Onto the NFC Championship. The Eagles beat the Giants 23-11 to keep the playoff run going. Well done, gentlemen.
This really was a team win. The defense kept the Giants out of the endzone. The offense came live late in the first half and continued that into the 2nd half. They piled up 16 points and more than 240 yards in that span. Special teams had one miscue, a long KOR, but came up big with field goals and was good at coverage most of the game.
Donovan McNabb came up huge. He threw the ball well. The wind had little affect on his throws. He made good decisions. He threw for a TD and sneaked for 1. He did throw a couple of picks, but neither was completely his fault and neither really hurt us.
Individuals made some huge plays. McNabb and Avant connected on a pass play that moved the chains on 3rd/20. We ended up getting a FG on that drive. That put us ahead and we never relinquished the lead. Asante Samuel had a huge INT and returned it to the 1-yard line. That set up our first TD. David Akers got Bradshaw out of bounds on the long KOR and kept him from scoring. Akers also was 4 of 4 on FGs. Kevin Curtis made some key catches in the 2nd half and also made a huge tackle of Fred Robbins after an INT. Sheldon Brown showed great hustle in chasing down Jacobs from the other side of the field and tackling him after a long run. That could have turned into a huge gain.
The defense was awesome. Sure, they did give up 138 rushing yards. They kept the Giants out of the endzone and they came up big on 3rd downs. And 4th downs. The 2 4th down stops were huge. That vaunted rushing attack couldn't come through on key plays. Our defense did.
The thing I like most about this team right now is their character. They don't panic when something goes wrong. They re-group and go to the next play. They don't relax when things go well. They stay focused. There seems to be a real sense of togetherness with this group. It is hard to put a value on that, but I think it is key to the winning right now.
I really like this team.
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6 comments:
People blasting Mcnabb on the EMB as usual, saying he had nothing to do with the win. All of the blame in a loss, none of the credit in a win. I would understand if he did want to leave after this season, this is a tough town to QB in.
Key Mcnabb plays:
Fights through 2 defenders and delivers a strike to Avant who gets the first on a 3rd and 20.
Long pass to Desean Jackson late in the game to set up 1st and goal.
great first down throws to Kevin Curtis, LJ Smith to keep drives alive.
QB sneak, stretches ball for the TD.
Throw all that in together with a running game only helping with 43 total yards and I'll take it.
I really like this team.
Yay, team!
Brian Dawkins pregame speech:
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/index2.html
Great win! I think the Eagles look like the Ravens, with a better offense. Love our defense right now.
I think we should all stop right now and acknowledge the following truth:
There is no such thing as a Super Bowl quality team.
There is such a thing as a playoff quality team. If you are good enough to make the playoffs, you are good enough to win the Super Bowl. You don't have to have a running team to win the Super Bowl. You don't have to be a strong defense. You don't have to be a strong offense. You don't need playoff experience or a veteran QB. You don't need a charismatic or genius or highly experienced coach.
You merely need to be good enough to get into the playoffs. If that is true, you have a legitimate shot at going all the way.
Luck, momentum, and health are the biggest factors in differentiating a playoff team from a Super Bowl team. When we all recognize that, we will enjoy the ride -- and the annual legitimate shot at the playoffs -- that this franchise gives us year in and year out.
-- shlynch
Good stuff Lynch.
I've said some similar stuff to people recently. This team is talented, but it also helps that all the key guys are healthy right now.
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