This is a tough game to write about, because it really was like 2 completely different games. The Eagles dominated the first half 20-7, and then laid an egg in the second half 10-20, while blowing a 17-point lead.
In the end though, it was a victory over a playoff-caliber team and puts the Eagles at 11-4 and sets up the big showdown in Dallas next weekend (more on that later).
Here are my thoughts on the Eagles 6th straight win:
- Obviously the main thing on everyone’s mind was B-Dawk. He played well, but had a couple key penalties called on him, and didn’t make any huge plays. We still could use him opposite Quintin Mikell though.
- This game should have been a blowout, but stupid turnovers and bad penalties almost lost the game for the Eagles. McNabb’s bad pick in the 3rd resulted in 3 points. Harris’ personal foul call that landed us at the 1 yard-line, followed by another horrid punt by Rocca, resulted in an easy 25-yard touchdown drive for the Broncos. And finally, Harris’ fumble resulted in 7 points. That’s 17 points we pretty much handed them in the 2nd half. That won’t work against Dallas or in the playoffs, obviously.
- You can’t say enough about the play Jeremy Maclin made to put the Eagles in position for the winning field goal. It was a great throw by McNabb, but the catch by Maclin was spectacular. It looked like he caught it with the very end of his fingertips, but getting his feet down was every more impressive. He’s made some great plays the last 2 games. If not for missing the last 2 games with injury, he would be putting up very similar numbers to Jackson’s rookie season. Between him, Jackson and Jason “glue hands” Avant, I’m not sure there is a WR trio in the NFL i’d rather have for the next 5 years.
- Brian Westbrook was back, and I’m not entirely sure this is a good thing for 2 reasons. First, it was terrifying every time he got hit (and he got hit hard at least twice) because all I could think about was another concussion. Second, he got the most carries (9) on the team, meaning that Leonard Weaver and LeSean McCoy were reduced to just 7 touches each, and I’m not really sure Westbrook is better than either of them right now. I will say Westbrook had at least 2 plays where he was quicker and more elusive than I thought he would be. I just hope his return doesn’t mean we abandon the run with Weaver and McCoy.
- McNabb was throwing the ball as well as he has all year in the first half. He had several pinpoint passes that very few QBs could make. In the 2nd half, the line let him down and he was pressured incessantly and also threw a bad pick of his own.
- Macho Harris had a “Quintin Demps in the NFC Championship game” type game. He went from promising young safety to mistake prone rookie in a about 10 minutes. 2 fumbles, one lost (that was huge) and one that Denver barely got a finger on, and a very stupid personal foul on Samuel’s pick that cost us somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 yards since it negated the return.
- Minnesota has looked bad the last 2 games, and now New Orleans has as well. It’s very possible the winner of the Dallas game next weekend will be considered the favorite in the NFC.
OK – well that wasn’t many observations, so feel free to add more in the comments, but it’s clear the thing that is on everyone’s mind in the game next week (4:15pm) against the Cowboys. Here are my initial thoughts on this game.
- I think Dallas should be favored. They are playing at home and I don’t think they’ve had a single significant injured player this year. Also, if a team can be given points for being “due,” they probably should. They also already beat us on the road this year (though we should have won that game if not for a couple ridiculous spots).
- Despite what all the hype will say, this game is only HUGE (from a playoff standpoint) if Minnesota loses tonight or next week and it becomes a matter of whether or not we get a bye. Obviously I hate Dallas, and obviously I’d like to win the division, but if Minnesota wins out, this game is just about positioning in the first round, and if we are going to go the Super Bowl (which I am assuming is everyones goal at this point) we’ll need to be good enough to beat whoever we face, where ever we face them.
- Also, despite the fact that the focus is always on Reid and McNabb, the key to this game is going to be our defense. The corners will need to lock down the WR’s, the LB’s will need to stay on Witten and the DL will need to get pressure. They need to have a complete game like they did against Atlanta for us to win.
- I will try to put up a preview later in the week.
That’s all I got – what are your thoughts on yesterday’s game and next week’s showdown?
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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
it looks like it is very likely we will play Dallas in the first round of the playoffs one way or the other….
