I don't know about all of you, but I'm certainly not used to the stress of back to back Dallas Weeks for the Philadelphia Eagles. Last week, as you all know, didn't go so well, and now the Eagles have to travel back down to Dallas for another game against the Cowboys, only this time...it's in the playoffs. Now, you can throw all the figures out that you want. You can mention that Dallas hasn't won a playoff game since 1996, and that Wade Phillips has never won a playoff game, either. You can bring up the botched snap against Seattle, the loss at home against the Giants and every other playoff defeat the Cowboys have suffered between their last playoff win and today, but it doesn't matter. This is a different Dallas team than all of those other ones, and this time, it's the Eagles that they have to face in the playoffs.
Honestly, this is going to be one of the most difficult games I think the Eagles have had in the first round of the playoffs since Andy Reid came to Philadelphia. The Eagles had everything lined up for them going into last week, but none of it came to pass. The important thing now is to not get caught up in that. Last year's team made it to the NFC Championship Game as a six seed, so it can be done. Last week's game was the worst possible showing that the Eagles have had this year, and I'm including the Oakland game in that, so it has to get better, but things have to change.
The most important thing is that the Eagles have to get pressure on Tony Romo and force turnovers. Philadelphia was second in the league in turnover plus/minus during the regular season, and that short field works well with the offense that the Eagles have. However, last week against the Cowboys, the Eagles only forced one turnover and sacked Romo twice. Those numbers have to go up for the Eagles to have a chance tonight, they just have to. Without turnovers, Philadelphia will be facing a longer field, and against this Dallas defense, that just isn't going to work. Also, without getting pressure on Romo, he's going to be able to pick apart any defense. The Eagles found that out the hard way last weekend, and if they can't get any more pressure on him this time around, they're going to find out again. Asante Samuel can only jump so many routes before he gets burned, it's really just that simple. Everytime the Eagles get pressure on Romo, he collapses. It has to happen like that again today if they want to have a shot.
That brings me into my second point for this game. You need to keep Donovan McNabb upright and protected. Last week, the Cowboys pressured McNabb almost the entire game, bringing him down four times and forcing him to fumble twice. The loss of Jamaal Jackson was displayed for everyone to see, as McNabb just didn't have time to get comfortable with the recent shuffling of the offensive line. When he did have time, McNabb had happy feet and just didn't look right back in the pocket. He missed DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin on a couple of plays, and when the speed aspect of this offense doesn't work right, nothing is going to go right. The Dallas defense is very good, don't get me wrong. They've held the Eagles to just 16 points in two games, and they are the only team that seems to have an answer for DeSean Jackson, but the Eagles can exploit them. McNabb needs time in the pocket to throw, and when he does, he can't force the ball to Jackson or Maclin, and the throws need to be accurate.
Next up is something that really bothered me about the game last week. The Eagles need to run the ball more. Last week, running backs carried the ball seven times. Let me say that again...Leonard Weaver, Brian Westbrook and LeSean McCoy carried the ball seven times...combined. That clearly needs to be changed. I know the loss of Jamaal Jackson hurt the running game as well, but Weaver and McCoy looked good when Westbrook was out, and Westbrook is back now. The only problem with that is that Andy Reid has a mindset where, if the running game doesn't work early, he's not going to stick with it. Guess what? That has to change this week. The Eagles need to let McCoy and Westbrook bounce to the outside and around the corners and they need to let Weaver pound the ball up the middle. They have three running backs that are capable of breaking big runs at any time. Dallas used their running game to perfection last week, as both Marion Barber and Felix Jones picked up 91 yards on the ground. The Eagles need a similar effort from their running game this week, but they also need Andy Reid to let them run the ball.
The last point I have is more psychological. The Eagles can't get caught up in what happened last week. Yes, it was a bad game, but there's nothing that can be done to change the score. It's always going to be 24-0, no matter when someone looks at the history books. The Cowboys got to celebrate on their home field, in front of the Eagles. It can't be undone. What can be done though is that the Eagles can come out tonight and knock the Cowboys out of the playoffs again. While it won't erase the two losses the Eagles had to Dallas in the regular season, it will leave a much more bitter taste in the mouths of Dallas fans, as they have to watch the Eagles advance. There are very few things I like more than watching upset Dallas fans, so I'd personally love to see the Eagles win, just for that. I don't care, you can call me evil, or petty or whatever you want to...but I love watching Dallas fans cry after their team loses.
The Eagles have their backs against the wall, but that just means that they can only move forward. I'm not going to make a prediction here, this wasn't about that. I am, however, going to leave you with what I think the Eagles have left to do this season. It's from a baseball movie, but the point is still the same. Take it away, Tom Berenger:
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