Big Game, Little Opponent: Skins in Town

The last time these two teams met, the Eagles sort of cruised to a 27-17 victory despite not having Donovan McNabb's best performance. At the time, we made the case that the game wasn't even really that close. They jumped out to a 17-0 lead and led 27-10 at halftime against a team that averages just 14.6 points per game. In fact the Redskins have eclipsed 17 points just once all season, so it's reasonable to expect if the Birds can just score at least that many, they will win again today.

On the flip side, the Eagles have scored fewer than 16 only once themselves, and they face a defense missing some key players. DT Albert Haynesworth is inactive, which should help the offensive create a little more room for the backs. CB DeAngelo Hall is also out, but considering his tendency to give up the big play and DeSean Jackson's tendency to make one, that may actually favor Washington.

Everything on paper points to an Eagles win today, but as we've seen in the past, and in particular with Washington, nothing is a given. These division games are often tougher just because the teams know each other so well, and a mediocre Redskins club managed to spoil the Birds not once, but twice last season.

The fact is though, this is a game they should win. It's only a matter of putting the points on the board. The Redskins offense is seriously lacking, deficient, handicapped, whatever you want to call it. RB Clinton Portis and TE Chris Cooley, two Pro Bowl players, are out, and the offensive line is a mess. Oh yeah, and the head coach is hardly that at all.

A victory would put the Eagles at 7-4, still atop the wild card standings, and within striking distance of the Cowboys (8-3). And we all know what happens to those guys in December...

Comments

[will.H]

so the redskis score 6 points last week.. its 45 seconds into the game and they're a few yards from scoring 7, woot woot!

i like the agressive call.. just not on KICKOFFS.

[Paul]

Why would you onside kick against a team that you should easily handle? Reid's play calling makes no sense whatsoever.

[MarkH]

Yeah, we pretty much spotted them 7 there.

[Bryan]

A team that can't move the ball the length of the field...so yet lets give them the ball at our 19

[maxL]

FAIL.

[Bryan]

Well, that was just dandy.

[Wilkes-Barre Sucked]

not a good start. emphasis on every word.

[jd]

upon review, i saw no eagle illegally touch the ball on that onside kick.

i like the call, but hate the results. moose actually got it right-the redskins were fooled, the eagles just didn't get to the ball.

[jd]

fucking joe mays. he makes two bad plays in 1 minute

[BLT]

the kick itself pretty much sucked as well

[Mayer 4 Mayor]

The onside kick needs to be done during the game when no one would suspect it. Like when we executed it against the Pats 2 years ago when they were undefeated.

[bizurk]

I know they're a bad offense, but 19 yds is a short field for anyone.... Good thing the O looks crisp early

[birdman]

Hey Kulp, do you know if there is a live feed i can watch from my comp. in Steamboat? Thx bro!

[Wilkes-Barre Sucked]

what an unnecessary penalty.

[Bryan]

Offense interference?! Are you kidding me!

[will.H]

very.. very weak call. NFL NHL refs still competing for the worst in America.

[Trevor McFur]

Where was that pass interference again?

[jd]

and the commentors actually agree. what a bunch of chodes.

if anything, it was defensive holding.

[asd]

skins cant stop the run, and we pass on 3rd and goal, makes sense, thanks marty mornhenwig!

[asd]

if we had a decent gameday coach, this game should be 7-0 birds, onside kick never should have happened, and they should have run on 3rd and goal for the score.

[Trevor McFur]

DeSean thisclose to breaking that one. Great effort anyway.

[sean]

Don't suppose anyone has a stream do they? I can't find anything!

[asd]

I HATE ANDY REID AND MICHAEL VICK.

3RD AND ONE, GIVE THE FUCKING BALL TO THE RUNNING BACK.

THIS TEAM HAS TO WIN IN SPITE OF COACHING, ITS SO AWESOME.

[Trevor McFur]

Finally, the do the smart thing and give it to Weaver on short yardage.

[Paul]

Andy Reid thinks wildcat offense stands for run the same stupid Michael Vick sneak every play.

[asd]

RUN THE BALL ON FIRST DOWN

OH MY GOD.

[Steve]

Not a week goes bye where Desean Jackson doesn't make me say, "fuck that guy is fast".

[Bryan]

Way to go DeSean & McNabb. Maybe they are waking up?

[will.H]

2 possessions, 2 scores against a good defense. this team really lost to the raiders?

[Tom]

McNabb looks so good today.

