What happened?
Behind a solid showing from the defense, the Eagles beat the San Francisco 49ers for their fifth straight win and clinched a playoff spot.
The Good:
DeSean Jackson caught six passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. The 140 yards put him over 1,000 for the season, making him the third Eagles receiver under Andy Reid to reach the 1,000 yard mark.
The rushing duo of LeSean McCoy and Leonard Weaver were good, rushing for a combined 100 yards on 26 carries. McCoy also had a touchdown run in the fourth quarter to put the game on ice.
Brent Celek had a solid game, catching four passes for 73 yards.
In the first half, the defense was excellent, forcing four turnovers and getting constant pressure on Alex Smith.
Trent Cole had a great individual game, recording two sacks.
The Bad:
Donovan McNabb passed for 306 yards, but he didn't have his best game, finishing with two interceptions compared to just one touchdown. He also had a rushing touchdown in the first half.
Frank Gore had 16 carries for 107 yards, breaking the Eagles streak of keeping running backs under 100 yards.
The Ugly:
Did you see the third quarter? The Eagles came out looking horrible, allowing ten points within four minutes. Yes, the Eagles won, but for a few minutes, the game was much, much closer.
The Breakdown:
After a blizzard went and dumped almost two feet of snow on the Philadelphia area on Saturday into Sunday morning, the Eagles came out and looked hot enough to melt most of the snow and ice that was piled on the sidelines. Philadelphia needed just five plays to get on the board, and after the 49ers answered with a field goal on their first drive, the defense took over. On four of the next seven San Francisco possessions, the Eagles forced turnovers, and the offense then took advantage, scoring 13 points off of the turnovers.
The first half was all Eagles, but the second half started out a little choppy. The 49ers kicked a field goal on their first drive of the third quarter, and after Donovan McNabb threw an interception on the first Philadelphia play, San Francisco drove 35 yards on six plays. A 12 yard touchdown pass from Alex Smith to Josh Morgan cut the lead to 20-13. Fortunately, the Eagles were able to buckle down after the two 49er scoring drives, thanks to a 59 yard pass from McNabb to DeSean Jackson. After LeSean McCoy finished the drive with a two yard touchdown run, the scoring was finished and the Eagles were headed to the playoffs once again.
Though the Eagles did manage to win by 14 points, it wasn't the prettiest win in the world, and it feels like I've said that about a lot of games this year for the Eagles. Donovan McNabb certainly didn't have his best game today, throwing two sloppy interceptions and missing on several throws that he should have hit. Even with his missteps, the Eagles did manage to have two long scoring drives that would end up being the difference in the game. LeSean McCoy and Leonard Weaver helped pick up the running game today, combining for 100 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. Though it's nice to have a running back duo that can get to 100 yards, it would be even nicer to have a healthy Brian Westbrook in the backfield.
The biggest difference today was the play of the defense, especially in the first half. The 49ers had a couple of chances to take the lead in the first half, in particular when Andy Reid made the choice to go for a fourth down on the Philadelphia 29 yard line. With the 49ers at the Philadelphia 16 yard line, Sheldon Brown forced a fumble, and Asante Samuel recovered. Five minutes later, Donovan McNabb scored on an eight yard run. Two interceptions of Alex Smith followed at the end of the second quarter, and the Eagles turned them into two David Akers field goals.
I'm not going to get into the third quarter again, because I already went over how the Eagles pretty much sleepwalked through most of it and let the 49ers back into the game. It's just nice to have a team that can respond to a challenge like they did late in the third quarter. There have been several times this year when the Eagles have had to either come back or put down a come back chance from their opponent, and they've done very well so far this year. Now, they've clinched a playoff spot and are in the driver's seat for the NFC East championship. All that it would take at this point is a win, followed by a Dallas loss, and the Eagles are going to be at least the number three seed in the playoffs.
This is honestly one of the most improbable seasons that I can possibly remember, save for the Jeff Garcia led 2006 campaign. After the Eagles dropped back to back games to the Cowboys and Chargers, I didn't think they would be in this position five weeks later, not by a long shot. Now, they're in the playoffs and are one of the top three teams in the NFC. I'm not going to say that they can come out of the NFC this year, not yet anyway. However, if they can keep finding that little extra something that's pushing them this year, it could be a very fun last month and a half.
Next week, the Denver Broncos come into town. This is going to have the feel of a playoff game, what with Brian Dawkins coming back and all. It's going to be fun.
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