Safe Landing

This article was originally published in the Inquirer on November 22, 2004.

The Eagles didn't dominate yesterday.

They didn't put the Washington Redskins away early with the sort of offensive fury they had produced six days earlier down in Texas.

They didn't come close to playing their best game of the season.

And this was all more evidence of just how good the they have become in their sixth season under coach Andy Reid.

They still walked out of Lincoln Financial Field with a 28-6 victory and a 9-1 record that guaranteed them a fifth straight winning season for just the third time in their history.

This victory gave them an opportunity to wrap up the NFC East title three days after Thanksgiving. Win on Sunday against the second-place New York Giants at the Meadowlands and they will capture their fourth straight division title with five games to play.

"We're not really focusing on that," quarterback Donovan McNabb said after overcoming a rough start and some early sacks to throw four touchdown passes.

"But what that says is that guys have put everything behind us that has happened in other years and we've focused on doing our job. That says a lot about Coach Reid and what this organization has been able to do. It says a lot about the players who are here. We go out week after week and try to do the right things. "

The once proud Redskins, again under Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs, slipped to 3-7 and suffered their most lopsided loss of the season.

Gibbs, winner of three Super Bowls in his first stint with the Skins, paid tribute to the Eagles' dominance.

"I think they're very good," he said. "They're dominating this division, controlling everything, and you can kind of see why. I think they're well-coached, well-balanced, and the quarterback is phenomenal. He makes a ton of plays. "

Having said all that, the Redskins did not make win No. 9 nearly as easy for the Eagles as the final score indicated.

The Redskins trailed by just 7-6 at the half, and they had an excellent chance to take the lead midway through the third quarter when cornerback Sean Taylor stepped in front of Terrell Owens and picked off a pass by McNabb.

After a 10-yard return by Taylor, the Redskins were nearly in good field-goal range at the Eagles' 36. But the Birds' defense, which allowed a season-low 51 rushing yards and held Clinton Portis to 37 yards on 17 carries, came up with its best series of the day.

It started with Sam Rayburn tackling Portis for a 3-yard loss. After Patrick Ramsey threw an incomplete pass, Derrick Burgess registered a sack that was negated when the Eagles accepted a 10-yard holding penalty on center Cory Raymer.

When Ramsey's next pass was completed for just 5 yards, the Redskins were forced to punt, and the Eagles' offense finally got untracked on the next series.

"We knew it was going to be a dogfight," McNabb said. "We were playing against an excellent defense, a defense that was ranked tops in the league. It took some time, but we were able to get it done. "

After driving 77 yards and scoring on a 2-yard pass play from McNabb to tight end Chad Lewis, the Eagles' offense sputtered. The Birds failed to score on their next three series in the first half, then went three-and-out on their first two possessions of the second half.

"As long as we're stopping people on defense, we know at some point that our offense is going to get into a rhythm," safety Brian Dawkins said. "As long as they continue to have a run-pass mix, they're going to score points. "

The Eagles had an even mix of runs and passes on the 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive that put them up by 14-6 with 3 minutes, 11 seconds left in the third quarter.

Brian Westbrook broke off a 21-yard run that took the Eagles into Washington territory. A 5-yard pass from McNabb to Westbrook enabled the Eagles to convert a third-and-two play into a first down, and an unnecessary-roughness penalty on Taylor moved the ball to the 15-yard line.

On third and 5 from the 10, McNabb, undaunted by heavy pressure, found Owens alone for a touchdown.

The Redskins still had some fight left in them.

On their next possession, they got all the way to the Eagles' 10 before self-destructing. Their offensive linemen were called for two false starts and a holding penalty, and first and goal from the 10 became fourth and goal from the 30.

Shortly after Ola Kimrin's 48-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide right, the Redskins' upset hopes disappeared.

Four minutes later, McNabb finished a 62-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Westbrook. That same pair hooked up for a 14-yard TD on the Eagles' next possession, and a close game became a rout.

"I think this game just showed how balanced we are," Dawkins said. "This team is able to grind things out, and we're also able to take it to you. When we're in a tight game, we know we have people who can make plays. "

This game was different for the offense because the man who usually makes most of the plays was strangely quiet. Owens had as many drops (two) as catches.

"All game, they were double-teaming him and other guys were making plays for us," McNabb said. "That is something that should open up eyes for other teams. We have a lot of weapons. You saw [wide receivers] Todd Pinkston and Freddie Mitchell do an excellent job for us today. [Tight end] L.J. Smith and Brian Westbrook did an excellent job. "

The Eagles' offense got a late start, but it finished strong, and now the Birds have a chance to finish off their division opponents with a win Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J.

"It's something that we have a chance to do that this early," Dawkins said. "But we understand it's not going to be easy. They're not going to let us just go in there and win it."