Young Receivers Lead Eagles Over Broncos

Jeremy Maclin made a spectacular catch to move the Eagles into field goal territory and David Akers pounded home the game winner with 4 seconds remaining to run the team's winning streak to six. A couple other young receivers shined earlier in the game to give the Eagles a large lead as Donovan McNabb carved up the 2nd rated Broncos defense, but their fortunes changed on an Asante Samuel interception in the 3rd quarter. After racing to a 27-10 lead and looking poised to make the game a blowout, the offense stalled and rookie Macho Harris' difficulties forced the Eagles to engineer a late game drive to prevail 30-27.

Like a week earlier, the contest was pretty much all Eagles in the first half. Despite facing a Broncos defense that was ranked 2nd against the pass, McNabb played masterfully, firing strikes all over the field while rolling up 242 yards. Brian Westbrook made his return and flashed a fresh set of legs that could prove highly beneficial in the post season, and his rookie mentor LeSean McCoy seemed inspired as he made a Westbrook-like sensational run on a screen pass.

Besides McNabb's impressive play, the biggest story in the half was Brent Celek's 121 yards receiving, including a 47-yard touchdown. With the Eagles already leading, Celek shook free on a double move, caught the ball in stride and raced down the right sideline to the end zone. DeSean Jackson, who was blanketed by All Pro cornerback Champ Bailey all day, managed to get free for a short TD catch.

After a Broncos field goal, the second half looked like it was going to be more of the same. McNabb led the Eagles on another touchdown drive, culminating with a 15-yard pass that Jason Avant snared after being tipped. With lead now extended to 27-10, Samuel thwarted a Broncos drive by picking off his 9th pass of the season and returned it to mid-field. Unfortunately, Harris was called for a late hit and the penalty brought the starting point all the way back inside the Eagles 5 yard line.

Just when it was looking like it was going to be a blowout, the momentum shifted dramatically. With little operating room, the Eagles went three and out, followed by a shanked Sav Rocca punt that gave the Broncos the ball on the 25. Five plays later the score was 27-17.

On the ensuing kickoff, Harris fumbled the ball away on the Eagles 16 and just 2 plays later the lead was narrowed to 27-24. McNabb and the offense lost the edge that they had earlier and could not get anything going. The Broncos eventually knotted the score 6 minutes into the 4th quarter after another shanked Rocca punt.

With the offense sputtering, the Eagles defense forced the Broncos to put and they took possession on the Broncos 42 with 1:41 remaining. One play later, McNabb hit the diving Maclin on a deep out that was initially ruled incomplete. After a booth review, the call was reversed as replays showed that Maclin caught the ball and drug both toes, resulting in a 28-yard completion. A few plays later, Akers connected on his third field goal to give the Eagles a dramatic win.

Overall, the Eagles defense played better than the score might indicate. The two short punts, Harris fumble and a McNabb interception provided a short field for the Broncos, leading to 20 points. After bottling up the running game and quarterback Kyle Orton, the Broncos reverted to multiple flanker screens and short passes to move the ball and force the secondary to make tackles in space.

Of course, the biggest story line of the day was the return of one of the all-time great Eagles players, Brian Dawkins. His fire and physicality were present throughout the game, but otherwise, did not have a standout game. He clearly did not refrain from deploying his trademark hard hitting style.

The win keeps the possibility of the #2 seed open with a Vikings loss, but the NFC Eastern crown and gaining a bye will all ride on next week's finale in Dallas. The Cowboys took advantage of a Redskins team playing out the string last night to clinch a playoff spot and maintain their hopes of wresting away the division and possibly even getting a bye if the Vikings crash and burn.

Defense, Weaver and Vick Lead Eagles to Victory

On a day when both teams were missing key players, the Eagles dominated the Falcons using several big plays to inflict much of the damage. Philadelphia's defense bottled up Atlanta until they scored a fluke touchdown as time expired, while Leonard Weaver played a starring role on offense. And, poetically, Michael Vick saved his best performance by far for his former team in his dramatic return to the Georgia Dome, accounting for a pair of touchdowns.

The Eagles took control of the game early as its defense played its best game since week 8 against the Giants, while the offense capitalized using several big plays. After a three and an out by the Falcons to start the game, McNabb quickly drove the team down for a field goal. They then recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and four plays later McNabb hit Weaver for a short touchdown to give the Eagles an early 10-0 lead. On the next drive, David Akers missed his first field goal in weeks that was set-up by Weaver's 59-yard catch and run.

