Cunningham Downplays Payback Factor : NFC: He says he respects Ryan’s defense after leading the Eagles to a 17-7 victory over Cardinals.

Randall Cunningham was embarrassed after Buddy Ryan lifted him from a playoff game five years ago in Philadelphia.

On Sunday, it was payback time for Cunningham, who threw two touchdown passes to Fred Barnett in the third quarter as the Philadelphia Eagles defeated Ryan’s Arizona Cardinals, 17-7.

Cunningham, who will face the Cardinals again in two weeks, insisted he got no special kick out of beating Ryan.

“I respect Buddy’s defense,” he said. “It’s a challenge for a quarterback to be over 50% passing against it.”

The challenge was met by Cunningham, who completed 15 of 24 passes for 201 yards. He also ran eight times for 63 yards.

Former Eagle Andre Waters, now the strong safety for the Cardinals, said Cunningham was the difference in the game and the difference between Philadelphia last year, when the Eagles were 8-8, and this season, when they’re 7-2.

“He comes out to the park and makes plays,” Waters said. “I was a little surprised he ran the ball as much as he did. It kills a defense. When you stop them for two downs and he makes a big play, it’s really a defensive back’s nightmare. It’s a defense’s nightmare.”

The Eagle defense produced two turnovers and five sacks to spoil Ryan’s return to Philadelphia, where he was fired after lifting Cunningham for a series in the Eagles’ 20-6 loss to the Washington Redskins on Jan. 5, 1991.

After the game, Ryan had only good things to say about Cunningham. “Randall made the plays he had to make to beat us,” he said.

Barnett, whose touchdown catches covered 47 and 50 yards, caught a career-high 11 passes for 173 yards. Like Cunningham, he, too, was lost for the year in the fourth game last season. Cunningham suffered a broken leg, Barnett a knee injury.

Philadelphia almost recorded its first shutout in two years, but Arizona (3-6) scored on a five-yard touchdown pass from Steve Beuerlein to Ricky Proehl with 1:51 left in the game.

The game turned in the third quarter after a 36-yard field goal by Eddie Murray with five seconds left in the first half put the Eagles on top, 3-0.

Burt Grossman sacked Beuerlein at midfield, forcing a fumble that Mark McMillian recovered at the Arizona 47. On the next play, Cunningham threw a perfect pass down the left sideline to Barnett, who caught the ball in stride at the eight and breezed into the end zone to put Philadelphia up, 10-0.

On the Eagles’ next series, Cunningham threw a Hail Mary-type pass into triple coverage. The ball glanced off defender Terry Hoage’s hands to Barnett, who ran the final 14 yards to complete the 50-yard scoring pass play.