Last night Philly was completely man handled on both sides of the line. Their big play offense was held in check by a persistent pass rush and excellent coverage in the secondary. Their defense was shredded for 198 yards on the ground as for the second week in a row the Dallas RB's ran rough shot all over the Eagles defensive backfield. They did dial up a bit more pressure on Tony Romo, but he was still able to make the plays when he had to completing 23 of 35 attempts for 244 yards and two TD's.
It is hard to figure out whether the Eagles just played bad or if the Cowboys are that much better. One thing is for sure, as of now the balance of power in the NFC East has shifted and if the Eagles want to keep up they are going to need to address some pressing concerns, such as the offensive line and the defensive secondary this sooner than expected offseason.
When they needed their running game and shutdown defense the most, they all but disappeared. Donovan McNabb will be another year older and Brian Westbrook's best days are behind him. Right now, Sean McDermott is no Jim Johnson and I'm not sure he ever will be. As far as their line backing core they may need to start from scratch to correct that weakness. Looking back I hope they realize that not resigning Brian Dawkins was a colossal mistake as his presence was sorely missed, especially in these last two meltdowns against Dallas.
The positive side of the situation is there is a ton of young offensive talent on this team, but that is also part of the problem. Until they learn to play as a cohesive unit against the better teams in the league they will continue to come up short in the big games. I still think that McNabb has a championship season in him, but it may not be with this team. Sometimes a change in leadership on the field is needed to get the most out of everyone else on the team.
To borrow a line from former Arizona head coach Dennis Green, this team is not who we thought they were. They are good, but not good enough to compete for a championship. Dallas simply did the a favor by exposing weaknesses that would have been uncovered sooner or later by someone else down the road.
]]>In last week's game Dallas capitalized early on RB Marion Barber and a punishing rushing attack that averaged over six yards a carry. Along with a stifling defense that completely shut the Eagles down, this game was never close. The Cowboys took the opening kickoff and marched 80 yards in nine plays for a touchdown. Seven points turned out to be enough as Philadelphia's big play offense was totally negated by a persistent pass rush that hounded Eagles QB Donovan McNabb all day long and a secondary that held All Pro WR DeSean Jackson to just three receptions for just 47 yards. The few times they did move the ball deep into Dallas territory turnovers, penalties and a missed field goal kept them from putting any points on the board.
Dallas on the other hand could basically do no wrong. QB Tony Romo had all day to sit in the pocket and hit his receivers in stride. Barber and Felix Jones were able to break tackles turning short yardage plays into big gains. WR Miles Austin had a big day, catching seven balls for 90 yards. TE Jason Witten was once again an Eagle killer, catching six receptions for 76 yards and a TD. The most glaring problem besides stopping the run was the Eagles inability to put any real pressure on Romo, allowing him to pick their secondary apart.
Before this meltdown, Philadelphia had won six straight games and appeared ready to make another serious Super Bowl run. For the most part they have remained healthy, however losing their starting C Jamaal Jackson in the game against Denver has proven to be a bigger loss than first expected. If they are to have any chance to win this week his replacement, Nick Cole is going to have to play much better than did in last week's game. The strength of this team relies on the offense's ability to make big plays and the defense's ability to be a disruptive force through an elaborate series of blitz schemes. Neither of these was evident in last week's game.
Dallas has been pegged all year long as underachievers. When December rolled around and they lost the first two games of the month, most everybody wrote them off for the year. Behind a solid defense and running game they have built a three game winning streak and some serious momentum that is going to be hard for any team to stop. Now that they have exercised the demons of December, they still have one more to go; winning a playoff game. Tony Romo and the 'Boys appear to have their best chance in recent memory to exercise this demon as well.
The Eagles need to quickly put last week behind them and get back to doing all the things that got them into the playoffs in the first place. On offense they have to run the ball better, protect McNabb better, and put the fear of the deep ball back into the hearts of the Dallas defenders. On defense they have to stop the run and put a tremendous amount of pressure on Romo.
