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Eagles @ Patriots, Playoffs On The Line
Well, this is a fine way to end the long weekend, Prime Time football for the Eagles. Yes, Donovan McNabb is out, yes the Birds are down to their third-string strong safety (and the first two were nothing to shake a stick at). Yes, they're playing the best team in the league, by a large margin. Yes, they're 24-point underdogs. So what? I'm still going to be watching. I'll be updating sporadically throughout the game, so check back and leave your thoughts in the comments. This game does have a lot of meaning for the Eagles. Here are the Wild Card standings for the NFC as of kickoff.
- Giants (7-4 and sinking)
- Lions (6-5 and dropping like a rock)
- Eagles (5-5)
- New Orleans (5-6, big win today)
- Arizona (5-6, lost to S.F. today)
- Chicago (5-6, big win today)
- Minnesota (5-6, killed the Giants today)
Check after the jump for in-game updates. Let's go Birds!
- Key to success, 25+ carries for Westbrook. Hit that number, and I like our chances.
- Feeley interception returned for a touchdown, good start. 7-0, Assholes.
- Nice to see the Eagles go for it on 4th and a half-yard. Feeley gets it on the sneak, let's punch it in here. Need 7 out of this drive.
- Westbrook over the top for at TD, 7-7, tie.
- Great, great drive for Feeley and the Eagles. Tom Brady also hasn't been on the field for the first 8:22. That would be a much more impressive stat if the Patriots' D didn't put that TD up.
- The Eagles open up with a three-man front. Good to see, DB's all over the field.
- Juqua with a sack and more importantly, a hard hit on Brady.
- The Patriots are knocking on the door, first and goal from about the three. They still haven't called a running play. The key play on the drive so far was a 33-yard pass. J.R. Reed fell down in coverage. Wonderful.
- Heath Evans falls in for a TD. 14-7, Assholes.
- Eagles driving past mid-field as the first quarter comes to an end.
- Nice block by Hank Baskett to open up a 14-yard gainer for Westbrook on the ground.
- First trick play turns into a short gainer on a run by Avant. Was supposed to be a double pass, but the play was covered so he tucked it. Smart.
- 12 runs, 12 passes so far. Nice balance. Driving inside the 30 now. Need another 7.
- Touchdown Greg Lewis! What an amazing throw/catch. 14-14, tie.
- Onside kick, Eagles recover. Here we go.
- Run the ball right down their throats now. The New England D has been on the field this entire game.
- Three and out, Patriots' ball at the 20 after a Sav Rocca punt sails through the end zone.
- Dawkins just slipped, that's at least the second time a DB has slipped, maybe an equipment change is needed.
- Gocong picks up the first sack for an Eagles LB this season.
- The defense holds them to a field goal. 17-14, Assholes.
- Eagles need to mount another drive here. Keep the New England D on the field for 5 minutes or more and cash in with points of any kind.
- Time of possession so far: 13:39 Eagles, 9:39 Patriots.
- Still only 1 called running play for the Pats.
- Greg Lewis with a huge 3rd down catch. Where have you been all year?
- Another TD to Greg Lewis on 3rd and 10. Unbelievable. 21-17, Eagles.
- J.R. Reed is doing some hitting out there. He just separated the ball from Randy Moss on a play inside the 10.
- The Pats catch a break on a questionable call that wasn't reviewed. TD to Gaffney. 24-21, Assholes. 8 seconds left in the half.
- Sheldon Brown blew the coverage on that last TD horribly. Just pitiful.
- As heartening as the first half was, the Eagles aren't going to stay in this game much longer if they don't get a couple of stops. Brady has led his team to a score every time he's touched the ball.
- On offense, keep doing what you're doing. Long drives that end up in TDs are just as effective as quick ones. The Patriots D has been on the field for most of the first half, now is the time to make them pay with the running game.
- Akers makes the tackle on the kickoff, luckily there was a hold so they'll be pushed back to start the third quarter.
- Down goes Brady on third and long. That's one hold. Keep 'em coming D.
- Eagles' ball at the 45.
- Three and out. Horrible use of that field position. Patriots' ball on the 11.
- Welker over the middle is killing the Eagles. Joselio Hanson cannot stick with him.
- The Pats are going to the running game now, four carries for Maroney on this drive.
- 3rd and 12 goes for about 40 on a bubble screen to Welker. J.R. Reed is hurt. First and goal, not good.
- Offensive pass interference on Moss, the fans in Foxboro disagree. F*ck them.
- Dawkshow just misses a pick in the endzone.
- Gostkowski misses a chip-shot field goal. That's two holds to start the second half. Now we just need a TD here.
- 3rd and 10 completion to Curtis for 19 yards. Keep moving the chains.
- Flea-flicker completion to Baskett for a first down at 26 yard-line.
- TD to Reggie Brown, right into the teeth of a quarter (6 DBs) defense. 28-24, Eagles.
- Son of a bitch. The D held, then special teams gives the Pats a first down with a neutral zone infraction. Looks like a B.S. call to me, the center flinched. Nick Cole was the culprit.
- That's all she wrote for the third quarter. It'll be 3rd and 6 when the fourth starts. The D needs to come up big here and pick up the special teams group who extended this drive.
