cunningham stymied--he was rarely allowed to bolt outside for big runs--and with the Eagles’ best runner, Heath Sherman, benched after fumbling twice, the Eagle offense was dismal. The Eagles have scored one touchdown in their three consecutive playoff losses.

“I thought that putting in a different pitcher would get things going, shake things up a bit,” Ryan said, explaining his move. “Things weren’t going worth a damn, so why not try something. You’ve got to try to win. You can’t make changes next week; that was our chance right there.”

The Eagles’ biggest chance, however, seemed to come with the Redskins driving in the final minutes of the half. On first down from the Eagles’ 17-yard line, tailback Earnest Byner caught a short pass, was hit by Smith, then appeared to lose the ball as he hit the ground.

There was no whistle ruling the play dead, so Smith scooped up the ball and weaved downfield for a touchdown that would have given the Eagles a 13-7 lead. Two minutes later, Sladky reversed the call, and the Redskins had the ball on the six. After Chip Lohmiller’s 20-yard field goal, Washington led, 10-6, instead of trailing by six.

Sladky said one replay “clearly showed that he was contacted and came down with control and the ground caused the fumble.” The ground cannot cause a fumble, so Sladky ruled Byner down where he fell.

Byner, the target of a jibe from Ryan during the week about his perceived proclivity for fumbling in the playoffs, said he knew all along that the ground caused the drop.

“I was down,” said Byner, who gained 49 yards rushing and 77 yards receiving. “You never know what they’re going to call, but I was down.”

Said Redskin defensive end Charles Mann: “I don’t know what took so long to call it. It clearly was caused by the ground. That was simple to see.”

Said Eagle cornerback Eric Allen: “It’s very disappointing that the play was overruled. I said to the ref, ‘You could clearly see that the guy’s knee didn’t touch the round, just his head.”’

Meanwhile, the Redskin offense kept moving the ball, eating up time, letting the defense take over the game. Overall, the Eagles converted only one of 12 third-down tries and neither of their attempts on fourth down. Cunningham completed only one pass to his wide receivers, for nine yards.

Rypien wasn’t spectacular, but he wasn’t the intimidated quarterback the Eagles hoped to see. He was calm in the pocket and threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Art Monk and the three-yarder to Clark.

It didn’t hurt at all that the usually-fierce Eagle pass rush was handled adroitly by the Redskin offensive line.

Rypien, who was not sacked and rarely even touched, threw one interception, but that was on a bomb and didn’t really hurt the Redskins.

“We felt as a football team there were some things said (by the Eagles) that instigated our football team,” said Rypien, who completed 15 of 31 passes for 206 yards.

Besides the Byner barb, the Redskins were also still bothered by the on-field talk by the Eagles during their 28-14 defeat of the Redskins Nov. 12. In that game, the Eagles knocked out two Washington quarterbacks and the Redskins claimed at least one Eagle suggested they bring out “more body bags.”

“That’s their philosophy, their way of doing things,” Mann said of the Eagles. “They can do what they want. But we don’t do it that way.”

NFC Notes

While Buddy Ryan said he has little doubt he will be asked to return to coach the Eagles in the 1991 season and beyond, owner Norman Braman wasn’t so clear. “The season is over, and it’s time to evaluate things,” Braman said. “I’ll be addressing it.” . . . Said Ryan: “I built this team. Why do you think I’d want to let someone come in here and take all the bows? You know, the only place Norman and I don’t get along is in the newspapers.”