The 2006 Philadelphia Eagles season was one of the more improbable of the decade. Not only did the team going from 4-1 to 5-6, but Donovan McNabb was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Then, backup Jeff Garcia came in and led the Eagles to five straight wins and another NFC East title. This moment comes from the first half of the season, when Terrell Owens made his return to Philadelphia as a member of the Dallas Cowboys.
Moment #9: Lito Sheppard's 102 yard interception return beats Dallas-October 8, 2006
To say that the time Terrell Owens was in Philadelphia was interesting would be an understatement. His first year was a picture of perfection, as Owens scored 14 touchdowns and went for 1,300 receiving yards. After the Eagles lost in Super Bowl XXXIX to the Patriots, things started to go downhill. Owens signed Drew Rosenhaus as his agent, and began demanding a new contract, despite the fact that he was just about to start the second year of a seven year deal that he had signed when he was traded to the Eagles. From there, things began to roll downhill quickly. He called out Donovan McNabb, was sent home from training camp, did sit-ups in his driveway, called the Eagles "classless" for not acknowledging his 100th touchdown catch, fought Hugh Douglas in the locker room and was then suspended for four games and deactivated for the rest of the season. The Eagles released Owens on March 14, 2006 and he wasted little time signing with a new team.
Four days later, Terrell Owens signed with the Dallas Cowboys. He started out the 2006 season with eight catches and a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but then injured his finger against the Washington Redskins and supposedly overdosed on medication not long after. He vowed to be ready for the game against the Philadelphia Eagles, and as Week 5 of the NFL season arrived, he was once again at Lincoln Financial Field, only this time, he was a member of the Dallas Cowboys. It was one of the most hyped early games in NFL history, and for the most part, the game was good.
The Eagles struck first, building a 10-0 lead thanks to two turnovers by Dallas quarterback Drew Bledsoe. The Cowboys came back with the next 14 points on a Marion Barber touchdown run and a fumble recovery for a touchdown by DeMarcus Ware. Donovan McNabb struck back with a 60 yard pass to L.J. Smith that put the ball on the Dallas one yard line, and then scored on a quarterback keeper to once again put the Eagles on top. The Cowboys answered back with a long touchdown drive that was capped off by a seven yard run from Drew Bledsoe, of all people, and they took a 21-17 halftime lead.
The Eagles would take the lead back midway through the third quarter, thanks to an 87 yard touchdown bomb from Donovan McNabb to then rookie wide receiver Hank Baskett. Dallas would tie the game early in the fourth quarter on a Mike Vanderjagt field goal, but McNabb would answer once again. This time, he connected with Reggie Brown on a 40 yard flea flicker to put Philadelphia up 31-24. The Cowboys would get into Philadelphia territory on their next drive, but Lito Sheppard intercepted a Drew Bledsoe pass that was intended for Terrell Owens at the Philadelphia seven yard line. However, the Eagles could not put the game away, and with four and a half minutes to play, they punted the ball back to the Cowboys, who had to go 84 yards to tie the game.
They almost got there, but it wasn't without some help. Dallas moved the ball to their own 45 yard line, but back to back sacks by the Eagles pushed them back to their 27. A ten yard pass from Drew Bledsoe to Marion Barber put the Cowboys in a fourth and 18 hole, and Bledsoe launched a deep pass to Terry Glenn that ended up falling incomplete. However, pass interference was called on safety Michael Lewis. The 57 yard penalty put the ball at the Philadelphia six yard line with just 35 seconds to play. It looked like a tie game was inevitable, and just about everyone in the stadium knew who Bledsoe would be looking at to score the game tying touchdown.
The first pass attempt to Terrell Owens was incomplete. On second down, Bledsoe instead attempted a pass to tight end Jason Witten. For the second time in the fourth quarter, Lito Sheppard stepped in front of the pass, and this time, he took it to the house. His 102 yard interception return sealed the game for the Eagles and sent Terrell Owens into a tirade afterwords. He reportedly stormed into the Dallas locker room after the game and asked why the Cowboys even bothered signing him. Of course, his three catch, 45 yard performance during the game might have had something to do with that as well. Donovan McNabb finished the game with 354 passing yards and two touchdowns, as well as a rushing touchdown. The Eagles intercepted Drew Bledsoe three times and sacked him seven times. Two weeks later, Bledsoe was benched at halftime of a game against the New York Giants and a kid named Tony Romo took his place.
The Eagles improved to 4-1 with the win over the Cowboys, but then hit that aforementioned rough patch, which continued until Jeff Garcia turned the season around. Garcia even got some revenge on Terrell Owens later in the season, with a 23-7 win over the Cowboys on Christmas that gave the Eagles the NFC East title. Owens would play three seasons with the Cowboys before getting released this past offseason. He's now spending his time in football purgatory, also known as Buffalo.
Of course, this moment needs video. Here's a shot from the stands as Lito Sheppard crushes Terrell Owens' dreams of beating the Eagles.
That wraps up the Eagles/Cowboys portion of the countdown. Up next, we head back to the 2008 World Series, where the Phillies found a very interesting way to beat a five man infield...hit the ball 45 feet.
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