This was no game for high rating or even for good entertainment. Yes, the Eagles won 17-7 over the hapless 0-10 Miami Dolphins, who in the end of this season will better the record of the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs finished the season at 0-14. Miami could go 0-16. This game featured lousy weather, bad field conditions and worse football action. These games seem more common the last few years than ever before. A badly, lackadaisical effort by the offense by the Eagles and matched against a totally non-existent offense by the Dolphins made this game almost unbearable to watch. Watching laundry dry on a spring day can be more fun. The Eagles amassed 352 total yards, with just 150 of those through the air. Miami could only muster 186 total yards and no offensive TD’s. Their only TD came on a game-breaking punt return of 87-yards by the Dolphins first round pick Ted Ginn, Jr. (9th pick overall). That gave the Dolphins a 7-0 lead at the start of the second quarter. The Eagles managed just a 37-yd FG in the first half despite two long drives, which both ended in INT’s. If not for Westbrook’s m148 rushing yard performance on 32 carries, the Eagles would have lost this game 7-3 or 7-6.

Halfway through the first quarter, McNabb drove the team down the field, mostly due to the running of Brian Westbrook. With 2nd-and-6 at the Dolphins 28-yard line, McNabb threw his first INT on a pass meant for Reggie Brown. Brown was completely covered on the play and Jason Allen, who broke right in front of Brown, easily intercepted the pass. The second INT came early in the 2nd quarter from the Miami 29-yd line. This time Allen intercepted a pass thrown to Kevin Curtis at the 2-yd line. In fact, McNabb completed just 3-of-11 passes for no TD’s and 2 INT’s. His QB rating was a career low at 0.4. Then he got hurt on a play that he was forced to get rid of the ball earlier than he wanted. Miami CB Michael Lehan tackled him and his ankle got twisted. He never returned. In came AJ Feeley, who didn’t look much better. On his first series, he too was intercepted, this time by Andre Goodman on 3rd-and-7 from the Miami 25. McNabb earlier did throw a nice TD pass to LJ Smith on a 46-yd flea-flicker pass play. But the play was nullified by an offensive holding penalty. So in a game, which the Eagles should of possibly, had a 24-7 lead, instead were down 7-3.

The second half went much better. Correll Buckhalter’s 8-yd run just 3:51 into the third quarter gave the Eagles a 10-7 lead. Then early in the fourth quarter, AJ Feeley found an open Jason Avant for a 4-yard TD pass over the middle. That extended the Philadelphia lead to 17-7. The score would not change anymore. This last TD drive featured runs of 16, 23, 8 and 9 yards by Brian Westbrook. Miami had no real answer for Westbrook on the ground, but did manage to hold him to just one catch and zero yards. The Miami Dolphins had one last gasp when they had first-and-goal at the Eagles 1-yd line. The first three plays resulted in nothing, then on 4th down on the 1, Jesse Chatman took a pitch for a right end sweep, but the Eagles Juqua Thomas was waiting for the running back, forcing the back to the 13-yard line where he was gang tackled. The Dolphins never touched the ball again as the Eagles ran the clock out. It was an important win as it improved the Eagles record to 5-5. But they better play better or else they could be face a disaster like 62-10 against the New England Patriots. The Pats are 10-0 and are now everyone’s favorite to win the Super Bowl. Next week’s game will be a nationally televised game set for 8:15 Sunday night. The big question is who’ll start as Eagles QB next? We’ll just have to wait and see.