In the NFL it is extremely hard for any team to beat another three times in one season, especially when they know each other so well. This game will be much closer this time around as Philadelphia's playoff experience will work to negate Dallas's momentum. Remember, Andy Reid is 7-0 in first round playoff games, while Wade Phillips is 0-4.
]]>The Cowboys opened the game by running right down the Eagles' throats with Marion Barber gaining yards in chunks and Tony Romo sitting back in the pocket hitting his targets at will. It culminated with a 10 yard pass to Jason Whitten to put them up 7-0 less than five minutes into the game. That was all they really needed as the Eagles' offense never got off the ground as none of the playmakers could make any plays against a defense that has only given up 17 points in its last three games.
From my preview of the Cowboys last week as posted on BleedingGreenNation.com just to show how much I underestimated Tony Romo and overestimated the Eagles' defense I offer the following quotes:
"You cannot deny that Dallas has been playing better the last two weeks. "
This change in fortune since losing two straight games to start the month can be largely attributed to the play of QB Tony Romo. In these two wins he has averaged 300 yards passing and has 2 TD's and one interception.
"Trust me, in this game the Eagles will not allow him (Tony Romo) that luxury(sitting untouched in the pocket) as they know the key to beating the Cowboys is to shut down RB Marion Barber and their running game and force Romo to beat them in the air."
So much for that expert analysis. Not only did Dallas run at will against the Birds gaining 179 yards on the ground, but Romo had all day to throw, completing 24 of 34 attempts for 311 yards and two TD's.
Offensively, whenever the Eagles did move the ball they found a way to end every drive without coming away with any points. Whether it was a fumble, dropped pass, penalty, or missed field goal they were unable to overcome the crucial mistakes that kept this game from ever being close.
What the Eagles did accomplish is the opportunity to play the Cowboys again next week in Dallas instead of having a week off with a first round bye. They have the opportunity to watch the game tapes to try and figure out a way to keep this next game from ending the same way. Finally they have the opportunity to erase the memory of this game with an inspired win or replace it with the memory of yet another season ending loss and watching another team win a championship.
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The Eagles travel to Dallas to play the Cowboys in a game that could mean the difference between a smooth, straight path to the NFC Championship game or a rough and rocky road rather not traveled. Simply put, if the Birds beat the Boys on Sunday, they would win the NFC East, but more importantly secure a first round bye in the playoffs and host the divisional round playoff game in Lincoln Financial Field which would put them one game away from going to their sixth conference championship game in 10 years.
If they should lose, they would most likely be back in Dallas next week to play the Cowboys in a wildcard round game.
With this much on the line, this game could be one of the biggest regular season games the Eagles will play in recent memory. With the sudden collapse of the Vikings and some serious cracks in the Saint's armor, the stars are aligning themselves for another legitimate shot at winning that oh so elusive Super Bowl Championship. To think that the much hated Cowboys stand in the way of this dream, makes me hate them even more.
I have analyzed this game on paper and there is no way that the Eagles should lose. I know that sounds like a completely homer call but let's look at some facts. Philly has a much more explosive offense, they have the ability to stop the run, and most importantly they have Tony Romo's number. He have shown the propensity to collapse under pressure, he has never won a big game and right now this is as big as it gets, and most importantly he has played some of his worst football against our beloved Birds.
I could post some numbers to back all of this up but that really doesn't matter as it all comes down to which team executes the best this Sunday afternoon in Big D. I just hope that once the 4th quarter rolls around and it is clear that Dallas has lost another big game in December, they show Jerry Jones' utter look of disgust as he realizes that even a billion dollar stadium cannot buy you a championship.
]]>The win, their sixth in a row runs the Eagles' record to 11-4 and gives them a chance to clinch the NFC East with a Dallas loss tonight to the Redskins, or a win over the Cowboys next week. If they can get the win next week and Minnesota loses to either Chicago on Monday night or to the N.Y. Giants next week, they would be the number two seed and get an automatic first round bye.
