Sunday's impressive win over the Giants was the start of a Great Eagles Day, followed by an Atlanta loss to the Saints, a Dallas loss in Pittsburgh and the Washington meltdown in Baltimore. Suddenly, the Eagles are right there with three games to go, in the thick of the playoff hunt, a team that is percolating and one that now should have, or absolutely does have, the swagger we've been waiting to see. The offense has been more productive, more consistent and more efficient in the last two games because, using football speak, everyone has "executed" the X's and O's more effectively. After weeks and weeks of maddening inconsistency. The Eagles have put together back-to-back games in which the offense has been pretty darn good from start to finish. Not perfect but good enough convert 22 of 33 third downs, ring up 48 points on the Cardinals and then control the clock and score 20 points against the Giants to win two games the Eagles absolutely needed to win.
What is the difference? There is no single answer. A lot of factors come into play here, ranging from the increased emphasis on the running game to the great play from the offensive line to the slimmed-down rotation at wide receiver. All of those are valid, no question about it. But maybe more than anything else, and this is simplifying things enormously, the truth is that McNabb and running back Brian Westbrook are back where they should be: They are taking the ball and taking control of this offense.
Westbrook, for one, has been marvelous in these last two games. He is averaging 166 yards from the line of scrimmage and he has scored 6 touchdowns. You can see the burst and the moves and the durability are back with Westbrook. Clearly, he just wasn't healthy for much of this season and no doubt that contributed to a lower-than-usual yards-per-carry average. Down the stretch, though, Westbrook is the breadwinner. He won't carry 33 times every week ( hope that Correll Buckhalter comes back this week, and that the Eagles continue to use Kyle Eckel here and there as a fullback in some formations and as a third-and-1, short-yardage back at other times) but the Eagles know they need to get the ball to Westbrook. Having these three days off this week will provide a huge benefit as the three-game homestretch waits.
McNabb's season, on the other hand, has been marred not by injuries, but by an uneven offensive performance, some out-and-out poor games and, finally, the benching in Baltimore. It's easy to see that move as a turning point of sorts for McNabb and for the Eagles, and that may very well be the case. Who knows? All that matters is that in the two games since then, McNabb has looked as relaxed as he has been all season in the pocket. He is in a rhythm throwing the football. He sees the field well. He is running when the opportunity is there -- McNabb's 44 rushing yards in the last two games can't be minimized in their importance.
The Eagles answered every question thrown at them on Sunday and exited with a 20-14 win in a game that wasn't as close as the final score. The Eagles won going away, really. They took it to the Giants in the fourth quarter, which was something great to see. A team that had trouble inserting the dagger did just that on Sunday, winding down the clock with a bruising, efficient running game and making just enough plays in the passing game to keep the Giants honest.
It was a beautiful display of Eagles football, and it set up a chain of events that helped the team's playoff cause greatly. Moments after beating the Giants, the Eagles glanced at the television outside of their Giants Stadium locker room and saw New Orleans run out the clock in its win over the Falcons. Atlanta now has five losses, with games against Tampa Bay, at Minnesota and against St. Louis remaining. That is not an easy schedule.
After that it was the Dallas game in Pittsburgh, one that certainly looked to be going the Cowboys' way late in the fourth quarter. I watched from the press box at Giants Stadium as the Dallas defense overwhelmed Pittsburgh. The Cowboys had a seven-point lead and the ball and time was winding down and then the Cowboys imploded. And quarterback Tony Romo finished an awful performance with an interception that went the other way for a game-leading touchdown for the Steelers and then Romo failed on the last-minute offense and the Cowboys trudged off the field, wide receiver Terrell Owens screaming at a coach. It was a great sight, frankly. Dallas has five losses now, with tough home games against the Giants and Baltimore before coming to Lincoln Financial Field on December 28.
A Washington team that started the season so well largely because it made so few mistakes is now making all kinds of errors. They have gone from 6-2 to 7-6 in the blink of an eye, with a road game at the Bengals this week before they host the Eagles in two weeks and then finish at feisty San Francisco. The Redskins need to sweep their final three games to have a playoff chance, it seems.
Sunday was a perfect Eagles day, not only for what this team did but for how the teams around them played. And the feeling now, the quiet aftermath of a crazy day, is exhilarating. It is December football. It is a playoff race. It is an Eagles team that is playing the kind of football that everyone here knew it could play.
The Eagles have no choice but to win the final three games, a tough task for any team. This is a one-day-at-a-time approach right now. Cleveland is next. The Eagles have to play well on Monday night to win a game and get to 8-5-1. But it sure does seem to all of us amateur experts that the offense has a better tempo now. The players are in and out of the huddle more quickly. The Eagles are running the ball more, having the luxury of early points and solid leads that lend to the strategy of eating clock late in the game by running the football. There seems to be more confidence running the football with this offensive line surging at the snap of the ball. The receivers seem to be more sure handed and McNabb has had great ball security ( zero turnovers in the two games) and improved timing.