They added a field goal in the 2nd quarter after a 56-yard Maclin reception and held the Falcons off the board with a goal line stand at the end of the half on a drive that was primarily orchestrated by the officials. First, the Eagles recovered a fumble that was ruled down by contact, and then were told they could not challenge the call because they never recovered the ball. If the officials had reviewed the play, they would have seen that the were clearly wrong on both counts. Later, two marginal personal foul calls put the Falcons in position to score, but the Eagles held onto a 13-0 lead at half.

McNabb led the team on a 80-yard drive to open the 2nd half, hitting on 6 of 7 passes. The drive culminated with Vick scampering for a TD on 3rd and 1 at the Falcons 5 yard line. A bit of irony followed when Vick's attempt to toss the ball into the crowd was intercepted by the net being raised for the extra point as if to shun the gesture from the city's fallen hero.

The Eagles quickly expanded their lead to 27-0 when Sheldon Brown stepped in front of a Chris Redman pass and returned it 83 yards for a touchdown. The defense then stifled another drive when Sean Jones picked off another pass to start the 4th period. At this point, Andy Reid decided to reward Vick by turning things over to him.

Vick did not disappoint as he connected with Reggie Brown for 43 yards on the first play. He added a 5-yard run before hitting Brent Celek on a 5-yard touchdown pass to put the Eagles up 34-0. Unfortunately, Vick banged up his right thumb on the drive, so Reid opted for Keven Kolb to finish the game.

The only thing left for the Eagles was to preserve a rare road shutout. Redman dinked and dunked his team down the field against a prevent defense, benefiting from a little luck along the way. A deflected pass landed in the hands of Tony Gonzalez for a large gain and then as the clock expired, another deflected pass popped into the arms of Roddy White standing in the end zone.

McNabb had another very solid game, tossing for 238 yards over 3 quarters. With the absence of other key players, besides Vick, the Eagles got large contributions from Weaver, Maclin and Brown. On a day that rookie LeSean McCoy could not get untracked, Weaver put on an impressive display of running. Overall, he accumulated 100 yards, including 5 rushes for 37 yards, 2 catches for 63 yards and the touchdown. Maclin stepped in for Jackson, averaging 21 yards on his four receptions.

Although Sean McDermott and his defense left the field a little disappointed that they lost the shutout, the Eagles could surely feel good about a very solid 34-7 win against a team right behind them in the standings. They were also very happy for Vick to play a starring role in his emotional return to the city that was home for his era as a superstar. Hollywood could not have written a much better script.

The day got even better when the moribund Giants found life against the Cowboys and gained an upset win. At the end of the day, the Eagles found themselves tied with the Cowboys at 8-4 and next week's opponent, the Giants, just 1 game back. With the Boys hosting the red hot Chargers, next Sunday's Football Night in America game in the Meadowlands carries large playoff implications. Also, with the regular season ending in Dallas, the Eagles control their own destiny in the NFC East.

Eagles, Falcons Prepare for a Battle of Attrition

Both the Eagles and Falcons are playoff caliber teams, but both are also severely weakened by injuries. Philadelphia currently holds the 1st Wild Card spot in the NFC, followed by the Packers. The Falcons sit one game back, tied with the Giants at 6-5. Accordingly, the game has significant playoff implications, but is somewhat overshadowed by the return of former Falcons quarterback, Michael Vick.

The outcome of tomorrow's game might hinge on which team is best able to overcome missing and injury compromised players. The Falcons will likely be without quarterback Matt Ryan, star running back Michael Turner and wide receiver Michael Jenkins, while their best wide receiver, Roddy White, will be less than 100% if he plays.

On the other side of the field, the Eagles will be without their top running back (Brian Westbrook) and wide receiver (DeSean Jackson), while tight end Brent Celek will be playing with a sprained thumb that caused him to drop passes last week. Also, they will once again be playing with a patchwork defense, including two starting corners that will play, but are hurting. Besides the players on "Injured Reserve", Akeem Jordan and Joselio Hanson will still be missing as well.

Veteran Chris Redman will start in Ryan's place, and played well in relief a week ago. Overall, he has been a solid player and should be able to take advantage of the Eagles weakened defense. He will not have the services of one of the top runners in the league as Turner aggravated an ankle injury, so Jason Snelling will get most of the carries. Jerious Norwood will likely play, but his normal explosiveness will be limited by his own lingering injury. Redman will primarily look for White and tight end Tony Gonzalez when he drops back to pass.

