With Wild Card Road Win, Eagles Move On To New York

From an ugly 16-14 ball game to a wild card win in the blink of a Brian Westbrook screen. Credit to the Vikings defense who kept 36 and the rest of the Eagles offense in check for most of the game, but one beautifully executed screen pass -- how bout those downfield blocks! -- and the Iggles are headed to New York.

It was the type of play that got my entire house of Eagles fans jumping and screaming at the top of their lungs. Anything is possible when you're playing January football. You can curse them all you want when they're struggling, but you have to love this stuff.

As BWest said after the game, "That screen came at the perfect time." And this Eagles team is winning at the perfect time.

They say to be the best you have to beat the best and the Birds will get their chance next weekend when they'll head to New York to take on the defensing champion Giants. Winning a playoff game in New York will certainly not be an easy task, but it was less than a month ago that the Birds went up to New York and ran wild over the Giants.

Wow. What a team, eh? A few short weeks ago we thought this team was totally done. Now, they're one of four NFC teams left playing for a chance to go to the Super Bowl.

Not only are the Birds still alive but they're facing perhaps their most hated rival in enemy territory. Should be another fun one next week.

Watch video of Chris Clemons destroying Tarvaris Jackson.

image from PE.com photo gallery

Comments

[theKrisheim]

PLAYOFF BEARDS!

Take that Hockey!

[nate]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And were not done!!!! Giants your next!!!!!!

[chris]

another week of my playoff beard...love it!

[David F.]

I'm growing my playoff beard out too! We should have a contest here for best playoff beard...

[river327]

honestly, a tough win was probably the best thing that could have happened this week. had they eagles taken the vikings to jerry jones' woodshed, i have this feeling they would have went into NY and gotten stomped (but that's just me being a realist). a fast start against the gints next week, and they have a great shot at walking out of the meadowlands winners.

[Jason]

THE EAGLES ARE GONNA WHIP THE BIG BLUE PUSSIES next sunday, YO ELI, GANG GREENS COMIN!

[bizurk]

Sleeper heroes in this one: Avant and Celek. Loads of timely receptions when the ground game faltered. Without watching the replay, I think that 4 of Avant's 5 recp. were for 1st downs.

MeSean was spectacular, 5 was solid (other than that goofy end of 1st half 3rd and 1 INT bomb), and yes, the downfield blocking on the long screen TD was ridiculous.

Next week should be a fun, close, bruising game. But us can do it....Yes, Us can.

[dmac]

Phew. They didn't play all that well, but that Brian Westbrook catch 'n' run was beautiful. The Eagles can totally beat the Giants next week. Unbelievable.

[mike stanislaw]

GOD IS AN EAGLE FAN

the proof was last week. only the football Gods could have worked that miracle

now the rest is easy giants without there eagle killer receiver.

and then the cards. Now follow the bouncing ball.
Where o where where are you tonight. Why did you leave me here all alone. We searched the world over thought i found true love. WE played the cardinals and poof they where gone!

[will.H]

eagles haters are patiently waiting for the fall. the rest of us are fucking them in the ass with a told ya so condom. my old man donnie is finding ways to win, while the bend but dont break defense is squeezing the best players in the nfl. next week, we've got the biggest bunch of fagbags in the league, the new york football glockbangers. all the inbreds at the meadowlands will be yammerin in their fake ass accents, screaming at eli to stop sucking with average receivers. my prediction, brandon jacobs dies of sucking dick poisoning.

[7000]

Playcalls against the Vikings today were 60% Passing to 40% run ratio. Very happy for Eagles and great job by not changing his beliefs & philosophy and listening to the dumb philly media.

[John]

Clicking at right time as a team, should be good one next week

[Benjamin]

I can't stop watching the Westbrook screen play TD. Simply amazing. The downfield blocking from everyone was incredible, and desaun jackson speed to provide the final blocks for the last 30 yards or so was just as good as his return skills today. We all laughed about how it looks like Jackson pushed Westbrook into the endzone at the end.

One game at a time...the giants should not be overlooked one bit, but this team knows adversity.

[MPR529]

i think the defense won this game took, like last week. yes mcnabb had 300 yards, but still, he wasn't ultra-impressive. im still not sold on this offense 100%. Im behind them, of course, just not jumping on the "fuck the philly media and all you reid/mcnabb haters" bandwagon. the team will need to play MUCH better offense vs. the giants. and the D will have to play even better than last time as there will be some running back playing who didnt play in the W late in the regular season...ya know...brandon jacobs.

dont get me wrong, im more than happy with the win, but there is still work to be done.

of course, ive got no real reason to be pissy. we're lucky to be having free football as it is!

go birds.