A team that needed leaders to step forward has done so collectively, with McNabb and Westbrook leading the way offensively. This is how it should be: The best players lead by example, by what they do on the field, by the plays they make at critical times. That has been the case with this offense, with McNabb and with Westbrook. For right here and right now, the feeling is a pure excitement. The Eagles are 7-5-1, having won the last two games in convincing fashion to resurrect a season that was on the brink, that was teetering on the way to nowhere. By sticking together, by keeping it positive in the locker room and with the coaches, the Eagles have warded off some of the toughest times they have encountered in the Andy Reid era. They have turned it around in the last two weeks. They are in the race with some momentum on their side.There are a lot of factors playing into the two-game revival, but no doubt. What is most encouraging is that McNabb looks so good, so relaxed, in the pocket. He is delivering the ball with more authority, trusting his receivers to make plays. And despite the ups and the downs of the season, McNabb's next touchdown pass will give him 20 for the season, a level he has reached only three previous times.
Westbrook, for one, has been marvelous in these last two games. He is averaging 166 yards from the line of scrimmage and he has scored 6 touchdowns. You can see the burst and the moves and the durability are back with Westbrook. Clearly, he just wasn't healthy for much of this season and no doubt that contributed to a lower-than-usual yards-per-carry average. Down the stretch, though, Westbrook is the breadwinner. He won't carry 33 times every week ( hope that Correll Buckhalter comes back this week, and that the Eagles continue to use Kyle Eckel here and there as a fullback in some formations and as a third-and-1, short-yardage back at other times) but the Eagles know they need to get the ball to Westbrook. Having these three days off this week will provide a huge benefit as the three-game homestretch waits.
McNabb's season, on the other hand, has been marred not by injuries, but by an uneven offensive performance, some out-and-out poor games and, finally, the benching in Baltimore. It's easy to see that move as a turning point of sorts for McNabb and for the Eagles, and that may very well be the case. Who knows? All that matters is that in the two games since then, McNabb has looked as relaxed as he has been all season in the pocket. He is in a rhythm throwing the football. He sees the field well. He is running when the opportunity is there -- McNabb's 44 rushing yards in the last two games can't be minimized in their importance.
The Eagles answered every question thrown at them on Sunday and exited with a 20-14 win in a game that wasn't as close as the final score. The Eagles won going away, really. They took it to the Giants in the fourth quarter, which was something great to see. A team that had trouble inserting the dagger did just that on Sunday, winding down the clock with a bruising, efficient running game and making just enough plays in the passing game to keep the Giants honest.
It was a beautiful display of Eagles football, and it set up a chain of events that helped the team's playoff cause greatly. Moments after beating the Giants, the Eagles glanced at the television outside of their Giants Stadium locker room and saw New Orleans run out the clock in its win over the Falcons. Atlanta now has five losses, with games against Tampa Bay, at Minnesota and against St. Louis remaining. That is not an easy schedule.
After that it was the Dallas game in Pittsburgh, one that certainly looked to be going the Cowboys' way late in the fourth quarter. I watched from the press box at Giants Stadium as the Dallas defense overwhelmed Pittsburgh. The Cowboys had a seven-point lead and the ball and time was winding down and then the Cowboys imploded. And quarterback Tony Romo finished an awful performance with an interception that went the other way for a game-leading touchdown for the Steelers and then Romo failed on the last-minute offense and the Cowboys trudged off the field, wide receiver Terrell Owens screaming at a coach. It was a great sight, frankly. Dallas has five losses now, with tough home games against the Giants and Baltimore before coming to Lincoln Financial Field on December 28.
A Washington team that started the season so well largely because it made so few mistakes is now making all kinds of errors. They have gone from 6-2 to 7-6 in the blink of an eye, with a road game at the Bengals this week before they host the Eagles in two weeks and then finish at feisty San Francisco. The Redskins need to sweep their final three games to have a playoff chance, it seems.
Sunday was a perfect Eagles day, not only for what this team did but for how the teams around them played. And the feeling now, the quiet aftermath of a crazy day, is exhilarating. It is December football. It is a playoff race. It is an Eagles team that is playing the kind of football that everyone here knew it could play.
The Eagles have no choice but to win the final three games, a tough task for any team. This is a one-day-at-a-time approach right now. Cleveland is next. The Eagles have to play well on Monday night to win a game and get to 8-5-1. But it sure does seem to all of us amateur experts that the offense has a better tempo now. The players are in and out of the huddle more quickly. The Eagles are running the ball more, having the luxury of early points and solid leads that lend to the strategy of eating clock late in the game by running the football. There seems to be more confidence running the football with this offensive line surging at the snap of the ball. The receivers seem to be more sure handed and McNabb has had great ball security ( zero turnovers in the two games) and improved timing.
A team that needed leaders to step forward has done so collectively, with McNabb and Westbrook leading the way offensively. This is how it should be: The best players lead by example, by what they do on the field, by the plays they make at critical times. That has been the case with this offense, with McNabb and with Westbrook. For right here and right now, the feeling is a pure excitement. The Eagles are 7-5-1, having won the last two games in convincing fashion to resurrect a season that was on the brink, that was teetering on the way to nowhere. By sticking together, by keeping it positive in the locker room and with the coaches, the Eagles have warded off some of the toughest times they have encountered in the Andy Reid era. They have turned it around in the last two weeks. They are in the race with some momentum on their side.There are a lot of factors playing into the two-game revival, but no doubt. What is most encouraging is that McNabb looks so good, so relaxed, in the pocket. He is delivering the ball with more authority, trusting his receivers to make plays. And despite the ups and the downs of the season, McNabb's next touchdown pass will give him 20 for the season, a level he has reached only three previous times.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment