NFL PLAYOFFS : Bills Provide Cue, Eagles Do the Rest : NFC: Kotite tells players that 10-point deficit is no big deal, and they respond with 36-20 victory.

His team down by 10 points, his offense a virtual first half no-show, his celebrated defense confused, Philadelphia Eagle Coach Rich Kotite searched for the perfect way to end his halftime speech.

And then he remembered Buffalo--as in the Bills. As in the team that had overcome a 32-point third-quarter deficit earlier in the day to win its AFC wild-card game against the Houston Oilers.

As the Eagles made their way to the locker room door for the start of the third quarter, Kotite reminded them of the Bills’ remarkable Sunday comeback. If Buffalo could do it, he said, then so could Philadelphia, which did just that in beating the New Orleans Saints, 36-20, in its first-round NFC playoff game.

“We’re down 10,” Kotite said. “What’s the big deal?”

Good listeners, these Eagles. By game’s end they had their first playoff success since 1981. At last they had a small measure of vindication for past postseason mistakes, and more important, a date with the Cowboys next week at Dallas.

The Saints weren’t as fortunate. They never are. Four times they have advanced to the playoffs, and four times they have left befuddled losers. They remain the only team in NFL history without a postseason victory.

In 1987, they blamed the players’ strike for their loss to the Minnesota Vikings. In 1990, they reminded anyone who would listen that quarterback Bobby Hebert, embroiled in a nasty contract stalemate, was unavailable for a loss to the Chicago Bears. In 1991, they sadly pointed out the absence of three starting defensive backs in their defeat to the Atlanta Falcons.

This time there could be no excuses. New Orleans led at halftime, 17-7, and appeared to have the game well under control. Running back Dalton Hilliard was out because of a hand injury, but no one seemed to notice. The Saints’ vaunted defense, which featured four Pro Bowl selectees, was making the afternoon a long one for Eagle quarterback Randall Cunningham. And Hebert, given the freedom to throw downfield, had picked apart the Philadelphia secondary.

But then came Kotite’s little halftime history lesson, and later came a 29-0 scoring spree that left the Saints wondering how they had ever led this game in the first place.

“You look at our season and you say, ‘Great job,’ ” said Saint linebacker Sam Mills, whose team finished 12-5. “You look at our postseason and you say, ‘Disgusting second half.’ I felt like this was the best team of our four playoff teams. To let it get away like this, that’s just unbelievable.”

New Orleans extended its lead to 20-7 shortly into the third quarter. All things considered, it should have been enough of a margin for the Saints’ defense to protect.

Instead, Cunningham began finding openings. Running back Heath Sherman began gaining yards. The Eagles, improving to 12-5, began scoring points.

A 40-yard field goal here. A 35-yard touchdown pass to Fred Barnett there. The scoring barrage was on.

Sherman sprinted six yards for another Philadelphia touchdown. Hebert was sacked for a safety. Roger Ruzek kicked another field goal, this one from 39 yards. Cornerback Eric Allen returned an errant Hebert throw 18 yards for another score.

By the time it was over, Philadelphia had scored 29 consecutive points in less than 15 minutes.

Sherman, who was supposed to spend most of the day as Herschel Walker’s backup, ended up with 105 yards and one touchdown in 21 carries.

“To be honest with you,” Kotite said, “it wasn’t in the plan for him to carry the ball as much as he did. But he had a hot hand and we went to him.”

Cunningham, who suffered through a miserable first half, finished with 19 completions, 219 yards and two touchdown passes, both to Barnett. Barnett had only four catches, but they accounted for 102 yards.

“I’m happy for Randall,” said Eagle linebacker Seth Joyner, whose fourth-quarter interception of an Hebert pass eventually led to a Philadelphia score. “I get sick of hearing our quarterback can’t win the big ones. I’m tired of hearing that the Philadelphia Eagles can’t win the big ones. Maybe they’ll can that nonsense now.”

As for the Saints, the criticism and second-guessing will continue long into the offseason. To come so close, blow a lead and then get blown away is more than some New Orleans followers can take.

“Who cares about those people?” said Hebert, who finished 23 of 39 for 291 yards, one touchdown and those three costly interceptions. “I don’t give a crap. If anybody comes up to me on the street and says something, I might punch them.”

Saint Coach Jim Mora didn’t bother pointing any fingers at Hebert, other than to say that there were “a couple of throws (Hebert would) like to have back.”

Mora, whose offense is often as predictable as the daily tidal charts, unveiled a game plan that bore little resemblance to previous Saint attacks. First play from scrimmage? A bomb. Third play? A 25-yard completion to running back Craig Heyward. Fifth play? Another pass, this one covering 10 yards. Seventh play? A 19-yarder to Eric Martin. Next play? A throw to Martin in the end zone, which resulted in a pass interference call on Eagle cornerback Mark McMillian.

It was a tossup as to who was more stunned at the first series, the Eagles or the Superdome crowd and national television audience. Moments later, Heyward, all 260 pounds of him (or so it said in the game program), scored from the one-yard line with 9:20 to play in the first quarter.

Philadelphia tied the score, 7-7, when Cunningham found Barnett streaking unattended down the sideline as Saint cornerback Toi Cook desperately tried to catch up. Too late. Barnett didn’t even have to break stride as he caught the ball for a 57-yard touchdown pass play.

“I was just undisciplined on that play,” Cook said. “He surprised me on that one.”

For the remaining 18 minutes of the half, New Orleans dominated every phase of the game.

But then came the second half.

“We looked into their eyes and we could see a little doubt,” said Joyner of the Saint offense.

By game’s end, you could see more than that. You could see another New Orleans collapse and, for a change, a Philadelphia comeback worth remembering for what, a week to come.