The Philadelphia Eagles make their first showing on this list, as Freddie Mitchell somehow was part of three of the top moments in Philadelphia sports since the year 2000. I'm not sure how that happened, but honestly, that's how things went down. His first appearance takes place during the 2004-05 NFC playoffs, when he turned a bad play into a great one and moved the Eagles one step closer to their first Super Bowl since the 1980 season.
Moment #23: Freddie Mitchell catches L.J. Smith's fumble in the end zone-January 16, 2005
The 2004 Philadelphia Eagles are arguably the best team that the Eagles had put together since the 1980 team. After losing three straight NFC Championships, Andy Reid made two big moves in the offseason, picking up Jevon Kearse and trading for Terrell Owens. It was Owens that made the biggest splash, scoring 14 touchdowns on the season and helping the Eagles win 13 games during the regular season. However, Owens was lost with a broken leg late in the season, and the Eagles rested their starters during the final two games, leaving a depleted wide receiving corps to shake off three weeks of rust in their Divisional Round playoff game.
The Minnesota Vikings finished the 2004 regular season with an 8-8 record, but most people saw them as a dangerous team. They had the NFL's fourth best offense, and Daunte Culpepper passed for 39 touchdowns, with Randy Moss and Nate Burleson catching most of them. The Vikings were coming off of a convincing win over the Green Bay Packers the week before, and some analysts were actually picking the Vikings to knock off the Eagles, based on the way they had played the week before and the fact that the Eagles were missing Terrell Owens.
The Eagles quickly set out to prove that rust wouldn't be a factor in this game. On their second drive of the game, Donovan McNabb hit Freddie Mitchell with a two yard touchdown pass to give Philadelphia the lead. On the next drive, Brian Westbrook scored on a seven yard McNabb pass, putting the Eagles up 14-0. The Vikings answered with a seven yard touchdown run by Daunte Culpepper on their next drive, but the Eagles got a great kick return by J.R. Reed, and two Minnesota penalties put the Eagles in scoring position again. It's here that the number 23 moment takes place.
Donovan McNabb had already completed a ten yard pass to tight end L.J. Smith on the previous play to put the Eagles at the Minnesota four yard line late in the second quarter. With a 14-7 lead, another score before the half could have been the straw that broke the Vikings' back, and McNabb tried to do just that. He hit Smith in the open field, but he was hit hard by Antoine Winfield, and the ball squirted into the air. It spun, end over end, towards the end zone, where the Vikings were waiting to fall on it for a touchback. Instead, it found the arms of Freddie Mitchell, who held onto it for a touchdown that gave the Eagles a 21-7 lead. It may have been a lucky play, and Mitchell may have been in the right place at the right time, but it was still amazing. The Vikings would add a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but the Eagles would tack on two field goals by David Akers to finish off the 27-16 victory.
Mitchell was his usual graceful self after the game, saying, "I'm a special player. I've just got to thank my hands for being so great. I've just been chillin' being patient, being humble. I knew my time was going to come." No matter what he said, he had a good game, catching five passes for 65 yards and scoring twice. His effort helped the Eagles get to their fourth NFC Championship and a moment that will be seen much, much later on this list. His fumble recovery, in the end zone, is still one of the most remarkable plays that I have ever seen. It was at that point that I knew the Eagles were going to at least make it to the Super Bowl that year, because every other season, the Vikings would have recovered that ball, scored on the ensuing drive, and taken over the game in the second half. In the 2004-2005 season, those bounces went the right way for the Eagles, and this is the textbook example.
I'm not going to get into detail about what happened after this game, because that's going to be later on on this list. This was Freddie Mitchell's last good game with the Eagles, as he was released following the season, and he never played in the NFL again. L.J. Smith stuck around with Philadelphia through the 2008 season. He signed with the Baltimore Ravens, and has played sparingly in backup of Todd Heap this year. As for Donovan McNabb, he's never been able to repeat the success of the 2004 season, but he's still the starting quarterback for the Eagles right now. Maybe he can get another moment like this as this season moves towards its end.
I can't actually find video of this moment happening. If anyone can, please let me know, and I'll post it.
Up next is moment number 22. It features a player who might be on his way back to Philly doing something that no one in the city had done since 1967.
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