Eagles Dodge Bullet, Beat Redskins

The Eagles just picked up a much needed win in a game that they very much needed to win, and a game that looked like they could easily let slip away. The Eagles outscored the Redskins 11-3 in the 4th quarter in order to win the game 27-24.

The Eagles started out the game shooting themselves in the foot and spotting the Redskins 7 points by attempting a failed onsides kick. The Eagles quickly bounced back, and put up a field goal and a touchdown reception by DeSean Jackson to take a 10-7. After a Redskins touchdown, 2 Asante Samuel interceptions led to 2 David Akers field goals and allowed the Eagles to take a 16-14 halftime lead.

The 3rd quarter was brutal for the Eagles, as they couldn't even get a first down. The Redskins scored a touchdown and kicked a field goal to take a 24-16 lead. McNabb however led the Eagles on a 90 yard drive capped off by an Eldra Buckley 1 yard touchdown run with 7:24 left on the clock. LeSean McCoy added the 2 point conversion to tie the game at 24. The defense held up, and the Eagles got the ball back, and drove down for the game winning 32 yard field goal with 1:48 remaining to give the Eagles the 27-24 win.

If you look at the balance, which will always be a problem under Andy Reid, the Eagles threw the ball 36 times, and called 27 runs. Shady McCoy and Leonard Weaver both ran the ball well. McCoy ended up with 17 carries for 76 yards, which is 4.5 yards a carry. Weaver carried 6 times for 44 yards, which is 7.3 yards per carry.

Donovan McNabb played well for the most part. He ended the game 21-35 for 260 yards with 1 TD, and 1 INT. McNabb, who is oft criticized for not being able to lead the team from behind in the 4th quarter, led 2 long drives in the 4th quarter - the game tying, and game winning drives. I'm sure the McNabb haters will find something to complain about though tomorrow. Maybe McNabb spend too much time on the field talking to Jason Campbell after the game.

The receivers dropped a lot of balls, included what seemed like about 5 for Celek. DeSean Jackson left the game in the 3rd quarter with concussion like symptoms. The defense really didn't seem to blitz a lot in my opinion, but unlike Andy Reid, I will actually trust that Sean McDermott knows what he is doing. This was only the 2nd time all season the Redskins scored above 20 points this season, so the defense did not play great, despite stepping it up at the end of the game.

Eagles Need Victory to Stay Alive

The Eagles will travel to DC to play their division rival Washington Redskins on Sunday. One again, as it has been for the past few weeks, the Eagles need to win, and need some help from around the league. Either the Falcons or Bucs need to lose a game for the Eagles to jump in front of them. The Cowboys also need to lose, but the Eagles can handle that themselves the final weekend of the season.

The Eagles cannot afford to look past this game, as the Redskins are a good team, and proved that already when they came up to Lincoln Financial Field earlier in the season and beat the Eagles. The Redskins controlled the game by running the ball all over the Eagles, especially in the 2nd half. The Eagles defense will need to do a better job stopping the run this game, which they have been able to do most of the season. The Redskins offense has not been good as of late, but if the Redskins are able to run the ball effectively, it will open up a lot of things for them, and make for a long day for the Eagles on defense.

On offense, the Eagles need to continue doing exactly what they have been doing in the past three weeks. It starts with the play calling. Andy Reid got away from the run a little bit in the Browns game, which didn't matter, since the Browns are so bad. The Eagles need to run the ball in this game to maximize their offense, and use both Westbrook and Buckhalter in the rushing attack. If the Eagles can do this, it should not put too much pressure on Donovan McNabb, and he can make the passes he needs to make.

Bottom line, the Eagles should win this game, which is why they are favored on the road to a team they already lost to earlier in the season. However, this game could be easily overlooked, and that would be a mistake. Any divisional game is tough, especially a game on the road. The Eagles and Redskins face off Sunday at 4:00.

Eagles Fall Flat at Home Against 'Skins

The Eagles lost their 2nd straight game, this time a home game to a division opponent in the Redskins. The Eagles drop to 0-2 against the division, and 1-3 against the NFC, and currently sit in last place in the tough NFC East.

The Eagles took an early 14-0 lead marching down the field for a touchdown, and then DeSean Jackson taking a punt 68 yards for a touchdown. It was looking good at that point; however, from then on, the Eagles would be outscored 23-3 the rest of the game. The offense couldn't move the ball at all. McNabb looked average, the receivers dropped balls, and they couldn't run the ball at all. The Eagles continued to struggle in areas that everyone knows they need help in. Chris Cooley destroyed the Eagles, and caught big passes in big situations, as the Eagles have yet to shut down an opposing tight end all year. Cooley ended the game with 8 catches for 109 yards. The Eagles also had another goal line situation in the 4th quarter, in which they could not put the ball in the end zone. David Akers missed another field goal, making him 3-14 the past two seasons on field goals over 40 yards. Also, Andy Reid continues to have no clue at all. Ray Didinger, a person whose opinion everyone respects, said after the game on Eagles Postgame Live, that Andy Reid just doesn't get it. There were a few situations against the Bears last weekend when the Eagles should have challenged plays, but didn't. Well this game, on a Redskins 3rd quarter touchdown, the Eagles challenged the play, which turned out to not even be close. I'm not sure who the guy up in the booth is who signals down to the Eagles if they should challenge a play or not, but the guy should be fired.

The defense really struggled with the run, as Clinton Portis ran all over them. The Eagles have a weapon of their own at running back, who they never seem to use as much as they should. The defense couldn't get off the field when they needed to either. You can't make as many mistakes as the Eagles did, and expect to win a game against an NFC opponent. The Eagles loss drops them to 2-3 on the season.

Eagles - Redskins Preview

The Eagles need to bounce back after a disappointing loss last week against the Chicago Bears. The Washington Redskins are riding high from an upset victory in Dallas last weekend. The Eagles should be able to defeat the Redskins if Westbrook is able to go in this game. The Eagles offense has not been as effective since Westbrook left the game against the Steelers with an injury. Obviously any time you lose your pro-bowl running back, the offense is going to struggle, however, Andy Reid needs to trust in the running game to control the ball and the clock.

The Eagles offense will need to show some consistency in their play, and the play-calling will have to be consistent as well, especially if Westbrook is unable to go. It would be nice to see a tight end actually show up for this game. I am excited to hear what L.J. Smith's excuse will be for this one. Reggie Brown should get in on some more action, and will look to grow on his solid performance against the Chicago Bears. A mistake-free game from DeSean Jackson will also help on offense. Shawn Andrews at this point is also an injury concern, and a guy that the Eagles hope to have back on the field. The Eagles clearly missed Andrews at guard last week on their infamous goal line blunder. Any way you look at it, if Brian Westbrook is not able to go, everyone on offense will need to step their game up if the Eagles want to win.

The Eagles defense will need to continue to dominate if the Eagles want to win this game. Jason Campbell has looked good this early season, especially when he has time to throw the ball. The Eagles defensive line and linebackers will need to stop the Redskins running game, just as they have so far in the early season. A big test for the defense will be to see if they can stop the Redskins pro-bowl tight end Chris Cooley. The Eagles have shown that they can be beat by the opposing teams tight end so far this season. Also, the Redskins have a couple small, quick, athletic wide receivers in Santana Moss, and Antwaan Randle El, which the Eagles secondary will have to adequately defend.

The Eagles return home to Lincoln Financial Field, and the crown should be fired up while they take on a division rival in the Washington Redskins.