- Great coverage by Gaither to break up a 3rd and 4 pass to the tight end. The Pats are going for it on 4th, or at least trying to draw the Eagles offsides.
- TURNOVER ON DOWNS!!!!!!!!!
- Now it's time to put Westbrook to work. Take 8 minutes off the clock, grind it out and put a TD on the board.
- The Eagles manage one first down, then have to punt from the 45. Westbrook with a key drop on third down.
- Poor punt from Rocca, Brady gets the ball back just shy of the 30.
- Screens are killing the Eagles. The Pats are driving, first and 10 on the thirty.
- The Eagles call their second time out with 9:37 left on the clock, hope they don't need the T.O.s later.
- Welker over the middle again for a third and long conversion. That's 11 catches for that bastard.
- First and goal inside the 5. 12 catches for Welker.
- TD Maroney. 31-28, Assholes.
- 7:14 to go, the Eagles are backed way up against their goal line. Time for a miracle drive A.J.
- Interception in the end zone. All they needed to do was run the ball. Unreal. 3:52 left, only one time out. Two first downs for the Pats and this one is history.
- 3rd and 1, this is the game.
- False start makes it 3rd and 6. Brady completes to Gaffney for the first down. The Eagles are out of timeouts, best-case scenario, they get the ball back with zero timeouts and maybe 50 seconds left on the clock. Unless the Pats throw an incomplete pass, which I don't see them doing.
- OK, Westbrook is back to return the punt. 31 seconds on the clock. The Pats take a timeout to run the clock down as far as possible.
- 19 seconds, ball on the 25. They need about 40 yards for a legit shot.
- Interception Feeley. That's all she wrote.
- A tough loss, and also a QB controversy. I can't honestly say that I think Donovan McNabb should start next week's game.
Hunt's inactive. Not sure why. Great start, huh? Westbrook looked good on that run, maybe they just hand him the ball every play from here on out.
Plenty of great football today! I'm psyched for this game (again, not playing with a full deck).
Is Tony Hunt still on the team? He's been MIA for quite a while.
WOW... That isn't a good thing. Do you think if Feeley really blows it that we'll see Kolb?
Still optimistic,
WOW, Reid's running back kicks... if he gets hurt, we're out our another starter (albeit 3rd string) and that's scary as they'll be down to the water boy at that point. What about Buckhalter... hasn't he returned kicks before?
I don't think we're going to see Kolb tonight. And I think that's probably a good thing. Don't want him to see his first action in this situation.
You know what the best thing was about this score?
They kept New England's Defense on the field for over eight minutes.... wear 'em down.....slow 'em down. High scoring games favor New England....
GO BIRDS!
Why didn't the Eagles keep Jabbar Gaffney? He's better than Greg Lewis. Ex-Eagles always hurt us, don't they? (Thrash, Gaffney, Owens)
Reed fell down on that 33-yard completion to Gaffney. Unreal.
There's Buck back to return the kickoff.
Jabbar Gaffney is hurtin' us. Bagachick looks like a freaking genius. He's using his last receiver on the depth chart! Who would be more motivated to beat the Eagles than a guy they cut in training camp last year?
Your predicted final score may the score at the half.
Yeah, but a high scoring game doesn't help us.
But if Feeley could lead the Fins to victory against the Pats, he could do it here.....
Another Greg Lewis catch. Greg Lewis is looking like Randy Moss. Woulda thunk it?
Isn't it great how flabbergasted Madden and Michaels are in the fact that the Eagles aren't laying down and dying?
Feeley is my hero.
I remember that game that Feeley lead the lowly Dolphins over the Pats. The Pats, for all their might, have been beaten by some of the worst teams over the past five years... the Nills, the Jets and the Fins. Surely we're better than any of them....
Did you see Gaffney make the wing flapping motion after his TD? Isn't that taunting? Owens got called for that before against the Eagles.
I was too busy trying to figure out why they didn't review it.
did you guys see gaffney on the sidelines saying fuck these motherfuckers fuck em for real fuck em..i hope jr reed takes his head off
Yeah, I was wondering why they didn't review it, but it's A. the New England Patriots, and B. their home field. There is such a thing as the home field advantage.
Reed is laying some wood out there. We need stops. The O is clicking, just get a stop or two.
WHOA!!!!!! The Football gods must be Eagle fans! Offensive Pass interference on Moss!
Steve, did you see Gaffney waving his arms to imitate the Eagles flapping after his TD? Isn't that taunting?
OH S**T! What happened to Reed, Brian? What scrub is his backup?
Love that flea flicker to my boy Hank Baskett!
They haven't said what happened to Reed yet. His backup is off the practice squad, undrafted, I believe.
Time for an INT from Gocong or Gaither. There haven't been any INTs from our LBs yet this year, have there?
Not a one. The LBs have played well in general, just haven't made many impact plays. This would be a great time to change that.
Welker may be hurting us, but Gaffney is killing us. Time for that INT to be run back by the D
A friend told me on Thanksgiving something about McNabb commenting to the media not to blame him for the Eagle troubles, but to blame Reid and his distractions. I hadn't heard anything about this... have you?
Hadn't heard that comment from McNabb. 19 seconds.
Helluva game. Eagles earned some pride and respect here and played well.