Once again, Donovan McNabb will be tested with a cast of relatively inexperienced players around him and if they hope to win, he will need to show the same veteran leadership that has been instrumental in the past two games. Rookie LeSean McCoy seems to get better as he gets more playing time under his belt, cutting off his blocks on runs and chipping pass rushers.

Both Jason Avant and Jeremy Maclin enter the game nursing injuries, but need to play and be an integral part of the offense. The little used Reggie Brown will get a lot of work as the third receiver as will back-up TE Alex Smith. Fortunately for the Eagles, McNabb is used to spreading the ball around and will not hesitate using any of his options.

Of course, the big story line is Vick's return to Atlanta, where he played for his first 6 years and led the Falcons to the NFC Championship game in 2004 before being convicted for running a dog fighting ring. Vick should not be much of a factor in the game, although the Eagles could conceivably make the mistake of playing him too much due to his ties with the Falcons. If Andy Reid is smart he will limit Vick and the Mildcat to its typical pair of carries for five yards and an incomplete pass so as not to disrupt too many drives.

Although both teams will be without key offensive weapons, expect the game to still be relatively high scoring. The capabilities of the offensive replacements, along with the play of each defense, should keep the ball moving down the field. Redman is a capable back-up and the Falcons will try to use their top two offensive weapons as much as possible. The Eagles have struggled to stop opposing tight ends all season, and with Jordan sidelined, Gonzalez is likely in for a huge day. Also, expect Redman to try to connect with White down the field.

The Eagles will counter with McCoy and Leonard Weaver sharing duties at running back and the usual large dose of passing. Expect both Avant and Maclin to have big games as McNabb will target a high percentage of passes in their direction due to Jackson's absence and Celek's injury. It would not be surprising to see Smith get more balls thrown his way while Celek is used as a decoy. McNabb will also use Brown, McCoy and Weaver to balance things out and keep the Falcons guessing.

Ultimately, the presence of McNabb along with the play of Avant, Maclin and McCoy should push the Eagles over the top. I see McNabb tossing a long TD to Maclin and a pair of the shorter variety to Avant. Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown will look to take advantage of Redman's rustiness, and one or both of them should pick off a pass to give the Eagles the turnover edge. Expect the Eagles to maintain a lead and have enough defense to hang on for victory.

Eagles 34

Falcons 27

Eagles Crush Giants in Twin Bill Opener

The Eagles continue to establish their personality as a big play team on both sides of the ball as they hit on multiple long scoring strikes and forced Eli Manning into turnovers. They seized control of the game on the third play from scrimmage when Leonard Weaver burst through the middle on a 41-yard touchdown gallop and never let up on the way to crushing their NFC East rivals by a score of 40-17.

The final score might actually make the game seem closer than it really was, as the Birds dominated the Giants in all phases of the game. If not for a fumble, an onside kick and the Eagles playing conservatively to eat up the clock, it could have been much worse. The Eagles moved the ball easily, seemingly scoring at will while pressuring Manning into erratic throws and mistakes.

Donovan McNabb had his strongest game of the season, completing 17 of 23 passes for 240 yards and 3 touchdowns. And, true to 2009 form, all were from longer range as he hit on a 54-yard strike to DeSean Jackson, a 23-yard pass to Jeremy Maclin and a 17-yard throw to Brent Celek. Adding to their long ball array, were Weaver's run and a 66-yard touchdown sprint by LeSean McCoy.

On defense, the Eagles rotated linemen and used a variety of stunts and blitzes to put pressure on Manning. Similar to last season's playoff game, the tactic exploited Manning's poise and average arm strength. On the Giants third play from scrimmage, Asante Samuel jumped a route to intercept a pass and returned it 37 yards to set up the Eagles second touchdown.

The Giants had many experts singing their praises as they beat up weak opponents in the early part of the season. Yesterday's thorough domination at the hands of the Eagles, along with losses the previous two weeks, has knocked the Giants out of first place and has them questioning their abilities. The soft part of their schedule is behind them and they face a tough slate of games ahead.

Meanwhile, besides their lapse in Oakland, the Eagles reinforced that they are a legitimate Super Bowl contender, possessing possibly the most explosive offense in the NFL. Jackson, Maclin and Celek give McNabb the best array of play making receivers that he has ever had around him. The team has largely been without the services of Brian Westbrook, so his return adds an elusive runner and pass catcher to a running corps that has been bolstered by McCoy and Weaver. Jason Avant and injured Kevin Curtis are nice accessories. This is clearly the greatest set of offensive skill position players the team has ever assembled.

