IS GETTING SICK OF ALL THE INJURIES
Before we get to this week's Man Up, I know there is a lot of interest in the playoff scenarios, so you can check those out here.
Without further ado:
Donovan McNabb - In the first half, that was as good as we've seen McNabb all year. 15-for-19 for 242 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Strong, accurate throws. Letting his receivers make plays. Getting everyone involved. Making nice reads, such as the one on the touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson when the Broncos were bringing a blitz. In the second half, he struggled. As did the offense. McNabb completed just five of 16 passes. He was definitely under more pressure, and there were other factors that skewed the numbers. Brian Westbrook admitted after the game that he slipped on one route. The interception was a bad one. McNabb had all day and then made a poor decision and a poor throw in Jackson's direction. If you're a glass half-full type of person, you should be encouraged that McNabb still tried to let his receivers make plays. Jeremy Maclin almost made a great grab on a deep ball down the sideline, and Jackson drew a big pass interference penalty. McNabb also deserves credit for the 27-yard scramble on 3rd-and-25 and the throw to Maclin that set up the game-winning field goal.
LeSean McCoy - He played well, but six carries isn't enough. Twenty-seven yards on the ground and the one screen that went for 39. Great individual effort on that play, breaking a couple tackles, including an attempt by Brian Dawkins. As a blocker, he got just enough of a blitzing Dawkins to give McNabb time on the 35-yard throw to Brent Celek in the first. In the second half, he was so eager to pick up a blitzer that he hit the shotgun snap before McNabb recovered.
Brian Westbrook - I had him down for 25 snaps. The 9-yard carry in the first was his longest on the day as Westbrook bounced it outside. No success with the screen game. Overall, an OK performance, considering the circumstances. We should know more about what he'll be able to contribute in the postseason after the Cowboys game.
Leonard Weaver - Back in a more traditional fullback role, Weaver did a good job chipping and blocking. On the ground, just seven carries for 20 yards.
Winston Justice - Not as good of a performance as the previous week, but Justice was good for the most part in pass protection. On one throw, he was pushed back into McNabb, causing him to throw high on a 2nd-and-25 pass intended for Maclin. Nice block by Justice on an 11-yard McCoy run in the third. Justice was whistled for a false start and probably could have been called for another that instead was credited to Jason Peters.
Nick Cole - Asked to move over to center, I thought Cole did a nice job. In terms of snaps, we went over this yesterday, but there were a couple mishaps.
Max Jean-Gilles - He made two really nice plays in the run game after taking over for Cole at right guard. One was on a 6-yard Westbrook carry, and the other was on an 11-yard McCoy run in the third.
Jamaal Jackson - Gotta feel for the guy. For what it's worth, Jackson was doing a superb job in the run game on the first and second possessions before he went down.
Todd Herremans - He had some trouble for the second week in a row. Herremans got no push on a 2nd-and-1 Westbrook carry in the first, and he did not get the job done on a McCoy run in the second. On a Westbrook shovel pass, he could not get to the next level, and Herremans was called for a false start in the third. He made a nice block on McCoy's 9-yard run in the first and probably got away with a hold on the 9-yard Westbrook carry in the second.
Jason Peters - Not a good performance for Peters. He was beat by Robert Ayers off the edge in the first quarter, forcing McNabb to throw early and incomplete. Peters gave up a sack on McNabb's blind side to Elvis Dumervil, which resulted in a turnover. He did not block anyone on the direct snap to Jackson. I'm not sure how he wasn’t called for a false start on the 47-yard throw to Celek in the second. Peters was flagged earlier in the game.
Brent Celek - A beast in the first half with four catches for 121 yards, but nothing in the second half. Celek made a great one-handed catch over the middle for 31 yards. As a blocker, I thought this was one of his better performances in awhile. Celek made some nice plays in the run game. He gave up a sack to Dumervil in the second half, but I'm not sure it's fair to expect a tight end to block the league's sack leader one-on-one.
Alex Smith - I'll check out the offensive personnel packages tonight, but worth noting that he was on the field even though he didn't make a catch.
DeSean Jackson - The numbers are not what we've come to expect - four catches for 33 yards. But let's remember that McNabb's throw was just out of his reach on the game's first play, and Jackson also drew a key 41-yard pass interference penalty in the third quarter. By the way, it should be noted that there was a tremendous buzz at the Linc in the fourth when the Broncos were punting to him. Huge X-factor in Week 17 and the playoffs.
Jeremy Maclin - I'll be honest. Given the extreme length of this game, I did not catch the final drive on my DVR the second time around (who knew an extra half-hour wouldn't be enough?). Maclin made the catch that probably defines his young career. Great, clutch play. Overall, six catches for 92 yards for the game's leading receiver.
Jason Avant - Great concentration on the touchdown. Avant also made a great grab over the middle near the goal line in the first quarter. Overall, two catches for 25 yards.
Reggie Brown - With Maclin healthy, Brown was back in the No. 4 position, but the coaching staff did choose to make him active over Kevin Curtis. Just one catch for 7 yards. He got a terrible spot on the play, which left the Eagles 1 yard short of a first down. It should be noted that Brown ran his route to the marker though. He ended up having to come back to the ball a little bit.
