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Eagles getting back to basics
With their backs against the wall, the Philadelphia Eagles have gone from a disgraceful mess to a team that nearly controls their own destiny after defeating the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, 20-14 at the Meadowlands.
Amazingly, after losses by Atlanta, Dallas and Washington on Sunday, the Eagles are in a position where if they can win their remaining games, they need just one loss by the Falcons to complete an improbable run to the playoffs. If the Eagles can make the playoffs, this victory over the Giants will go down as the equivalent of the Phillies sweeping the Brewers in September to go from on the verge of being knocked out of contention to turning their season around.
So after an ugly tie to the lowly Cincinnati Bengals and that pathetic 29-point loss to the Ravens, how have the Eagles won consecutive games over teams that have already won their divisions?
Their phoenix-like rise from the ashes has involved them going back to basics. For the most part, to win in the NFL, you need to run the ball, stop the run and not turn the ball over. In their wins over the Cardinals and the Giants, they have done all three perfectly.
A few weeks ago I stated that Andy Reid needed to go back to the offense’s most productive years to get this offense moving, and the play-calling from the last two weeks has been straight out of 2003.
In the last two games, Brian Westbrook has carried the ball 55 times for 241 yards. In the three prior games - two losses and a tie - he had just 41 carries for 125 yards.
However, with Westbrook, just giving him carries is not enough. On Sunday, when the Eagles weren’t running the ball, Westbrook was being moved all over the field to create mismatches. The biggest sign that 2003 is returning was when Reid sent both Westbrook and Lorenzo Booker out there, and then moved Booker to the wide receiver position. Reid hasn’t consistently used multiple running backs on the field at the same time since Duce Staley was the featured back.
Most importantly, Donovan McNabb has protected the ball, not committing a turnover since being benched against the Ravens. McNabb has been consistently among the all-time leaders in throwing the lowest percentage of interceptions, but this year, he has tossed double-digit interceptions for the first time since 2003. In the last two games, he has thrown 69 passes without throwing a pick, and hasn’t lost a fumble in either game.
On the defensive side of ball, the Eagles haven’t played poorly this year, with the exception of the game against Dallas and the first game against the Giants. The one constant among the Eagles throughout the last decade has been their defense. Usually they will have two or three bad games each season, but most of the time, they will put the Eagles in a position to win. Each year, they will be gashed once by the run and once by the pass, and it is quite rare for the same team to embarrass Jim Johnson, the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, twice.
In the last two weeks, the defense has faced the best passing attack and the best rushing attack in the NFL, and both times won the battle.
On Thanksgiving night, the Eagles forced five turnovers, while holding the Cardinals’ high-powered aerial attack to just 235 yards. In the previous post, I bought into the theory that Johnson’s defense would not be ripped apart twice by the same team, and predicted that the Eagles would hold the Giants’ rushing attack to less than 125 yards. On Sunday, they limited the Giants’ “Earth, Wind and Fire” trio of Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw and Derrick Ward to exactly 100 yards, and held the Giants to three yards or less on 13 of their 24 rushing plays.
A few weeks ago, I would never have guessed that I would be writing about the Eagles’ playoff chances, but if they can keep running the ball, continue to covert on third downs (67 percent against the Giants), and not turn the ball over, I like their chances.
By no means will winning the next three games be easy, but with the Browns not having a quarterback, the Redskins in disarray, and the Cowboys potentially coming off of three straight losses, the Eagles could sneak into the playoffs at 10-5-1.
I don’t know if they will make it, but at least they are playing meaningful games right now.
***
Like the “On the Edge” Blog? Hear more of my opinions about Philadelphia sports every Friday at 3:30 p.m. on WBCB 1490 AM during the Coffee with Kahuna show, where, this week, we will recap the Eagles upset of the Giants, and look ahead to the potential trap game on Monday Night Football against the lowly Cleveland Browns.
Amazingly, after losses by Atlanta, Dallas and Washington on Sunday, the Eagles are in a position where if they can win their remaining games, they need just one loss by the Falcons to complete an improbable run to the playoffs. If the Eagles can make the playoffs, this victory over the Giants will go down as the equivalent of the Phillies sweeping the Brewers in September to go from on the verge of being knocked out of contention to turning their season around.