While a win is a win no matter how you get it, there has to be a bit of concern over the second half collapse against a team they completely dominated in the first half. Everything seemed to work with tremendous ease as they scored 20 points in four straight drives in the first and second quarter. All their effort was derailed in the second half by a much more aggressive, and possibly desperate Denver team. Turnovers, penalties, and bad execution allowed the Broncos to crawl back into this game as the Eagles appeared to take their foots off their throats.
Lost in the drama of the day was Brian Dawkins return to Philadelphia as he was never really a factor in this game. I envisioned him coming up with a crushing sack or a big interception to ignite his team, but he ended having a very average game. None the less, the Eagles still could have used him on their side today as their secondary once again was a bit shaky especially in the third quarter when Denver closed the gap with two touchdowns 59 seconds apart.
Despite almost blowing this game, the fact remains they did not and in the end that is all that really counts. After all in a few weeks the only aspect of the games they will be playing is whether or not they win or lose. Let's hope today provides a bit of a wakeup call so they realize that most games aren't won in the first half, especially in the playoffs.
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In the 27-13 victory, the Birds rolled up 422 yards of total offense as McNabb completed passes to eight different receivers including six receptions for 140 yards and one TD to WR DeSean Jackson. They got things started right away when Quentin Demps took the opening kickoff to midfield and five plays later McNabb hit Jackson for a 19 yard TD reception. San Francisco managed to score a field goal on their ensuing drive, but that is as close as it got.
Trailing 20-3 at the half, the 49er's tried to make things interesting by scoring 10 unanswered points in the 3rd quarter, but the Eagles were able to put the game away for good when LeSean McCoy scored on a two yard run with a little over 11 minutes left to play.
The most encouraging aspect of this game was the continued balance the Eagles have shown in their offensive attack. They ran the ball 33 times for 116 yards while throwing the ball 36 times for 306 yards. More importantly the offensive line did not give up a single sack, giving McNabb the time needed to pick the 49er's defense apart.
All in all this was a solid victory for the Eagles at a time of the year when they needed it the most. They could have played better, but in the end they did what they had to do to get a win over a team they were supposed to beat.
Next up for the Birds are the Denver Broncos who are coming off an ugly 20-19 loss to the Raiders. I'm sure that the home town crowd will give a warm reception to long time Eagle, Brian Dawkins who will be making his first return to the Linc after signing with Denver as a free agent this past off season, but as for the rest of Broncos let's hope the snow has melted by then to keep the snowballs from flying.
]]>The 9-4 Eagles can clinch a playoff spot with a win this Sunday and a loss by either the Cowboys or the Giants. Dallas faces the 13-0 Saints in New Orleans on Saturday night and New York travels to Washington to play the Redskins on Monday night.
The 49ers are still mathematically alive for a playoff spot, but would need to win their last three games and still get some help to make it in.
When you look at the 49ers' offense there are basically two players that the Birds need to contain to shut them down. The first is RB Frank Gore.Through 13 games he has rushed for 835 yards on 162 carries for an impressive 5.2 yards per carry. Last week in a big win over the Cardinals he had one of his best game of the year, running for 167 yards on 25 carries. Given the fact that it will be cold and windy on Sunday, he will most likely be a huge part of the 49ers game plan.
The second guy they need to contain is TE Vernon Davis. He is the team's leading receiver with 66 catches for 815 yards and 11 TD's. Given how the Bird's defense has struggled with big physical tight ends in the past, shutting him down will be a key to getting a win.
Defensively, the 49ers are ranked 27th against the pass which could mean another big day for QB Donovan McNabb and his number one playmaker DeSean Jackson. While they will try and establish the run especially with the emergence of FB Leonard Weaver as a legitimate running threat, McNabb's eyes will still be fixed downfield looking to burn San Francisco's secondary with the big play.
