| Andrew Perna. 9th January, 2009 - 2:32 pm
 The story has been exhausted at this point. You know just how different things were in Philadelphia just six weeks ago. The city's finicky faithful were calling for the heads of Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb. If not on a platter, then at least to be sent somewhere far away from Lincoln Financial Field.
Typically a December team, the Eagles rallied in the regular season's final month but still appeared a long shot to make the playoffs. Then the stars aligned, and they snuck into the top-heavy NFC bracket. After an impressive all-around win over the Vikings, Philadelphia is set to face their bitter rival the defending-champion the New York Giants.
After Reid infamously pulled McNabb at halftime of a late-November loss to the Ravens, I took the side of the quarterback and placed the plus-sized coach on my own version of the hot seat. In that same piece, I also predicted that the Eagles would finish strong and at least flirt with a postseason appearance.
Trust me, I'm not trying to stroke my own ego by reminding you that I predicted that the team would bounce back from what seemed like the lowest point they've hit in a decade -- it simply proves my point.
The Eagles are predictably, an unpredictable team.
Even after that ugly Nov. 23 loss to Baltimore, we knew they had the chops to knock off Arizona (Week 13) and Cleveland (Week 15). However, mixed in their schedule were three games against NFC East teams -- battles that are typically close and always unpredictable.
Philadelphia put themselves in prime playoff position by "stunning" the Giants in New Jersey on Dec. 7, but coughed up a near-goose egg against the Redskins in Week 16 that momentarily put their postseason hopes on life support.
It's just like the Eagles to get their host city's hopes up before pulling the plug with the goal finally visible.
Now, after putting together five wins in their last six games, the Eagles are miraculously just two victories shy of their second Super Bowl appearance in the last five years.
Since his untimely benching, McNabb has gone 133–for-205 (64.8%) with 1,446 yards, 10 touchdowns, and just two interceptions.
The city of Philadelphia is back proudly wearing their #5 white, green or black jerseys, and many believe that McNabb and Reid will remain on the same sideline for at least one more season. That's all in the future, though, because the Giants currently stand in the way.
Here are the reasons why the Eagles can march one step closer to the Super Bowl on Sunday.
They are hot and confident
The only team still alive that is as hot as the Eagles right now is the Chargers, and the only way they'll do battle is if both advance all the way to Super Bowl XLIII. Their dismantling of the Cowboys on the final afternoon of the regular season healed a majority of Philadelphia's wounds (aside from Brian Westbrook, more on that later) and injected them with a tremendous amount of confidence, and for lack of a better term -- balls.
That's why Reid tested Minnesota's pass rush and run defense often at the Metrodome while defensive coordinator Jim Johnson gave Tarvaris Jackson a headache for the full sixty minutes. McNabb, the team's offensive leader, and safety Brian Dawkins, their defensive boss, are both playing great and have the experience of having played countless games in January.
Reid is mixing things up
He'll never admit it, but he's calling more runs, and the team's all-around offensive efficiency has benefited. In their last two games they have rushed a combined seventy times for 204 yards and a touchdown. In their loss to Washington on Dec. 21, they ran the ball only sixteen times. The dreadful loss in Baltimore? 21 rushes. In the embarrassing tie against lowly Cincinnati? Just 18 attempts in a game that went deep into overtime.
If it's not Westbrook, Reid and coordinator Marty Mornhinweg can give the ball to Correll Buckhalter or even McNabb and receiver DeSean Jackson on the ground. In addition to more running, Reid has a healthy stable of average wide receivers that keeps defenses from double-teaming any one target. Of course, that allows defenses to bring the heat against McNabb, but he's quick enough on his feet to buy more time when needed.
Reid also has his team's attention. They were very much out of the playoff picture heading into their Thanksgiving battle with Arizona. It would have been easy for the Eagles to tune him out, especially after benching McNabb. Instead, he kept their respect and inspired them to play when it didn't look like they had anything to fight for.
The defense is locked in
Philadelphia finished the season with the fourth-best defense in the league, allowing just 18.1 points per game. They allowed the third-fewest yards (274.3) and had a solid +3 takeaway ratio. Those numbers account for the entire 2008 campaign, but they've been a much stronger unit as of late.
They have allowed just 12.3 points per game in their last six contests. Over that span they have recorded ten sacks, six fumble recoveries, and seven interceptions. They have a +5 takeaway ratio in those games and have averaged more than two takeaways per contest. They also have three defensive touchdowns in their last 75 minutes of football.
Now, here are the reasons why the Eagles can't march one step closer to the Super Bowl against the Giants on Sunday.
Brian Westbrook
He's not healthy, once again. It's become a broken record for a guy that has the talent and determination to be one of the best players on any NFL field. Westbrook hasn't participated in practice all week, nothing new for him, but aside from his 71-yard touchdown reception against Minnesota, he looked a step slow. He rushed twenty times but gained a mere 38 yards. You do the math; that's pretty bad.
Westbrook has torched the Giants in his career, but now New York employs one of their better rushing defenses in the league. They allowed just 95.8 rushing yards per game in the regular season and limited him to only 26 yards on thirteen carries in their first meeting in Week 10. I expect to see B-West split out wide on multiple occasions, like he did last weekend.
They know what's coming
The Giants know the Eagles prefer to pass the ball, and they also know the position their NFC East rival is in. New York entered last season's playoffs as a Wild Card with little hope of winning the whole darn thing. Four wins and a miracle catch later, the Giants were the Super Bowl champions.
These teams also know each other better than any other divisional round opponents. They play at least twice each season, which means there isn't much that will surprise either team, offensively or defensively. The Giants were the better team over the course of the regular season, which should benefit them in such a familiar matchup.
A different Eli Manning
Philadelphia always had success against Eli Manning because he was as temperamental as a toddler. Johnson would dial up a few blitz packages, and before halftime Eli would have made a handful of poor throws, and his mind would be more focused on who was defending the pass rather than whom to throw the pass to.
Somewhere in the second half of last season, Eli grew up. He's no longer Peyton's little brother ... he's Eli Manning, Super Bowl MVP. This season he's 30-for-58 with 314 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception in two games against Philadelphia. Before he faced the Eagles in Week 10, he was 144-for-240 with 1,751 yards, nine touchdowns, and nine interceptions in his first nine battles with the team.
Andrew Perna is Deputy Editor of RealGM.com and co-host of RealGM's Radio Show. Please feel free to contact him with comments or questions via e-mail: Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com |