So after an ugly tie to the lowly Cincinnati Bengals and that pathetic 29-point loss to the Ravens, how have the Eagles won consecutive games over teams that have already won their divisions?
Their phoenix-like rise from the ashes has involved them going back to basics. For the most part, to win in the NFL, you need to run the ball, stop the run and not turn the ball over. In their wins over the Cardinals and the Giants, they have done all three perfectly.
A few weeks ago I stated that Andy Reid needed to go back to the offense’s most productive years to get this offense moving, and the play-calling from the last two weeks has been straight out of 2003.
In the last two games, Brian Westbrook has carried the ball 55 times for 241 yards. In the three prior games - two losses and a tie - he had just 41 carries for 125 yards.
However, with Westbrook, just giving him carries is not enough. On Sunday, when the Eagles weren’t running the ball, Westbrook was being moved all over the field to create mismatches. The biggest sign that 2003 is returning was when Reid sent both Westbrook and Lorenzo Booker out there, and then moved Booker to the wide receiver position. Reid hasn’t consistently used multiple running backs on the field at the same time since Duce Staley was the featured back.
Most importantly, Donovan McNabb has protected the ball, not committing a turnover since being benched against the Ravens. McNabb has been consistently among the all-time leaders in throwing the lowest percentage of interceptions, but this year, he has tossed double-digit interceptions for the first time since 2003. In the last two games, he has thrown 69 passes without throwing a pick, and hasn’t lost a fumble in either game.
On the defensive side of ball, the Eagles haven’t played poorly this year, with the exception of the game against Dallas and the first game against the Giants. The one constant among the Eagles throughout the last decade has been their defense. Usually they will have two or three bad games each season, but most of the time, they will put the Eagles in a position to win. Each year, they will be gashed once by the run and once by the pass, and it is quite rare for the same team to embarrass Jim Johnson, the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, twice.
In the last two weeks, the defense has faced the best passing attack and the best rushing attack in the NFL, and both times won the battle.
On Thanksgiving night, the Eagles forced five turnovers, while holding the Cardinals’ high-powered aerial attack to just 235 yards. In the previous post, I bought into the theory that Johnson’s defense would not be ripped apart twice by the same team, and predicted that the Eagles would hold the Giants’ rushing attack to less than 125 yards. On Sunday, they limited the Giants’ “Earth, Wind and Fire” trio of Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw and Derrick Ward to exactly 100 yards, and held the Giants to three yards or less on 13 of their 24 rushing plays.
A few weeks ago, I would never have guessed that I would be writing about the Eagles’ playoff chances, but if they can keep running the ball, continue to covert on third downs (67 percent against the Giants), and not turn the ball over, I like their chances.
By no means will winning the next three games be easy, but with the Browns not having a quarterback, the Redskins in disarray, and the Cowboys potentially coming off of three straight losses, the Eagles could sneak into the playoffs at 10-5-1.
I don’t know if they will make it, but at least they are playing meaningful games right now.
***
Like the “On the Edge” Blog? Hear more of my opinions about Philadelphia sports every Friday at 3:30 p.m. on WBCB 1490 AM during the Coffee with Kahuna show, where, this week, we will recap the Eagles upset of the Giants, and look ahead to the potential trap game on Monday Night Football against the lowly Cleveland Browns.
posted by Matthew Fleishman, Yardley News Editor at
10:42 AM
1 Comments:
I am getting so tired of the Birds getting themselves into these situations. I know you love Donny, and hate Andy, but it really is both of them that start this crap. I also know everyone will say "Oh well it was because Westbrook wasn't healthy.", and that argument is losing traction. The fact is if you know that when Westbrook goes down you have a huge hole in your offense, FIX IT! Be an coach and adjust your offensive scheme, and be a QB and use your ability to carry that out. The first loss to the Giants was sad, and the Bengals/Ravens bungle just showed how an NFC team can do damage to the Eagles, put the hurt on 36.
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