In past seasons I would be a bit concerned with this game as the Eagles have had the tendency for a letdown in games they are heavy favorites to win. This year is a bit different as they have some solid momentum on their side and more importantly a true sense of purpose heading into the post season. Nobody understands this better than McNabb who realizes he may not have too many more opportunities like this to finally win a championship.
]]>Give New York credit as they never quit and even briefly had a 31-30 lead with a little over six minutes to play in the third quarter. Fortunately for the Eagles, every time the Giants made a play to get back in this game they were able to counter with a big play of their own to maintain the lead. The biggest playmaker of them all was WR DeSean Jackson who once again burned the Giants with a couple of long scores.
With the Eagles holding onto a 17-10 lead in the second quarter, Jackson fielded a Jeff Feagles punt around the 30 yard line, surveyed the situation actually taking a few steps backwards, and then darted up the sideline managing not to step out of bounds for a 72 yard return that put the Eagles back up by two touchdowns.
His biggest play of the night came in the third quarter after the Giants just scored a go ahead touchdown to take a one point lead. On the first play from scrimmage at the Eagle's 40 yard line, Donovan McNabb dropped back and pumped faked the ball once and then hit Jackson for a 60 yard scoring strike that put the Eagles back on top for good 37-31.
While there has to be some concern with Philadelphia's defensive effort as the Giants torched them for 512 yards of total offense including 379 yards in the air, the overall importance of this win can over shadow that performance for now.
With the Cowboys in the middle of their annual December swoon losing their second game in a row, this win not only put the Birds in sole possession of first place in the NFC East, it gives them control of their own destiny to win the division. They have swept the Redskins and the Giants and have one more game against the Cowboys; a week 17 season finale in Dallas. Between now and then they have two home games; this week against San Francisco and next week against Denver, in what will be a homecoming game for Brian Dawkins. If they can win out, they will have a 12-4 record and are guaranteed to host at least one playoff game. Even if they should stumble in one of their next two games, they will still be able to win the East with a victory over Dallas.
This is by far the most exciting offense we have had in town in quite a long time as they can score from anywhere on the field. McNabb is playing with a high level of confidence and no matter which players are in the line up, somebody always seems to step up and make a key play when they need it the most. The hardest thing for this offense right now is the fact that they only have one football to play with as everyone from FB Leonard Weaver to backup QB Michael Vick wants a piece of the action. Throw in Brian Westbrook, who should be back for the playoffs and Jeremy Maclin, who missed this game with a foot injury but hopefully will be available down the stretch and they will have more than enough weapons to compete with the likes of Minnesota and New Orleans.
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The first time these two teams met in week eight the Eagles jumped all over the G-Men and rolled to a dominating 40-17 win, but do not fool yourself into believing that this game will be a cake walk as well.
Big plays were the key to the victory in game one as FB Leonard Weaver scored first on a 41 yard run, DeSean Jackson scored on a 54 yard pass play, and LeSean McCoy scored on a 66 yard run in the 4th quarter in a one sided romp.
This time around look for a much more conservative, balanced attack featuring a solid running game along with short to mid range passes with the intent of moving the sticks and chewing up the clock. I still fully expect Donovan McNabb to throw the ball down field looking for some big plays especially with deep threat D Jackson back in the lineup, but for the most part their game plan will be to execute long, multiple play drives that not only put points on the board, but keep the Giants' offense on the sidelines.
When the Giants do have the ball, the number one priority will be to shut RB's Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw down and force Eli Manning to have to throw the ball to win the game. Jacobs and Bradshaw have struggled lately rushing for only 189 yards combined in their last three games, but they are still big bruising backs, especially Jacobs who at 6'4" 264 lbs is a load to bring down. When Manning does throw the ball, the Eagles' secondary will have to account for WR Steve Smith who has already caught 78 balls for 979 yards and five TD's this season. His second favorite target is Mario Manningham who has 45 receptions for 675 yards and four TD's. As always, keeping constant pressure on Eli is the best way to throw him off his game which often leads to him turning the ball over. In their five losses this season, Manning has turned the ball over nine times.
