Monday, October 18, 2004
Oh sweet revenge …
The outcome was hardly a surprise (I see that a whopping 94% of Yahoo!’s pick ‘em participants picked the Eagles to win), but it was sort of a nice thing to see the Eagles even up the score from last January’s NFC title game. It was hardly a fair fight: the Eagles have vastly improved themselves, while the Panthers looked like a shell of the team that came within three points of winning the Super Bowl. Still, a win is a win, and this win elevated the Eagles to 5-0, one of just three undefeated teams left in the NFL.
-T.O. was right in saying that the Eagles offense didn’t play well. While T.O. had a terrific day on paper (123 receiving yards always looks good), all of his yards came on plays in the first half. The Eagles managed just ten first downs. 42 of the Eagles 81 rushing yards came from Westbrook’s TD run in the fourth quarter which iced the game. Here is a sobering thought: of the Eagles 283 yards of offense, 146 came on just three plays: T.O.’s 53 and 51 yard catches, and Westbrook’s TD run. That’s 51%. Not good. Luckily, those plays led (directly and indirectly) to 17 points.
-What happened to the Eagles wideouts? After the first drive Pinkston practically disappeared from the game. Eagles not wearing #81 had just 86 yards receiving. That’s pathetic. Those stats remind me of the bad old days when McNabb would be drilling Thrash in the hands, only to see him drop it.
-And what happened to the running game? Throw out Westbrook’s run and the Eagles had just 2 yards a carry. Is Westbrook running down already?
-This game really was the defense’s day: two sacks, four picks, and no real big plays given up. Again, Kearse was a key: Jake Delhomme may have completed 24 throws, but he was pressured and harried all day long and he took some brutal hits. Thanks to the pressure from Kearse & Co., the Panthers averaged just 4.2 yards a pass (the Eagles: 7.5) … And hats off to Lito Shepard for a terrific performance on the corner. I’ve been a doubter, but he came through with two picks. Nice job.
Last year the offense carried the team. This year it is the defense. Lots of Pro Bowlers back there.
-Next up, the 3-3 Cleveland Browns a team that is 0-3 on the road and 3-0 at home. Ominously, the Eagles have to travel to the Mistake by the Lake (as Pittsburghers derisively refer to Cleveland as) for this game. Could this be the dead-knell for the Eagles quest for an undefeated season? It has all of the ear-marks of an upset game, given that the Eagles will have to travel to enemy territory and face off with a team that is playing much better than their record indicates, while the Eagles offense appears to be stalling a little. I still say the Eagles win, but it is a nail-biter: Eagles 21, Browns 20
(Oh, and who did the Eagles schedule? Three in a row against the AFC North, three in a row against the NFC North, three in a row against the NFC East? Balance!)
If the Eagles do survive, they’ll be just one of two 6-0 teams left in the NFL: the Jets-Pats showdown next Sunday will thin the ranks of the unbeaten one way or the other. If the Eagles can survive the coming games with the AFC North (Steelers, Ravens, and Browns) they’ll be sitting in the drivers seat. The Giants have tough games against the Vikings and Lions coming up, and the Cowboys and Redskins can’t afford to fall any further behind then they already are. At worst, the Eagles should be 6-2 (but more likely 7-1 or 8-0) going into the big Monday Night showdown in Dallas on November 15. As soon as the Eagles dispatch the Giants on November 28, the Eagles can start thinking of home field.
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-T.O. was right in saying that the Eagles offense didn’t play well. While T.O. had a terrific day on paper (123 receiving yards always looks good), all of his yards came on plays in the first half. The Eagles managed just ten first downs. 42 of the Eagles 81 rushing yards came from Westbrook’s TD run in the fourth quarter which iced the game. Here is a sobering thought: of the Eagles 283 yards of offense, 146 came on just three plays: T.O.’s 53 and 51 yard catches, and Westbrook’s TD run. That’s 51%. Not good. Luckily, those plays led (directly and indirectly) to 17 points.
-What happened to the Eagles wideouts? After the first drive Pinkston practically disappeared from the game. Eagles not wearing #81 had just 86 yards receiving. That’s pathetic. Those stats remind me of the bad old days when McNabb would be drilling Thrash in the hands, only to see him drop it.
-And what happened to the running game? Throw out Westbrook’s run and the Eagles had just 2 yards a carry. Is Westbrook running down already?
-This game really was the defense’s day: two sacks, four picks, and no real big plays given up. Again, Kearse was a key: Jake Delhomme may have completed 24 throws, but he was pressured and harried all day long and he took some brutal hits. Thanks to the pressure from Kearse & Co., the Panthers averaged just 4.2 yards a pass (the Eagles: 7.5) … And hats off to Lito Shepard for a terrific performance on the corner. I’ve been a doubter, but he came through with two picks. Nice job.
Last year the offense carried the team. This year it is the defense. Lots of Pro Bowlers back there.
-Next up, the 3-3 Cleveland Browns a team that is 0-3 on the road and 3-0 at home. Ominously, the Eagles have to travel to the Mistake by the Lake (as Pittsburghers derisively refer to Cleveland as) for this game. Could this be the dead-knell for the Eagles quest for an undefeated season? It has all of the ear-marks of an upset game, given that the Eagles will have to travel to enemy territory and face off with a team that is playing much better than their record indicates, while the Eagles offense appears to be stalling a little. I still say the Eagles win, but it is a nail-biter: Eagles 21, Browns 20
(Oh, and who did the Eagles schedule? Three in a row against the AFC North, three in a row against the NFC North, three in a row against the NFC East? Balance!)
If the Eagles do survive, they’ll be just one of two 6-0 teams left in the NFL: the Jets-Pats showdown next Sunday will thin the ranks of the unbeaten one way or the other. If the Eagles can survive the coming games with the AFC North (Steelers, Ravens, and Browns) they’ll be sitting in the drivers seat. The Giants have tough games against the Vikings and Lions coming up, and the Cowboys and Redskins can’t afford to fall any further behind then they already are. At worst, the Eagles should be 6-2 (but more likely 7-1 or 8-0) going into the big Monday Night showdown in Dallas on November 15. As soon as the Eagles dispatch the Giants on November 28, the Eagles can start thinking of home field.
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