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Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Kevin Curtis (80) recovers a Donovan McNabb fumble
in the endzone in the first half against the New Orleans Saints in their . New
Orleans Saints safety Roman Harper (41) and Mike McKenzie (34) are behind Curtis.
On the play, Eagles QB Donovan McNabb broke through the entire Saints defense on
a QB run for 40 yards before Saints safety Josh Bullocks knocked the ball out of
McNabb's hands as the ball went flying forward. The ball would eventually end up
in the back of the endzone, where Curtis fell on the football. It also gave the
Eagles a 7-0 lead just 1:45 into the game.
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Philadelphia Eagles'
Stats Of The Week
Saints QB Drew Brees completed his first 6 pass attempts, giving him 18 in a row
over 2 games. That's 6 shy of McNabb's NFL record of 24, set in 2004
against the Giants and Packers. Last time the Eagles scored 21 points in the 1st
quarter was And Reid's first game as head coach in 1999, when they led 21-0 over
the Cardinals after the first quarter at the Vet before losing 25-24. McNabb's
40-yard run on 3rd-and-1 in the first quarter was the Eagles' longest run from
scrimmage since Westbrook's 62-yd TD run against the Saints here in last year's
playoff game. It was also McNabb's longest since a 41-yarder in a 2003 playoff
game against the Packers and his longest in the regular season since a 45-yarder
against the Giants in 2002. It was also the longest by any QB since Michael Vick's
51-yarder last year against the Saints. With a 7-yard completion in the third
quarter, Kevin Curtis surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his
NFL career. Last time the Eagles had three backs with a 20-yard run was the first
Giants game in 2002 - McNabb, Staley and Dorsey Levins. Westbrook's 109 yards
from scrimmage gave him 2005, one shy of the franchise record set by Wilbert
Montgomery in 1979. The 35-point first quarter matched the third highest scoring
first quarter in NFL history. The only higher: were on Nov. 12, 1967, when the
Packers (35) and Browns (7) combined for 42 at Milwaukee County Stadium and on
Dec. 5, 2004, when the Titans (24) and Colts (17) combined for 41 in the RCA Dome.
The Eagles were also involved in a 35-point first quarter on Oct. 19, 1969 at the
Cotton Bowl when they trailed the Cowboys 28-7 on their way to a 49-14 loss.
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Flashback McNabb Performance Exacts
A Little Revenge For Birds In Big Easy
There is good and bad news about the Eagles 38-22 win in New Orleans yesterday. First,
the Birds kept alive their chance a .500 season, which would be accomplished by winning
against the visiting Buffalo Bills next Sunday. Secondly, Donovan McNabb looked like his
old self, completing 24 of 35 passes (68.6%) for 263 yards. He had 3 TD’s and also rushed
for 37 yards on 6 carries. The first rush he almost took to the house on play #3 from
scrimmage during the opening minutes of the game. McNabb ran the bootleg from his own
36-yard line to his left. Somehow the whole field opened up and he was on his way to
the end zone with every Saints defender chasing him from behind. At the Saints 24-yard
line, safety Josh Bullocks caught up with the Eagles QB and somehow punched the ball out
his arms. Miraculously, the ball got kicked and pushed into the endzone where Eagles WR
Kevin Curtis pounced on the fumble for a TD and an early Eagles 7-0 lead. Amazing! The
Philadelphia Eagles also eliminated the Saints from the playoffs. The bad news however,
is that the Eagles were also eliminated when the Washington redskins beat the Vikings.
All around, it was another great win for the team. It followed last week’s masterful
defensive effort against those hated Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles now failed to make
the playoffs 2 of their last 3 years after clinching a spot in the postseason 5
straight years and climaxing with the appearance in the Super Bowl in 2004. They
failed in 2005, mostly due to injury to McNabb and the T.O. fiasco. This season,
there were plenty of QB controversies, but with the 28-24 loss to Seattle in week #13 a
nd the return of a healthy looking McNabb these past few weeks, there should be no more
questions on who will be the QB next year. Donovan McNabb will be and should be the
starting QB next year for the 2008 Philadelphia Eagles.
The Saints came right back in 2:08 after the Eagles successfully scored on their first
possession. Then a McNabb fumble led to a second Saints TD and they held a 14-7 lead.
Both touchdowns were scored by little used RB Aaron Stecker, who scored both on 2 short
runs. Stecker, however only managed 49 rushing yards on 13 carries. Drew Brees though
threw for 289 passing yards, completing 30-of45 passes (66.7%). Philly did respond
with vengeance, scoring two quick TD’s of their own in less than 4 minutes to end the
first quarter withy the Eagles winning 21-14. First, Correll Buckhalter scored on a
20-yard run to the right. Then McNabb found Reggie Brown open for a 31-yd TD pass.
During the second quarter, the teams traded FG’s and the Eagles headed into halftime
with a 24-17 lead.
At the start of the 3rd quarter, the New Orleans Saints drove the entire field, but the
sting Eagles D stopped Stecker on 4th-and-goal from the 1-yd line. It was rookie Stewart
Bradley who led the charge as he tackled the Saints running back for a 1-yd loss. That
was the turning point in the game. Chris Gocong chimed in, “That really kind of broke
their back.” Eagles’ DE Trent Cole also added, “That’s a game-changer right there,
that’s big.” Bradley also added a sack and an INT to prove to coach Jim Johnson, that
he indeed has the right stuff to be a starter for next season. The final clincher took
place as Donovan McNabb led a masterful 98-yard TD drive. It lasted 15 plays and took
7:01 off the clock and Philly had a 31-17 lead. McNabb’s 9-yd pass to Greg Lewis
sealed the deal. The Saints would answer with 2 FG’s, but McNabb found Kevin Curtis
open for a 7-yd pass in the endzone just before the 2-minute warning. It was his second
TD of the game, though he caught this one. Overall, it was a good win in an otherwise
mediocrity season. They should win next week, as Buffalo has nothing to play for either.
Then it is off to the gold courses…
E-A-G-L-E-S .... EAGLES
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