December 12, 2007
After getting manhandled by the G-Men from New York back in Week 4, the Eagles tried to even the score on their home turf; and better their playoff chances in the process. Philadelphia entered the game with a 5-7 record, just a game behind the Minnesota Vikings and the Arizona Cardinals (both 6-6).
The Eagles started the game with a bang, as Donovan McNabb, returning after missing the last two games with injuries, hit Brian Westbrook for an 18-yard score on their first possession. Westbrook surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight season in the game. He had another solid game, with 116 yards rushing and 36 receiving.
McNabb completed 20 of 30 pass attempts, but the crowd was not pleased with some of his decision-making, which has been McNabb’s Achilles heel all season. The Eagles failed to score another touchdown.
Fan favorite Brian Dawkins had a great defensive game. The Giants’ Reuben Droughns had a 35-yard run in the second quarter, and Dawkins decided to take down Droughns at the one-yard line, while many players would have just given up.
This proved to be one of the biggest plays of the game, as the Eagles D stuffed the New York running backs and pressured Giants quarterback Eli Manning into an incomplete pass, forcing the G-Men to settle for a field goal.
Manning picked up his play in the second half, though. He hit stud wide receiver Plaxico Burress for a 20-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Burress, 6 feet 4 inches, abused sub-6-foot-tall cornerbacks Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown all day. By the end of the fourth quarter, it was 16-13 Giants, and Philly had to go 89 yards in 53 seconds to score.
McNabb completed a 19-yard pass to Reggie Brown and an 18-yard pass to Greg Lewis, spiked the ball to stop the clock and then hit Brown for another 13 yards. This set up David Akers’ 57-yard field goal attempt with five seconds left. It bounced off the right upright.
With the loss, the Eagles are now two games behind the Vikings, who won this week. The Cardinals lost, but are still a game up on Philly. All in all, the Birds’ playoff hopes are relatively nonexistent. With the 12-1 Dallas Cowboys to play next week, and the 7-6 Buffalo Bills in the final game of the season, wins do not seem likely.
Philadelphia needs a miracle to make the playoffs, and this season has been less than heavenly.
