Now the Philadelphia Eagles have found every which way to lose a football game. Some weeks, they lose by fumbling; there’s been a game where they got sacked too much (12 times); red-zone failures been a main cause; now it’s the wacky and unlucky sound of “CLANK”. That is the sound of a football hitting something made of hollow metal. To be exact, a 57-yard FG attempt by the Eagles kicker David Akers with 6 seconds left in the game. The final resulting play ended with the kicked football hitting the right upright. It should of never came down to that desperate FG attempt. Just like 2 years ago, the Eagles had a similar situation against the Dallas Cowboys. In 2005, Akers attempted a 62-yard FG after the Cowboys Roy Williams had just given Dallas it’s first lead after he intercepted a McNabb pass and returned it for a TD. In that game, McNabb would soon get injured and Mike McMahon would come in for one last desperate drive to setup a last second FG. It missed short and McNabb’s season was over with a sports hernia and the Eagles would be eliminated from playoff contention on a few weeks later.

This last desperate drive took place in the last 53 seconds from their own 11-yd line. The Eagles had to move the ball 89 yards to score a TD, but only needed a FG to send the game into OT. McNabb did move the team quickly up field to get them this last seconds FG attempt. He connected with Reggie Brown for 19 yards. Then he found Greg Lewis for 18 more yards and then Brown again for 9 more. On this last play, the Giants CB Sam Madison held up Brian Westbrook from getting up. That wasted precious seconds. The ref should have called a delay of game penalty on Madison. But the refs were blowing other calls as well during the game, mostly bad calls that hurt the Eagles. The most-worst call was a non-call on a no doubt about pass interference on a fourth down play. The Eagles had the ball in Giants territory and the Giants Antonio Pierce was clearly tackling Jason Avant before the ball arrived causing an incompletion. That turned the ball over on downs instead of giving the Eagles a first down at the Giants 38-yard line. After the two-minute warning, the Eagles held the Giants and forced another punt. There were also some phantom calls too in the first half, which gave the New Yorkers life after the Eagles totally dominated throughout the first quarter. So it all came down to those last 6 seconds. Akers had a kick of a 57-yard FG to just to send the game into OT. The ball rang off the goal post, thus unofficially ending the Eagles playoff dreams.

Philadelphia took the opening kickoff and drove the field with the majority of the plays run by Brian Westbrook. An 18-yard screen pass just 3:13 into the game to Westbrook gave the Eagles an early 7-0 lead. The Giants eventually got their game legs in the second quarter and converted 2 FG’s and only had a 7-6 deficit at the half. Brian Dawkins saved a sure TD on a great takedown tackle of Reuben Droughns at the 1-yd line. He should have had the TD. The defense held New York on 3 straight plays. The Eagles also had some blown opportunities in the first quarter and perhaps the biggest opportunity was at the start of the 3rd quarter. Juqua Thomas stood up Brandon Jacobs and stripped him of the ball. Mike Patterson scooped up the ball and returned it to the Giants 12-yd line. Four plays and no TD. The Eagles settled for an Akers FG. Then it became the Plaxico Burress show. First, Plaxico caught an easy pass over the middle for a 20-yard TD. Philadelphia was blitzing on the play as Sheldon Brown was caught out of position. Then late in the third quarter, Burress caught another Manning pass and rumbled for 41 yards. The Eagles defense held on and forced a Giants FG. New York held a 16-10 lead going into the 4th quarter.

The Eagles defense did give up a few big plays and they could not cover Burress effectively throughout the game. Burress ended up with 136 yards on 7 receptions. Westbrook had a big game too, rushing 20 times for 116 yards and adding another 38 passing yards. Neither QB was spectacular or bad. But the Eagles offense led by McNabb was stagnant throughout the entire 2nd and 3rd quarters. The Eagles defense forced two fumbles and all the Eagles managed off those turnovers was 3 points. This was just another game that the Eagles should of won and are now 0-5 in games decided by 4 points or less for the first time in the franchise’s 75-year history. If the Eagles would of kicked that FG on that 4th down play at least the Eagles would of sent the game into OT. The season will be officially over next week, when the Eagles travel to Dallas to face the Cowboys. The Cowboys should crush what little life there is left in the Eagles.