As always, here are my 10 observations from the Eagles' 20-14 win over the Giants:
1. Just when people started questioning Brian Westbrook’s health, age and ability, he responded with a historic back-to-back stretch, proving once again why he’s one of the best weapons in the NFL, and also a fan favorite. Against the Giants, he carried 33 times for 131 yards and caught six balls for 72 yards. In the last two games, he's piled up 241 yards on the ground, 92 yards receiving and six total touchdowns. In 2003, Westbrook returned a punt 84 yards for the game-winning touchdown in a 14-10 Eagles win over the Giants at the Meadowlands. In 2008, perhaps he saved the season.
2. Defensive game ball goes to Trent Cole. We’ve heard he’s a liability against the run, and that’s probably been a fair point this season. But he was all over the place today. In the beginning of the second quarter, Cole blocked a Giants’ field-goal attempt from 47 yards away by leaping over the New York line. But my favorite sequence from Cole came in the fourth quarter with the Eagles leading, 17-7. On first down, Cole had a hold of Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw but then lost him. He got back up and made the tackle for a 3-yard loss. Three plays later, he and Darren Howard combined to pressure Eli Manning and force a fourth-down incompletion, giving the Eagles’ offense possession.
3. He’s been killed plenty of times this season and throughout his career, and rightfully so. But it’s only right we give L.J. Smith some credit for this game. The numbers aren’t really astounding – six catches for 44 yards. But Smith made some plays at big times. With 2:49 left in the second quarter, he made a nice move for a 10-yard gain on third-and-nine from the Eagles’ 48-yard line. Later in the drive he made a 12-yard catch for another first down. We all know the drive didn't end well, but Smith did his part to get the team in field-goal range. After the game, Andy Reid was asked if this was Smith’s best performance of the year. He said Smith has had some good ones. Not sure which games he’s talking about, but is it any coincidence how much better this offense looks when the tight end is involved?
4. Some notes on the commitment to the run. Westbrook carried a season-high 33 times. Of 28 first-down plays, 21 were running plays. Of 14 first-down plays in the second half, 13 were running plays. Overall, 30 passes, 41 runs. The point that the offense committed to the run because it was running the ball well is a valid one. And so is the point that the gameplan was more balanced because of the weather conditions and the fact that the team was playing with a lead. But someone in our live chat made the point that this game reminded them of the Jeff Garcia-led Eagles team of 2006. When looking at today’s offensive performance, I don’t disagree.
5. Dear Fox,
We understand it was windy. You don’t need to show us the soft pretzel wrapper blowing in the wind every time you go to commercial break. We don’t need the American Beauty camera-work. Instead, just try to continue to follow the ball on play-action fakes and give us good angles on replays. Also, don’t zoom up too close on Tony Siragusa. Some of us are watching in HD.
Sincerely,
NFL fans across the country
6. The optimist says:
Maybe that tie wasn’t such a bad thing. If a couple things went differently earlier in the season, we would be talking about the Eagles as one of the NFL’s elite teams. The offensive line is playing with a vengeance, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll see a more balanced team the rest of the way. Westbrook has put together a two-game stretch that rivals anything he’s ever accomplished. Donovan McNabb is taking care of the football. And the defense is playing with a sense of pride. They’re clearly better than the Browns, and then you get to prove how good you are against the Redskins and Cowboys. Reid’s teams generally play well this time of year. Maybe they’re peaking at the exact right time, can get hot, and then you never know what happens. After all, they just went into the Giants’ house and convincingly beat the likely No. 1 seed in the NFC.
7. The pessimist says:
Don’t let them sucker you back in. It was a nice win. No one will argue that. But the Giants had so many things going against them. The game was pretty much meaningless for them. They still have the division wrapped up and are going to be the No. 1 seed. They were without Plaxico Burress and had to face that distraction all week. Brandon Jacobs left the game with an injury. The conditions were terrible. And the Giants still had a chance in the fourth quarter. The Eagles will beat the Browns next week and then lose one of the final two. Then they’ll bring back Reid and McNabb, and in training camp next year will tell you just how close they were in 2008.
8. Third-down conversions were a huge key. Overall, the Eagles were 12-for-18, a spectacular rate of 67 percent. In the second half, they were 8-for-10, which is pretty ridiculous considering the way the offense has played all season, the conditions and the Giants’ defense. Eagles fans across the country undoubtedly pumped their fists when McNabb scrambled for first downs, and when Kyle Eckel converted a third-and-one in the third quarter. The first time the Eagles lost to the Giants, they were 3-for-11 on third down. In the last two games, the Eagles are 22-for-33.