Despite still in a learning mode, Will Witherspoon looks like a considerable upgrade for the defense as he flashes around the field making plays. The pre-season loss of promising Stewart Bradley left a big hole that now seems closed. This allows the defense to be aggressive with their pass rush and re-enage their secondary to concentrate on pass coverage rather than helping with run support.

Next week is the third leg of the NFC East round robin as the Eagles host the Cowboys, who also improved their record to 5-2 with a convincing win yesterday over Seattle. Dallas seems to have found their mojo as QB Tony Romo has gained confidence with the emergence of wide receiver Miles Austin. Marion Barber and Felix Jones have returned from injury, so the Cowboys are feeling like they have their own explosive array of weapons. Next Sunday night's game should prove to worthy of the prime time spot light.

Eagles, Giants Preview

The Eagles kick off the day, night New York doubleheader tomorrow afternoon against the Giants at 1 PM. Although the game does not carry the same import as the evening contest, the two football rivals are vying for the early lead in the NFC East. It is the second of 3 consecutive division games, and will likely be the hardest hitting.

With the Giants having lost two in a row, and still smarting from last year's playoff exit at the hands of the Eagles in their own yard, they will surely be looking to make a statement tomorrow. The Eagles have been a little bit bi-polar this season, which makes it difficult to project which version will show tomorrow. They have had some large margin wins, an improbable upset loss to the Raiders, a resounding loss to the high powered Saints and last week's "enough to win" performance in Washington.

The teams come into the game with some recent strengths and weaknesses going head to head against one another. The Giants boast a huge pass rush, while the Eagles have been struggling to protect Donovan McNabb. Conversely, the Eagles have been effective hitting on some long strikes, while the Giants secondary has been torched. Each could exploit the other in a big way, possibly accentuating more of an all or nothing type game when the Birds have the ball.

On the flip side of the ball, Eli Manning has been great against lesser competition, but has been erratic when under pressure. The Eagles also had success against him last year by keeping a strong pass rush in his face all day long. The Giants have a pair of talented running backs, so it is likely they will try to neutralize the Eagles rush and keep the heat off Manning by handing the ball off a good portion of the day.

With the offensive line a little healthier, the Eagles should be able to buy enough time for McNabb to get the ball down field. Brian Westbrook will most likely sit out after suffering a concussion last week, so LeSean McCoy will be heavily tested as a runner and blocker. Look for the Eagles to use Leonard Weaver in that role, and then hit him on screen plays coming out of the backfield. Overall, McNabb will likely throw a lot of screens to his running backs and Jeremy Maclin, use Brent Celek in the middle of the field and then try to exploit the Giants suspect secondary with a couple long strikes to DeSean Jackson and Maclin.

The addition of linebacker Will Witherspoon will greatly aid the Eagles ability to contain the Giants running game. His quickness also helps with putting pressure on Manning. Sean McDermott will take a page from last year's playoff game by putting the heat on Manning and challenging him to make deep throws to the outside part of the field, where his arm strength can sometimes be exposed.

I expect the Eagles to continue the lack of offensive consistency that we have seen, but still be able to hit on some big plays. On defense, they should be able to force some turnovers. At the end of the day, I expect to see the Eagles to feed off the electric atmosphere in Philly and move ahead of the Giants in the NFC East.

Eagles 23

Giants 20

Lets Bag the 2.95 Yards and a Cloud of Dust Offense!

The Eagles head to Oakland for tomorrow's game with a 3-1 record and a relatively healthy group of players. The two teams are moving on opposite paths with the Eagles turning in consecutive large margin victories while the Raiders have simply gotten trounced the past three weeks. Additionally, the Eagles have lit up the scoreboard against some lesser opponents while the Raiders offense has been horrific.

Sometimes this type of scenario makes for a challenging game and a totally unpredictable outcome. Last year's Bengals game is a recent example. At this point, it would be difficult to imagine this game not following conventional expectations, especially considering the turmoil surrounding the Raiders coach and organization, as well as the poor play of high draft pick QB JaMarcus Russell.

But that notwithstanding, it might be a good week for the Eagles to bag the Wildcat experiment. The much anticipated Michael Vick Wildcat has been a bust despite playing against weak teams. So far, the offensive scheme has been 2.95 yards and a cloud of dust. Besides being unproductive, it continues to detract form the overall offensive continuity and virtually throws away better opportunities to use the Eagles growing array of playmakers.