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/Updated_Eagles_playoff_scenarios.html
Jamaal Jackson lost for the year…
I hope that 2nd half performance by the OL wasn’t a sign of things to come without him….
shoot, that bye week really looks good right now. 2 weeks seems good enough time for Nick Cole to remember that he once played that positiion and get some timing with McNabb down.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Desean and think he’s flat-out unstoppable at times, and Maclin and Avant are going to continue to be solid, but I think it’s a bold statement to label them as the best trio of WR in the NFL. Just a few other WR corps to consider (and yes, I’m just arguing for the sake of argument here):
Fitz/Boldin/Breaston –all relatively young, and Boldin may be on his way out of ‘zona in search of a fat contract. However, this trio is basically two WR1 and a WR2 (with good return ability). This is the premiere trio right now, although they won’t be together for 5 more years.
Moss/Welker/[WR3] –on the older side, but with Welker’s short- game and Moss’ everything else-game, and Brady is good enough to make any WR3 like Aiken serviceable, and you’ve got yourself a nice trio of WRs. Moss and Welker’s skills will diminish with age over the next 5 years.
Colston/Meachem/Henderson(/Moore) –It can be argued that these guys are either the cause or the effect of a great offense. IMO it’s probably mostly the former, but it can’t hurt to have Brees slingin’ the rock and Payton calling the plays. Colston can be unstoppable at times and Meachem has a nose for the endzone. Add to that the deep threat of Henderson (and if Moore can get back to what he was in 2008), this is a very formidable receiving set. They’re all young, so there’s some staying power with this WR threesome/foursome.
Rice/Berrian/Harvin – I actually think this is the group that you could put against the Eagles trio for the next 5 years. Rice has emerged as a legit #1 this year, Berrian has been hobbled by injury but is still a solid #2 with deep-ball ability, and Harvin’s playmaking ability could rival Desean’s in the next few years if he reaches his very high ceiling.
Thoughts? I’m pretty bored without any fantasy football rosters to attend to.
stumanji-
the key phrase was “for the next 5 years”
- Boldin is 29, and is likely bolting sooner rather than later
- Moss has 1-2 years left of high level play
- Saints guys could have an argument – but I think they are a function of Brees and Payton
- I agree that Minnesota’s trio is probably the closest in terms of young, talented guys. Though Berrian is 29, and who knows what will happen when Farve is gone.
All good points though, as I just threw that out there without intensive research.
Sometime soon, the NFL will announce its 2010 schedule. Fans and media types will flood sports radio and message boards with projected records, capitulating with Gary Myers of the NY Daily News writing a column hours after this year’s Super Bowl about next year’s winner as if the game were a day away.
This colorful, time consuming waste of time is mostly accented by the fact that you don’t know which teams will show up on what weeks during the next 12 months. Yesterday, the Indinapolis Colts didn’t show up for a quarter and a half. Personally, I think they made the right decision, but they wouldn’t be the first team to lose great momentum and fall short of the charts plotting them as this year’s Super Bowl winner. The New York Football Giants didn’t whow up yesterday. Well, unless the Carolina Panthers are the second coming of the 85 Bears and haven’t told us. That was about as must win a situation as you could have had with some momentum off the prior week, the last week in their home stadium, etc. Ker-plunk.
This brings us to next Sunday’s visit by the Eagles to Texas to play Dallas. The Eagles are some 4 hours from being eliminated from 2 seed competiton, and nearly certifying back to back weekend sets against America’s Publicity Machine. And the question becomes do the Eagles go all out to make it a home and home set, or hide some tricks and get out healthysaving their best shot for the week after.
Alas, the answer seems clear. Much as I’d like to call an Eagle-Dallas game meaningless just for the uniqueness of it, the fact is, you need to sacrifice the rest and risk the injuries to secure as high a seed as you can get.
This is one even playing field coming up. Six teams, all with some serious skills, and some serious deficincies. You get the 3 seed, and you could host 4 or 5 in a later game since 1 (who dat) is 2-2 thanks only to overtime in the last 4 weeks and can easily be beat. Well, maybe not easily as in Breasily, but don’t tell Tampa that.
Its not about not giving Dallas any confidence. Its not about dragging them back to the Linc for the one that actually counts. Its all about seeding. And if the Eagles are going to carry his surprising 6 game streak seriously further, it can’t hurt to treat this game seriously and win. Losing to Dallas but turning around and beating them still might matter down the road, but this is a chance to better control longer term destiny.
But, maybe the Bears beat the Vikings like 55-0 or something. Eric Bruntlett signed with another MLB organization today, the Nats, so don’t tell me that anything isn’t possible.
One thing that bothered me yesterday was how few looks Celek got in the second half after his dominating performance in the first half….