On paper, the Eagles' strengths outweigh the Giants' weaknesses. The biggest advantage is on the scoreboard. Philadelphia's offense is ranked 6th in points per game with 27.2 and New York's defense is ranked 25th, giving up an average of 23.8 points per game. The key to an Eagle's victory is putting these points on the board early and making the Giants play from behind, which is something they have struggled doing all season long.
]]>Donovan McNabb had a great day completing 14 of 25 attempts for 238 yards and 1 TD. In the absence of his number one target, DeSean Jackson he completed passes to six different receivers with Jeremy Maclin leading the way with four receptions for 83 yards including a 56 yarder that set up a David Akers field goal that gave them a 13-0 lead in the second quarter. In his first game in the Georgia Dome in over three years, Michael Vick had his best day as an Eagle with a five yard run for a score early in the third quarter and a five yard TD's pass to Brent Celek in the fourth to put the game away for good.
The defense held the Falcons to less than 300 yards of total offense and only 61 yards on the ground. The final numbers for Atlanta QB Chris Redman, who was starting for the injured Matt Ryan were 22/44 for 235 yards including 1 TD and 2 interceptions. CB Sheldon Brown returned one of those pics 83 yards for a score that put the Eagles up 27-0 late in the 3rd quarter.
The Eagles have now won three straight and at 8-4 are firmly in position for a wildcard spot in the playoffs. Depending on what happens later today in the Dallas game they could find themselves tied for the lead in the NFC East. Once again they are saving their best for the month of December and will have a chance to sweep their division rival, the Giants with a win in the Meadowlands next Sunday night. After that they are at home for games against San Francisco and Denver before closing out the season in Dallas against the Cowboys in a game that could very well decide which team wins the division.
]]>The Eagles are currently one game behind the 8-3 Cowboys in the NFC East and would have a wildcard spot if the season ended today. The Falcons are currently second to the 11-0 Saints in the NFC South so the division is out of reach, but they are still very much in the race for one of two available wildcard spots.
The biggest storyline for this game is which key players are in and which ones are out. As far as the Eagles, RB Brian Westbrook is still out due to lingering effects of a second concussion he sustained in the San Diego game. The general feeling is that he may actually be done for the season and at best he would be able to return next season. DeSean Jackson is also out with a concussion after taking a blow to the head in last week's game with the Redskins. His status is day to day but he is expected to be back for next week's game against the Giants. The only other casualty for this game is LB Akeem Jordan who is out with a knee injury.
As far as the Falcons the injury situation is a bit more grim. QB Matt Ryan is definitely out with turf toe after injuring his foot in last week's game against Tampa. He will be replaced by Chris Redman, a seven year veteran who will be making his 11th career start. They will also most likely be without RB Michael Turner who aggravated a previous ankle injury in last week's game. His loss will have a far greater impact than Ryan's as he is one of the best backs in the league and a vital part of the Falcon's offense. So far this season he has rushed for 864 yards on a 177 carries for an incredible 4.9 yards per carry average. He is also the teams leading scorer with 10 TD's. He will be replaced by Jason Snelling who has rushed for 267 yards on 66 carries. WR Michael Jenkins, who is nursing a leg injury is also questionable for this game.
One player that isn't injured and will most likely be a huge factor in the Falcon's game plan is TE Tony Gonzalez. We all know that tight ends have a way of coming up big against the Eagles' secondary and this week should be no different. This season he has 61 receptions for 666 yards and is averaging 10.9 yards per catch. Another player to watch is WR Roddy White who has 56 receptions for 770 yards and a 13.8 yards per catch average. Without a solid running game, Redman will have to rely heavily on these two players if the Falcons are to have any chance to win this game.
