Revisiting Super 2004 season: Eagles vs. Carolina

TEN YEARS ago, the Eagles were starting on one of the best seasons in team history, a year that ended in the Super Bowl. Each Tuesday, the Daily News will look back at the 2004 season.

GAME 5

Date: Oct. 17, 2004

Opponent: Carolina Panthers

Site: Lincoln Financial Field

Score: Eagles 30, Panthers 8

Eagles record: 5-0

Panthers record: 1-4

The history: The Eagles were looking for some revenge for a 14-3 loss in the NFC Championship Game at the Linc the season before. Rookie cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. intercepted Donovan McNabb three times that night as the Panthers qualified for their first Super Bowl, which they lost to the Patriots, 32-29. McNabb suffered a rib injury early in the game and was lifted in the third quarter. The Panthers' defense bullied and dominated the Eagles' receivers so thoroughly, the Birds made a deal with the devil and acquired Terrell Owens in the offseason.

The setup: The Eagles were 4-0 and coming off a bye when the 1-3 Panthers came to town. The Eagles opened the season with home wins over the Giants (31-17) and Vikings (27-16), followed by wins at the Lions (30-13) and Bears (19-9).

Game 5: The Eagles led 13-0 at halftime behind two David Akers field goals (48 and 34 yards) and a 1-yard run from Dorsey Levens. The lead increased to 23-0 after three quarters after another Akers field goal (43) and a Lito Sheppard interception return for a touchdown of 64 yards off Jake Delhomme. Sheppard had a pair of picks that day.

Lito the Magnificent: Sheppard had scribbled on his notebook during the week, "You will get 2 ints this week. Know that." Impressive.

Stat leaders: Donovan McNabb was 14 of 26 for 209 yards, no touchdowns and one interception (yes, by Ricky Manning). Brian Westbrook gained 64 yards on 13 carries. Terrell Owens caught four passes for 123 yards. Safety Michael Lewis had nine tackles. Sheppard had two interceptions off Delhomme and Dhani Jones and Roderick Hood each had one.

Get out of the way! The Birds incurred a 15-yard penalty when an official collided with Eagles security director Butch Buchanico on the opening kickoff. Buchanico was standing in an unauthorized spot with his back to the action. "Just trying to make a play," he quipped afterward. "That'll be the last play you make," Andy Reid jokingly warned.

Stat of the game: Eagles scored 30 points and only had 10 first downs, compared with 21 by the Panthers.

Pre-Chip Kelly stat of the game: Panthers owned the time of possession battle, 38:30 to 21:30.

Also in the news that day: David Ortiz hit a 12th-inning home run as the Red Sox began to erase a 3-0 deficit to the Yankees in the ALCS . . . Tom Brady and the Patriots won their 20th consecutive game to set an NFL record . . . USC, led by Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush, sat atop the Daily News' college football top 15 poll.

Observation of the day: "The usually stoic Eagles front office might cringe with all of the extracurricular brouhaha that seems to follow [Terrell Owens], but you likely won't hear them complain," wrote Daily News staffer Dana Pennett O'Neil.

"When the Eagles played the Panthers for the NFC Championship in January, their woefully unproductive passing game was exposed by a Carolina team that physically jammed the receivers at the line. Aside from Freddie Mitchell's four receptions, the wide receivers had exactly one catch in the entire game and a great deal of the offseason blame game was left at their feet.

"With Owens, that stuff doesn't happen. He had more yards in the first half yesterday than any Eagles wide receiver had in a single game all of last season. More than that, he is never beat physically, is a danger on every snap, and even when he doesn't touch the ball, he forces things to happen."