The reason that this is a good week to throw away the Wildcat, or at least limit it to a couple plays, is two fold. First off, there is very little to learn from anything that might happen against this Oakland team, as very little correlation can be drawn between them and any other team in the league. The Raiders currently appear to be the "Dunder Mifflin" of NFL franchises, marching to the beat of a different drummer. Secondly, the Eagles have been lucky to be playing against inferior opponents and have gotten away with throwing away plays on the Wildcat. But, why play down to the competition by making your offense less effective this week, and why continue to use it in the future when you won't have the luxury of throwing away plays?

The Eagles should go ahead and bag the Wildcat right now. Instead, they should focus on how to better use playmakers such as DeSean Jackson, Brian Dawkins, Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy and Brent Celek (not to mention Pro Bowl QB Donovan McNabb) within their base offense. The team has a wealth of offensive talent and they would be clearly better served by teeing it up head-to-head rather than continue to use sandlot touch football plays, especially with a sluggish Vick being featured. Heck, Vick doesn't even like it.

The NFC East as well as some other tough teams are lurking after the Raiders. Lets get back to NFC East football and stop trying to prove the "genius" of signing Vick. The Eagles have the pieces to make a serious run this season. And, Andy Reid has done a terrific job with the Eagles in his tenure, but he can tend to be a bit stubborn at times. This has served the team well many times, but in this case, not so much.

In all likelihood, the Eagles will persist with the "WildVick" tomorrow and still emerge with an easy victory. Still, the odds of a big win would be greater without the scheme and would start to set them on the most beneficial course for the balance of the season. Down with the Raiders....Down with the Wildcat!

Eagles 30

Raiders 10

Rejuvenated McNabb Leads Eagles Past Bucs

The Philadelphia Eagles are one of the elite teams in the NFL. The Tampa Bay Bucs are not. The outcome of yesterday's game, a 33-14 Eagles victory, was about what you would expect, even though the Eagles committed an inordinate amount of penalties.

But, games are not won based on opinion or expectations, especially in the highly competitive NFL, so credit the Eagles for taking care of business. Donovan McNabb made his return to the team from a broken rib, and played brilliantly, completing 76% of his 21 passes for 264 yards. He also tossed 3 touchdown passes, including two long strikes to rookie Jeremy Maclin. With the game well in hand, he gave way to Michael Vick and Kevin Kolb in mop up duty.

The Eagles other returning star, Brian Westbrook, did not fare as well. Although he scored a touchdown, he was limited to a total of 35 yards rushing and receiving. Unlike McNabb, he did not appear quite ready for prime time and fortunately, the team did not need him to play a big role.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Eagles gave up more yardage than expected. Some key turnovers and unusual coaching decisions by the Bucs helped keep the point total to 14. Although rookie QB Josh Johnson threw three interceptions, he looked surprisingly good under the Eagles heavy dose of pressure. With some more NFL experience and a stronger cast around him, Johnson appears that he could have a bright future.

Overall, the Eagles defense was up and down throughout the day. They persisted in blitzing all day, but sometimes seemed to lack urgency in getting to the young QB. Tight end Kellen Winslow had a big day, roaming free through the middle to catch 9 passes for 102 yards. Big plays, such as Asante Samuel picking off two passes and Sheldon Brown picking off another, helped to contain the Bucs.

Yesterday may have been Maclin's breakout game in the NFL. With the Bucs focusing on shutting down DeSean Jackson and Westbrook, Maclin took advantage of single coverage to rack up 142 yards on 6 catches. Early in the first quarter, he made a nice grab on a 51-yard TD and followed that with a 40-yard TD strike at the end of the second quarter.

The "Wildcat" formation was once again very unsuccessful. The team ran 9 such formations with Michael Vick on the field, including 2 with him flanked out as a receiver. The production increased .5 yards per play from their last game, but 3.2 yards per play does not get it done. From a distance, it appeared to be a disruption and hindrance to an otherwise productive offense. The Eagles can get away with playing around with this against foes like the Chiefs and Bucs, but they won't be so lucky against more formidable opponents.

This is particularly true since the Eagles current array of offensive talent is too good to waste with gimmick plays and formations. With McNabb behind center, two explosive wide-outs in Jackson and Maclin, an emerging star in tight end Brent Celek, two elusive running backs in Westbook and LeSean McCoy, and playmaking fullback Leonard Weaver, the Eagles have the best bevy of weapons they have ever had.

The Eagles kept pace with the Giants, who destroyed their next opponent, the Oakland Raiders, staying one game behind at 3-1. It will be important for them to once again take care of business against a lesser team, as they then face their NFC East division-mates over the following three weeks. When the schedule reaches that point of the season, the team will not be able to prevail committing more than 100 yards in penalties or wasting production with the Wildcat.