While the Eagles have missed Westbrook's production, rookie RB LeSean McCoy has done a great job filling the void. He has rushed for 528 yards on a 123 carries which is number one amongst all rookies this season. His 4.3 yards per carry is just a shade less than Westbrook's 4.8. Another pleasant surprise has been FB Leonard Weaver. While his overall numbers are not huge, he has been effective on short yardage situations as well as catching the ball out of the backfield. As far as picking up the slack for Jackson, another rookie Jeremy Maclin is coming into his own as he now has 42 receptions for 540 yards and Jason Avant has proved he can be a deep threat as well.
In his homecoming to the Georgia Dome where he was a human highlight reel for six seasons, do not be surprised in the Eagles find a way to work Michael Vick into the game plan this week. We have been patiently waiting all year for him to make an impact and I couldn't think of a better game for that to happen than this one.
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The main problem in today's game was third down conversions. The Eagles' defense could not get the Redskins off the field allowing them to convert 47% of their third downs attempts with several being long yardage situations. Offensively, Philadelphia struggled with their own third downs, converting only 5 out of 15.
The Redskins struck first in this game scoring on a Jason Campbell 1 yard run after a long drive. The Eagles answered with a David Akers field goal and a 35 yard touchdown pass from Donovan McNabb to a wide open DeSean Jackson to take a 10-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. Washington added another touchdown on a 4 yard pass from Campbell to Santana Moss while the Philly settled for two more Akers field goals to open up a 16-14 lead at the half.
The second half is when the problems began. The Redskins regained the lead on the only points of the third quarter when they scored on a 10 yard pass reception by TE Fred Davis. The Eagles could only manage a few three and outs as they looked completely out of sync. Early in the fourth quarter, Washington added three more points after intercepting McNabb deep in Eagles' territory to open up an eight point lead.
On the next Philadelphia possession the offense finally began to click when McNabb found Jason Avant for a 46 yard reception down to the Redskin 44. From there they were able to move the ball to the Redskin's one yard line where Eldra Buckley punched it in for the score. LeSean McCoy added the two point conversion on a great second effort when after catching a short pass from McNabb, he bulled his way into the end zone to tie the game at 24 with a little more than seven minutes to play.
The Eagles defense rose to the occasion down the stretch getting the ball back to the offense with a little more than five minutes left in the game. They were able to drive the ball deep into Washington territory on a 35 yard pass to Jeremy Maclin who was pushed out of bounds at the 28 yard line. After running the clock down to just under two minutes, Akers added his fourth field goal of the game, a 32 yarder that gave the Eagles the lead for good at 27-24.
This was the kind of game that showed both the Eagles' weaknesses and their strengths. They allowed a team that has struggled to score points all season long to put up 24 points and keep the defense off balance for most of the game. Yet, when they needed to make a crucial stop at the end of the game they came through. The offense was inconsistent for most of the game, but was able to move the ball against a solid Redskin defense when they needed to the most. This time of year it really doesn't matter if you win ugly as long as you win. Today that is exactly what we got.
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In the first meeting back in week seven the Eagles relied on some big plays to beat Washington 27-17. In that game WR DeSean Jackson scored in the first quarter on a 67 yard end around run. Later in the second quarter he scored again, this time on a 57 yard pass from Donovan McNabb. The defense also helped as LB Will Witherspoon, who was just acquired that week from St. Louis intercepted a Redskin QB Jason Campbell pass and returned it 9 yards for the score. They led this game 27-7 at the half and then hung on in the second half for the win.
While you would think this should be an easy win for the Birds as these teams are headed in different directions, the Redskins have a way of keeping the games in Philly very close and are more than capable of pulling off the upset. All one needs to do is look back to week 16 last season when the Eagles were riding a three game winning streak and desperately needed a win at home to make the playoffs. Washington came into the Linc and completely shut the Birds down in a defensive 10-3 upset.