9. In today’s current sports landscape, teams love to say “No one believed in us.” Most of the time, it’s garbage. A team finishes the regular season in first place, advances to the championship with no problem and then tells us no one believed in them after they win. Well, the Eagles could have definitely played that card after this game. I scoured the Internet Saturday like I do every week to let you know what experts were picking the Eagles. There was one writer for FoxSports.com who liked them, and a couple CBSSports.com writers who thought they’d at least cover. But that was about it.
10. A couple weeks ago, I thought our final memory of McNabb in an Eagles uniform would be him standing on the sidelines in the second half against the Ravens. He’s bounced back with a couple solid performances, and while he wasn’t spectacular against the Giants, he was mistake-free. Good to see McNabb waving to the Giants fans and chest-bumping Asante Samuel after a late scramble out of bounds. I don’t know how this thing is going to eventually end, but I’m glad it wasn’t on that low note in Baltimore.
Well, I had a STRAIGHT UP bet with a Giants fan that the Eags would win - Guess I haven't quit on them...But then, I'm very wise for my age and have watched pro football for 40+ years...As I reviewed the standings today, it is pretty clear we have to run the table AND get help, BUT if we do run the table, MAN OH MAN! We have a great shot at a wild card!
PK
#6 sez 10-5-1 = wild card. #7 sez you're wrong on two counts there Sixey: 1) NFC South could have three 11 game winners, and 2) next Monday is the perfect "trap" game. Iggs get caught looking past Browns.
Trizot, drink up. We are going to the show. By the time the Eagles play next Monday night, Atlanta will have lost and the Birds will control their own destiny. We are this year's Giants. Soul, Phillies, Eagles.
It was a nice win, I saw us losing in another close one. Also interesting was how Dallas, Washington and Atlanta all lost, almost giving us control of our own destiny. Would have been nice for someone to pick that ball off, Dawk or Asante, but it didn't happen and it wasn't crucial. I'm still not ready for another glass of kool-aid yet. Win the next 2 and I'll be back to the punch bowl.
I thought the Eagles woudl bet crushed and the Giants woudl run all over them. I'm eating crow right now and its DELICIOUS. Whoe ever knew that running the ball woudl help keep our undersized defense refreshed. Being the eternal pessimist, my only concern now is whether they run Westbrook too much against Cleveland and don't have him against Washington and Dallas. If only Marty Booker weren't Ryan Moats without the speed.
So, was it our mad skilz or their ineptitude that won us the game?
Magically, we won with Donovan throwing his "worm balls", David Akers kicking straight and not up, and with a huge amount of penalties.
You can call me a pessimist once more, but I still think that every game is different. Granted, a win vs the Giants in their dumpster is oh so sweet but the next team may not allow us to get away with so many mistakes.
Selfish, come on!!!! It's really hard to hear anyone say "I got it" in a full stadium of loud fans. How would Asante know Dawkins was there? Everyone run to the ball, that's all to it.
It's ashame that Samuel tried to intercept the pass that Dawkins was in perfect position for. That would have given Dawk the most interceptions in team history. Hopefully he'll be back next year to get the record, or at least pick one off this year. He definitely deserves that record.
for those calling asante selfish, that's what i want from a corner someone who is relentless around the ball. people forget that's how he made all of his big plays in his career.
THE #4 POINT. IT'S NOT JEFF GARCIA'S STYLE, IT'S UNCLE MARTY CALLING THE PLAYS FOR TWO WEEKS IN A ROW NOW AND FIVE WEEKS IN A ROW IN 2006. khazoie COULDN'T AGREE WITH YOU MORE. ASANTE LOOKED SELFISH.
Observation on Asante's near interception. Dawkins was on a perfect spot to catch the ball effortlessly while Asante was farther from the play and had to leap to make a shot at catching the ball. Asante drops the ball. Some may call it instinct on Asante's part, but I call it selfishness.
Agreed Jimbo. Justice was late getting set and then got blown away by Tuck. I was ready to give him another chance after the debacle last year against Uminyora, but now I think he's as bad as others seem to think he is.
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Sheil Kapadia is a sports producer for philly.com. His earliest memories as a sports fan include several trips to Veterans Stadium with his dad, most of which turned out disappointing results. He's here to discuss the NFL 365 days a year. E-mail him at skapadia@philly.com or by clicking here
IS GETTING ITS DRAFT BOARD READY