[Tom]

And to the people looking for streams, try http://myp2p.eu

[jd]

christ demps watched campbell the entire time

[asd]

well that was pathetic.

that onsides kick really woke up the redskins, way to go andy.

[will.H]

maybe macho can make up for his terrible coverage on this kickoff.

[Bryan]

Yay, how many penalties can we add up in 2 minutes?

[will.H]

all the stupid penalties aside, is there a worse punter in football?

[Justin Evans]

The Eagles are like a bad horror film your girlfriend forces you to watch. You can predict every single mistake throughout the movie and you know everything when it is coming.

Win or lose today, you know how the season ends.

[Zack]

The Eagles are so undisciplined...the penalties are just getting ridiculous on this team

[bizurk]

Wow, Goose just offered some on-point commentary! The Birds are indeed shooting themselves in the foot.... repeatedly

[jd]

the biggest deficiency for the birds right now is the OL. they rae giving mcnabb no time to make a play.

[jd]

HUGE

[jd]

if witherspoon wasn't in the way that would have been six. not that im complaining.

[will.H]

when you have the ball 2nd and goal with 2 mins to go.. you let every second tick off the clock. do they know this?

[Zack]

10 yards to go

throw a 4 yard pass...nothing new here

[jd]

no horsecollar on the int. return?

[jd]

the good news from the first half: shady has shown a quantum leap in his understanding of the offense and how to wait for the play to develope. this is encouraging.

[Paul]

@JD
Andy Reid's play calling however is about as good as the show Quantum Leap, and by that I mean it sucks as much as Scott Bakula's acting.

[will.H]

feethands mikell drops one again. ah good effort though, tough catch

[will.H]

and im not being mean, but does mike patterson keep getting.. bigger?

[Zack]

how many third and longs can you give up to jason campbell?...this is getting pretty pathetic

[hju]

i'll sum up everyone's points in one short sentence. "this team sucks and it is frustrating to watch them play."

[will.H]

first head up LB of the day, Tracy White?

[enrico]

Brent Celek with three dropped, catchable passed in a row.

[Wilkes-Barre Sucked]

Please, no more passes to Brent Celek today. Kthx.

[Zack]

Jason Avant...the only guy who really wants to play today

[will.H]

ill say it every week.. has anyone seen jason avant drop a pass.. ever?

and maybe the celek love affair will die down. dude is killing us

[Zack]

...now he is hurt

[jd]

get celek the hell out of there

[Zack]

how many god damn wasted plays can we have with Mike Vick

I swear the coaches are retarded...this team is so bad

[jd]

buckley on the goal line? don't get that one.

just sneak the damn ball.

[jd]

SNEAK THE DAMN BALL

[jd]

jesus christ 1rst and goal on the one.......oh thank god!

[Zack]

thank the lord

how can it be so hard to get a TD when it is 1st and half a yard?

[Johnny Nas]

Eagles time out....WTF why are they not prepared for the 2?

[jd]

mccoys got heart

[Zack]

amazing job by mccoy on that play

he has looked very good all game

[will.H]

the ol westbrook special! mccoy looked like a kitty cat bouncin into that endzone.

[Paul]

@will.H
Because football players love being compared to cuddly little animals like kitty cats, unless you're talking about Ricky Williams wearing his wedding dress. Also, I suggest no one ever compares Larry Johnson to a kitty cat unless you want him to be suspended again.

[will.H]

redskins will get the ball back. i hate the soft prevent.. yet im excited about trent cole rushing cambell with no help in the backfield

[Zack]

Let's see if the Eagles can stop them here

[Mike H.]

Noooo.... Fo-KOU!

[Zack]

god damn Parker is stupid

that could easily have been a penalty

[will.H]

moose very adamant about the eagles getting lucky.

[Zack]

amazed the Eagles won this game

The team looked great at the beginning...looked terrible for half the game...and on the past 2 drives has looked like a completely different team

Hopefully Avant and Jackson are both not seriously hurt...need both of them

[will.H]

paul, ive met some not so cuddly kitty cats. mccoy looked like a really really fierce house cat.

[Mark D.]

I think we all need to accept the fact that there is no baseline level of performance with this team. You simply get what you get each week, some weeks it'll be good enough to beat the best, others you'll end up in a dogfight with the dregs. Whether this season ends like every other so far, is to be determined.

Or we can bitch all game about how bad they are and how everyone sucks, but then not have much of a leg to stand on when they pull out a win. This team is obviously not a beast. But I'll take a battled-out win any day.

But seriously. The penalties need to fucking stop. Andy, tighten that shit up.