On paper the Eagles win just about every match-up against the Skins on offense. They are ranked 7th in points per game averaging 26.6 and 11th in yards per game with 354.7. The Redskins are ranked 29th only managing 14.6 points per game and 24th in yards per game with 309.6.
Defensively the Redskins have the advantage as they are only giving up an average of 17.8 points per game which is 7th best in the league and only 290 yards per game which has them ranked third. The Eagles' defense is giving up an average of 20.4 points per game, 14th in the league and 305.1 yards per game, ranking them 8th.
This game will come down to momentum. The Eagles need to use the home field advantage by jumping on the Redskins from the start to open up an early lead. The longer they allow this game to stay close the better chance Washington has to pull off an upset. I think last week's heart breaking loss to the Cowboys in a game they should have easily won will have a lingering effect on this team, but you do not want them hanging around in this one late into the 4th quarter.
This game begins the stretch run for the Birds as they need every win they can get to position themselves for the post season. They cannot afford to fall too far behind the Cowboys given the fact that Dallas already has won the first game between the two. While it may not be pretty and may be a little tougher than expected, look for the Eagles to pound out a win against their division rival on Sunday.
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The win moves the Eagles record to 6-4, one game behind the Dallas Cowboys, who squeaked out a 7-6 win over
With the Giants and Cowboys winning on Sunday this was a game that Eagles desperately needed to win and they went out and got the job done. With a patchwork linebacker core and defensive secondary, they were able to hold the Bears in check for most of the game. Cutler ended the night with only 171 yards passing, completing 24 of his 43 attempts for 1 TD and 1 interception. RB Matt Forte was held to 34 yards on 14 carries and TE Greg Olsen had 6 receptions for 42 yards.
Next up for the Birds is rematch with the Redskins this Sunday, who they beat 27-17 back in week seven in
This game is basically a must win for both teams as the loser will seriously jeopardize their chance to make the postseason. The following is a statistical look at how these two teams match up.
Philadelphia Chicago
OFFENSE
Points per Game- 26.9 (5th) 20.7 (20th)
Total Yards - 352 (12th) 334 (19th)
Passing Yards- 250 (9th) 249.1 (10th)
Rushing Yards- 102 (23rd) 85.2 (30th)
The Eagles have the advantage in points per game and rushing yards while the total yards are basically the same. The big difference in these two team's passing game that isn't reflected in these numbers is the number of touchdowns verse interceptions that have been thrown by the starting QB's. Donovan McNabb has thrown 12 TD's and 4 interceptions while Jay Cutler has thrown 14 TD's and 17 interceptions.
DEFFENSE
Points Allowed 20.4 (14th) 22.3 (19th)
Total Yards Allowed 307.4 (9th) 313 (10th)
Passing Yards Allowed 205.6 (10th) 195 (8th)
Rushing Yards Allowed 101.8 (9th) 118.4 (21st)
With the exception of the rushing yards allowed the numbers suggest that these two team's defenses are evenly matched, but once again what they do not show is how opportunistic they are. The Eagles' defense has created 22 turnovers (15 interceptions and 7 recovered fumbles) and scored 2 TD's while the Bear's defense has created 15 turnovers (9 interceptions and 6 recovered fumbles) and scored 1 TD. In closely matched games like this it is usually the team that creates the most turnovers that comes away with the win.
Another big intangible is Special Teams. The Eagles are averaging 20.1 yards a return on kickoffs and 12 yards on punts while the Bears are slightly better averaging 23.9 yards a return on kickoffs and 11 yards on punts. The two players to watch in this category are DeSean Jackson for the Eagles who returns the punts and Devin Hester with the Bears who returns the kickoffs.
The betting line has the Eagles has three point favorites on the road negating the Bear's home field advantage and tipping the scales slightly in favor of the Birds in this one.
Another factor could be Jay Cutler's performance this season in primetime games. In three appearences so far he has thrown 11 interceptions. Let's hope that once again he fades under the bright lights of a national audience, a stage that the Eagles usually seem to shine on.
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