Eagles' season ends vs. Packers
Philly.com, Inquirer, and Daily News coverage of the Eagles
Eagles' season ends vs. Packers
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
The Eagles' offense had 1 minute, 45 seconds to go 66 yards and save their season.
But they couldn't do it.
Michael Vick got them down to the Packers' 27 yard line with under 50 seconds to go, but threw his only interception of the game as Green Bay cornerback Tramon Williams outjumped Riley Cooper to end it.
The truth is that the game was lost long before that play. Here are some reasons why the Eagles lost. You can add your own. I have to run down to the press conferences, but will be back with much more.
* David Akers entered the game having hit 25 of his last 27 field goals. But his two misses Sunday were costly. Akers missed from 34 and 41 yards. If he hits those two, do the Eagles win? Maybe.
* I thought that if the Eagles could limit the Packers' big plays, they'd have a great chance of winning. At halftime, Aaron Rodgers was averaging just 6.2 yards per attempt and he had not completed a pass to a wide receiver longer than 12 yards. The Packers were still up 14-3. Overall, Rodgers hit on just one pass of 20 yards or more.
* Clay Matthews abused Winston Justice. That doesn't put Justice in select company. Matthews does that to a lot of offensive linemen, but the Eagles knew what they were going up against and failed to neutralize him. In the fourth quarter, Andy Reid pulled Justice in favor of King Dunlap.
* The Eagles' defense gave up three long drives of 10, 12 and 11 plays. Green Bay finished 8-for-13 on third down. That being said, if you would have told Eagles fans before the game that the defense would give up 21 points, they probably would have accepted that.
* DeSean Jackson, who was injured in the first half and missed some time, did not have a catch until the 8:45 mark of the fourth quarter.
* The Eagles' run defense, which had been pretty good all season, looked bad against James Starks. Starks carried 23 times for 123 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per attempt.
* The Eagles, meanwhile, never got their run game going as LeSean McCoy averaged just 3.8 yards per carry.
* The reality is that the Packers were probably just better than the Eagles. We'll dissect the game to death this week, but that's the truth. Now we face an uncertain offseason, both league-wide and for the Eagles. For the second straight year, they saw their season come to an end in the first round of the playoffs.
You can follow Moving the Chains on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.
Download our NEW iPhone/Android app for even more Birds coverage, including app-exclusive videos and analysis. Get it here.
In the end, the only thing this season did was delay the development of Kevin Kolb for another year.— Sam Crow- Yup...but don't worry. This team is the Gold Standard. The same fans moping now will believe they are a superbowl contender next year....and this team will make tons of cash because idiots are easily duped every year. So my question is to the people calling for reid to be fired: WHERE WERE YOU ALL YEAR? They reel you in and you instantly forget morons. That's how they keep fooling you. Great comment from Sam Crow.
— Phillyrussian7 - Clown The Eagles are not even in the play-offs this year if Kolb was behind Center,,,,,Stop doing those Drugs on Sundays. — comfortor60
- Eagles defensive calls at 3rd and long were horrible. If you give Rogers extra time he will find someone; in fact that applies to all NFL QB's.... it is baffling what Eagles do on defensive side....— Seed
Comment removed.- Some of you blind deaf and dumb clowns who are still hating on Mike Vick are really halarious. ....you are cleary the type of cowards that would hide behind this type of media and voice your displaced onesided garbage. — comfortor60
- Yes, almost as "halarious" as your spelling. — Phillyrussian7
- Yes, almost as "halarious" as your spelling. — Phillyrussian7
Vick isn't clutch and can't deliver in big games just like the fraud we got rid of this year. Kevin Kolb would have flung that ball all over the place with precision and skill. Hopefully Reid will come to his senses and give this team and fanbase what they really want which is a true blue All-American as the face of the franchise.
You don't win wildcard games, playoff games, or Superbowls with the athletic run-around style QB. Reid should be fired as he is obsessed with the dancing fool QB style. Rogers is the type of QB you need and Kolb could be that , but unfortunately Kolb was never given the chance. A wasted decade with Mcnabb and lets see how many years the Eagles waste with Vick. LOL— bill19666- Steve Young won a SB. Rodgers hasn't made it to the championship game yet. — palmyra21
- Young might be an exception but still a stretch to consider him a run around style QB. You win by reading defenses, making great accurate throws, showing leadership and poise. If like Young you can do all the above and still run than great but Vick can't do all the above and nether could Mcnabb. — bill19666
- Rogers hasn't won but Brady, Brees, Manning have. And Steve Young only ran to find an opening to pass, or occasionally when the yards were there. He was NOT a "run-around style QB". He was the QB McNabb should have been. — Bob1
- Yes Brady Brees and Manning all have skill sets that will only improve where-as Vicks biggest plus is his legs which will only get worse year after year. I would NOT sign him to a long term contract, The NFL has caught on just like the wildcat fad. — bill19666
- Another problem was that Vick doesn't have the mean streak that already embedded in Kolb. Growing up on the mean streets of Stephenville, TX Kolb knows he has to have a mean streak just to survive. We need a QB who will get into his players faces and demand brilliance. Kevin Kolb can do that as even if he threw 3 pick sixes he would get all of those back on the next two drives. Kevin Kolb is well respected in this locker-room and this team is crushed that the best player was held out to appease Mike Vick's ego. Wolf Out!
Follow
Sheil on Twitter. And become
a fan of Moving the Chains on Facebook.
Download our NEW iPhone/Android app for even more Birds
coverage, including app-exclusive videos and analysis. Download it here.