#2 seed is officially up for the taking.
thank you Chicago.
I was actually surprised (I’m not checking the standings and tiebreakers everyday) to read that the Eagles clinch the #2 seed with a win. I wasn’t aware they controlled the race. I am about as excited for this Cowboys game as I have been for any Eagles game in a while.
Good to see them pull this one out. I’m a big believer in the thought that the sign of a good team is that even when they play poorly they find a way to win. The Birds have now taken 6 straight? Pretty damn impressive to see them at 11-4 after sputtering to a 5-4 start.
I know the Colts and Saints are the favorites but, now that the mystique of 16-0 is lifted, are there any teams in the league more terrifying than Philly and San Diego right now?
I know the Colts and Saints are the favorites but, now that the mystique of 16-0 is lifted, are there any teams in the league more terrifying than Philly and San Diego right now?>>
Well, first of all, I’m surprised San Diego isn’t getting more hype. But to answer your question/opinion, I don’t think the Eagles are close to San Diego as a legit SB threat. The Eagles offense is awesome, but lets not forget the NFC is very balanced, and 1 and done may still be the end story. The defense doesn’t jump out at you and offer scare, and appears very capable of potentially doing what it did after the offense scored the go ahead touchdown in last year’s NFC title game.
Meltdown City. The Chargers are so balanced, Rivers is terrific, and if John Runyan gets a ring, you won’t hear a complaint out of me.
More scary than the Eagles to me, well, lets say just as scary, is New England. They have had their inconsitencies as well, but they have reestablished their running game, and obviously have a core personnel that knows how to win. It seems about 40 years in a row now that people thought this was the year the Chargers would finally get through the Patriots, but I think this might be the year it happens.
Lastly, much as I hate doing this, I wouldn’t put Dallas too far behind the Eagles as a team that might qualify as scary. The Dallas defense is excellent, and you know the old adage about defense winning championships. I totally understand, and root with vigor, for Dallas’s to do its usual beat itself on offense, but that defense is still really, really good.
So I would say that its okay to include the Eagles in a list of most scary, but they re not as scary as San Diego, probably on a par with New England, and not much more so than Dallas.
I would rank the playoffs teams as follows….
KB,
Let us not forget the team’s ability to win down the stretch. Did anyone see this team getting within 8 minutes of the super bowl after going 9-6-1? They did it by winning 5 of their last 6 in 2008 and rolled into Arizona. This team knows when to turn it on.
Agreed, the defense is a more of a concern than it normally is and they always have and always will display some inconsistencies with execution but they know how to win and can score points in the blink of an eye.
To me the big question is Westbrook. How much he DOES contribute and how much Reid and Mornigweig (sic) THINK he can contribute. If McCoy and Weaver are more effective they have to be able to reduce B-West’s role and let the kid carry the load. Reid is intensely loyal and I’m not positive he’ll be ready to make that move.
Pete,
I’m not sure I wouldn’t rank Arizona under a Denver or Baltimore.
I would take Warner over Orton or Flacco any day of the week and twice on Sunday but I really like the Ravens. Then again, I’ve always liked Harbaugh.
And, thirdly. I think the reason the Chargers aren’t getting the hype is because; (1) the Colts had the perfect season going and (2) because they are always someone’s favorite to win the AFC and almost always fall short. How many times in the last 5 years have the guys at ESPN picked the Chargers to go to the Super Bowl? So I think people see this winning streak but think, just like the last 3 or 4 years, they will come up short.
Any team that go into Payton’s house and take his lunch money has to be described as “scary.”
Just because Pete’s list made me think about my playoff teams ranking with their biggest weakness next to the team:
1. Indy (no run game)
2. San Diego (no run game, trouble stopping the run against fast backs)
3. Philly (D and O are inconsistent at times, probably result of young team)
4. Dallas (Romo sucks in the playoffs and they rely on Austin too much)
5. Green Bay (D is inconsistent, O line issues but have been better)
6. Pats (Pass Def sucks, can’t get pressure on QB)
7. Arizona (Stopping the pass, O line giving Warner time)
8. Vikes (D all the sudden stinks. EJ Henderson and Williams were huge losses, can’t run the ball either which is very weird)
9. Cincinnati (Passing offense is bad)
10. New Orleans (Defense can’t stop Josh freakin Freeman, they are who they were the past 2 years now that they’ve lost their corners, nothing special just a good pass offense, haven’t been able to run the ball the past few weeks either)