UPDATED: Lightning doesn't strike twice in the desert
Three hours to ecstacy!
Or agony.
Discuss.
UPDATE: Is it too late to fire Andy Reid, or trade McNabb? Suddenly it's November all over again. The Eagles -- who finally score a touchdown as I type this sentence -- have nevertheless been outplayed for the vast majority of this game, which is now 24-13 in the third quarter. I'll keep my keyboard shut and see if they can mount some kind of comeback here.
UPDATE II: Rising from the ashes in Phoenix, sort of. Eagles pull to within 24-19 with a furious 3rd quarter rally, although a bit of a buzzkill here as Reid elects not to go for two and then Akers misses the kick (first time this year.) Hang on for a wild finish.
UPDATE III: Birds lead, 25-25, unbelievable. Not over yet, as Cardinals mounting a mini-drive with eight long minutes left. That Akers kick may really hurt....hope not.
UPDATE IV: Pray for overtime.
UPDATE V: Heartbreaker. An amazing game with so many things to chew on over an off-season that will be three weeks shorter than you thought it was going to be. The Kevin Curtis incomplete pass near the end, which certainly looked like pass interference, is probably the play fans will dwell on, but there were others. Looks like lost NFC title games will be the main legacy of the Reid-McNabb era.
What to do now? How about....nothing, or close to it. I'm serious. The Eagles got this far on a young (at defensive line and linebacker, anyway) defense that's only going to get better, and McNabb is the quarterback who can take them the deepest in the playoffs in '09 and '10. Reid? He redeemed himself a lot with his play calling, etc., in recent weeks, today's loss notwithstanding. He's not going anywhere anyway. The biggest need is finding and grooming a successor to Westbrook, who's not getting any younger.