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Eagles QB Donovan McNabb darts for the endzone. He had a choice of either
passing to Ritchie for the TD or running it in himself. He chose the latter
as there were no Redskin defenders anywhere near the play. He was personally
responsible for 4 TD's on the game, the first time since last year's game
against the Arizona Cardinals. That game, he threw 4 TD's on a broken ankle.
Donovan McNabb was voted for the first time for QB on the NFC All-Pro Team.
It will mark the fourth consecutive trip to Honolulu. No other current QB
can say that!
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Philadelphia Eagles'
Stat Of The Week
Chad Lewis' first quarter TD catch was his first touchdown in 23 games.
Correll Buckhalter's 11-yard TD reception was his first of his career.
The Eagles scored 25 or more points in seven straight games for the first time
in franchise history. The Eagles finished 12-4 for the second straight year.
They're the the only team to win their division in each of the last 3 seasons
and the first team to win the NFC East three years in a row since the Cowboys
of 1992 to 1995. The Eagles swept both the Redskins and the Giants in the same year.
The other 6 times they accomplished that was in 1947, 1948, 1949, 1960 and 1980.
those other 5 times, the Eagles made it to the NFL Championship game. The Eagles
are now a NFL-best 25-7 on the road since 2000.
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McNabb & Defense Cruise To Victory
Easily Over Hapless Redskins, 31-7
This game was no contest at all. Andy Reid showed us once again why is one of the top-notched coaches in the
NFL today. That is, winning a game after losing the previous week. The Eagles won this game, both on offense
and defense. In Fact, it was the first time this year that the defense held an opponent to single digits in
the scoring column. Donovan McNabb had another sensational night, finishing with a QB rating of 124.7 for the
game. He completed 23-of-32 passes for 242 yards. He also accounted for all 4 TD’s: 1 running TD and 3 passing
TD’s. After his rushing TD, he showed us his best dance steps. He actually imitated Michael Jackson and his
“Thriller” dance from the early 80’s. Correll Buckhalter and Freddie Mitchell also showed their dances in the
end zone after scoring touchdowns. The game’s early momentum shifted quickly as the Redskins missed on an
early FG attempt. McNabb then drove the Birds quickly on an 8-play 57-yard TD drive. McNabb had his “A” game
working once again under the lights on a primetime special Saturday night game. On the Eagles first TD, the
Redskins somehow forgot to cover Chad Lewis. McNabb quickly read the situation and called for the quick snap.
He turned and fired a perfect strike to Lewis who was standing alone in the end zone. It was only 7-0, but you
just knew that the Eagles were in for a big night.
The Philadelphia Eagles would actually score touchdowns the first three times they had possession. But it was
that second drive that broke Washington’s back for good. It all started with a great punt by Brian Barker as
his punt rolled dead on the Eagles 4-yard line for a 69-yarder. Donovan McNabb then methodically drove the
offense on its longest TD march of the year. It was a long 14-play 96-yard drive that consumed 8:40 of the
clock. He was 6-of-8 passing and completed a big 40-yard pass downfield to Todd Pinkston. Pinkston had a good
night, catching 3 passes for 74 yards. The drive finally ended with McNabb waltzing into the end zone for a
14-0 lead. Defensive tackle Corey Simon then sacked Hasselback causing a fumble, which was recovered by N.D.
Kalu deep in Redskins territory. Three plays later, McNabb connected with Freddie Mitchell for a 21-yard TD
strike. That made the score 21-0 and most of the air that was left in the Redskins balloon simply evaporated
into the atmosphere. The Eagles took the opening drive of the second half and drove the field again scoring
another touchdown. This drive covered 74 yards and lasted 6:44 before Buckhalter scored on an 11-yard pass.
The score was 28-7. Akers later added a FG to finish the scoring and the game at 31-7.
It was important for Philly to win this game tonight and to win it big looking rather impressive. The win gave
the Eagles their third straight divisional title and a first round bye. The only bad news was the possible loss
of Brian Westbrook for the playoffs. More on this subject next week! Then on Sunday, Christmas arrived in
Philadelphia for the second time in one week as the Detroit Lions defeated the Rams 30-20, giving back
home-field advantage to the Eagles. It is the second straight year for Philly with this advantage. Darwin
Walker said it best; “First of all, you have the frozen tundra of Philly, with the grimy, mean, nasty fans
that nobody else in the NFL has. Everybody is excited and passionate about the Eagles. It’s hostile territory.
Coming to play the Eagles is not a fun thing, trust me.” The Eagles have all the cards once again in their favor
for a second straight year. This year, we have more injuries, especially on defense, but we have a very healthy
Donovan McNabb. We have a McNabb who is playing at a level never before seen in these parts. The combination of
having that bye and QB playing out of his head is a dangerous situation for whichever team happens to show
themselves in 2 weeks. The Eagles are right now the best team in the NFC and all roads to Houston
(Super Bowl XXXVIII) lead through South Philly. The Eagles made another loud statement that losing to the
Niners last week was just a blip on the radar. There is playoff fever alive and well again in the Delaware
Valley. Go Eagles. Go Birds!!
E-A-G-L-E-S .... EAGLES
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