[BFisch]

Don't forget who you played though. Had the Vikings had a stable QB the story might have been different. Unfortunately, NYG has one of the best QBs in the league in Manning.
The Eagles were lucky that the Vikings did nothing with that McNabb fumble, and nothing with anything else they got in the 2nd half.
McNabb and Co. are on a small roll, and probably will keep it going. They need to play much better, because one play (Westbrook screen) may not be enough next time.

[win]

McNabb looks like he had emotion, I am kond of confused but I like it.

Also I'm really liking Deseans downfield blocking,　he sucks at it and probably shouldnt be doing it because he is so small but he does it every time. look back at last week against the cowboys on Buckhalters big pass if you need more convincing that he does it every play but kinda sucks, it still works.

[will.H]

MPR, im pretty sure jacobs played in the win against the giants late in the season. he was actually injured at some point during the game and couldnt finish, but he definitely played and got some carries. remember when he belly flopped half way across the field in pain

[stevefredericks]

am i missing something? eli is one of the best QBs in the league?

dude had his whole career with burress, and a 76 qb rating. id rather face eli manning than any of the other QBs in the NFC

[stevefredericks]

QBs remaining in the NFC*

[Mike H.]

Jacobs had 10 carries in the win a few weeks back.

Of course, Bob Ford gives the Negadelphia fans what they want by saying it wasn't pretty. Kind of like his reporting. Hey, Bob, when you use the word "if" six times to downplay an Eagle win, your agenda looks about as thin as DeSean Jackson.

[BFisch]

@stevefredericks
I respect the Eagles, but Eli's done more than McNabb has done. Last time he was in the playoffs he killed it.
You think the Giants gave a shit about the last few weeks? They had already wrapped up the division, they had nothing else to prove.
You can look at stats all you want, the only one that matters is wins.
I honestly don't look for the Giants to beat the Eagles, but if the Eagles play like they did today, Eli and the Giants will take advantage.

[I have a fever, and the prescription is more Jim Johnson]

@ Will H.

Absolute poetry. post of the year. your also right about the fake accents as the dick sucking poisoning as gotten to their heads. fucking hilarious

Also Great game overall, Westbrook what more can you say about him. However he's definitely hurting. He might be 70%. After screen TD, what was the reason for running Brook down their throats?? Andy has to think that through. I would have loved to have seen more touches for Buckhalter.

The Defense couldn't be more sincere. Jim Johnson is killer

[jd]

quote from my giants friend:

"the eagles are the only team i don't want to play".

they don't have plax or osi "humanurine". this should be very interesting.

@steve: i'd rather face delhomme than eli. i'd rather face warner than eli.

people, regardless of why you think eli is overrated, or conversely, personnel who have made him successful, the fact remains that he wins games. yes, he has had a few meltdowns this year, but is fully capable of putting on a show. is he better than mcnabb? i don't think so. there are quite a few QBs with rings that weren't really that good.

[Dan]

"Perhaps their most hated rival"?

More so than Dallas? I don't think so. Still, pretty hated.

Why can't us?

[superbryant]

so did any of you catch MeSean Jackson mouthing off to Bob Childress? he is an idiot, He is a great player but...we don't need that attitude Philly...I bet Reid ripped him a new asshole after the game considering Reid and Childress are good friends

[stevefredericks]

doesnt it seem a little silly that youre basing elis entire career based on one game? if tyree doesnt make that miracle catch, nobody would say they'd rather face warner than eli. not one.

[stevefredericks]

so if kyle kendrick has a 6.00 era and wins 15 games, but cole hamels has a 2.00 era, and wins only 10...kendrick is better?

it takes more than one person to win a game, especially in football. basing a QB's effectiveness on wins is misguided, to say the least.

[Loqiel]

It's amazing how much damage this playoff run will do should they not win it all.

"McNabb is fine, we don't need another QB".

"Reid is a great coach and GM".

"We don't use our first-round picks anyway, so who cares if they're lower in the round?"

Next to winning it all, the best thing that could have happened to this team was to finish well out of the playoffs, get some new faces in, and build up again. Now, even if they lose to the Giants, this season will be qualified as "a success" and the status quo will remain.

[Zack]

The whole game I was wondering why they didn't throw screens even when the Vikings were blitzing...after this play I still wondered why they had not thrown more screens. The Vikings tortured the Eagles on 3rd downs with screens in the 1st half.

[Leroy]

It's time for Eagles fans to head up to N. Jersey and harass those faggy wine and cheese tailgate parties at the Meadowlands.

[david]

forget the tyree play. if our boy #22 comes up with the sure-fire pick the play before -when Eli threw it up for grabs with the season on the line - Eli would have been destroyed up in NY.