The Philadelphia Eagles live to fight another day and are officially playoff bound with last night’s Dallas Cowboys defeat – squeaking out a 24-22 win to secure the NFC East crown. Although it wasn’t the prettiest of wins, it was indeed a win – and the Eagles-Cowboys SNF showdown actually made ratings history.
58% of Philadelphia televisions were tuned in to the game, establishing the SNF match-up as the highest-rated in local history. Ahhh, I can just feel the Eagles wagon getting heavier, can’t you?
Enter at your own risk, bandwagoners. It is stressful being an Eagles fan and the nature of last night’s game should be all the evidence you need. In typical Eagles fashion, the game came down to the wire. It was a long, dramatic, hard-fought battle and I know fans across the tri-state we’re just waiting for the classic Eagles implosion. Fortunately, it never came and the Birds were able to keep a steady lead the entire game and secure that W.
In front of a national audience, the Eagles entered Jerry’s world, and though they were projected to leave with an easy win – the victory was anything but. As much as I hate the Cowboys, I have to give credit where credit is due. Kyle Orton and the boys showed up to play – big time. Orton looked poised and accurate, throwing for 358 yards against a typically stout Eagles D.
Though seemingly unable to establish a pass rush and they failed to stop many third-and-long conversions, overall, I was thoroughly impressed with the Eagles defense. From the Mychal Kendricks FF, to the Connor Barwin fourth-and-1 batted-down-pass, to Cary Williams breaking up a two-point conversion try, the birds made huge defensive plays when necessary. Of course, nothing tops the game-winning interception though. Shout out to Brandon Boykin, always so clutch in the crunch!
Offensively, the Eagles played well – but by no means was it their best ball game. The Eagles placed much emphasis on the run game, and LeSean McCoy went to work rushing for 131 yards and was able to secure the leagues rushing title with 1,607 total yards this season. As for passing, Foles had two touchdown passes and the Dallas defense managed to keep him under 270 yards.
Despite an average performance by ol’ Saint Nick, I have to admit, my Nick Foles love has grown by the week. Foles was under tremendous pressure last night (both literally and figuratively), yet he was able to overcome adversity to redeem himself against the rivaled Cowboys… on the biggest stage of his career, in the biggest game of the season.
As an Eagles fan, what more could you ask for? Nick Foles is leading this offense in a way that nobody anticipated, and has established himself as a great quarterback in the process. Foles just makes great decisions. He refuses to put the ball in danger and isn’t afraid to take a sack (or five). This was painfully evident last night as the Dallas defense was able to create a ton of pressure.
For the first time in a long time, Foles looked a bit uncomfortable inside the pocket – he took five sacks, fumbled the ball and got an intentional grounding penalty, yet his confidence never wavered – it rarely ever does. Despite only starting nine games, Nick Foles has earned himself a mention among quarterback legends Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, and will end the regular season as a hall of fame inductee, with a 118.3 passer rating (the third highest in NFL history), a 25-2 touchdown-interception ratio. Future franchise quarterback? I think so.
Your 10-6 Philadelphia Eagles are now officially playoff bound and will be hosting Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints this Saturday night at the Linc. Though as Philly fans it is easy to let paranoia take hold and begin our worries for this weekend – I think we owe it to ourselves to enjoy this victory. It’s been a long time coming, Philly! And it feels great to be excited about Eagles football again. So, even if it is only for a moment – let’s allow ourselves to bask in last night’s victory. We deserve to live by that 24 hour rule, too. We can worry about Drew Brees and ‘Who Dat’ nation tomorrow. So for now – Fly Eagles, Fly!
GO BIRDS!!! Time to FLY!
The Linc will be crazy on a frigid Saturday night and this team is ready to do some damage. Are we a perfect team…we all know that we have holes…but they have gotten to 10-6 and a division championship by buying into what this coach is selling. They are playing together as a solid unit on both sides of the ball. The playoffs are the time when some strange things have happened, and teams that you never thought had a chance get HOT. Why not us….WHY NOT THE BIRDS!!
What a great time to be a fan of this team….GO BIRDS!!
Couldn’t agree more! Love it 🙂
I wonder how Joe Banner is doing right now, he myst be jumoing for joy with that first year he brought to Cleveland lol, little weasel went and tried to blame Howie on those bad drafts and look what happen the past two years when the truth came out and Howie was in total control, I lost count on all the starters he drafted the past two years. How bout how he spread that rumor about no one wanted to coach here because of Howie, how did that work out? How do you take over a team and fire your HC that YOU picked after one year? How embarrassing is that? That’s what happens when you have a toxic lowlife running your team, you reap what you sow. EAGLES !!!!!
I had a nice crowd of Eagles fans at my bar last night…I was so stressed out i had to go into my walk in to cool off several times. We can’t let Bree’s stay in the pocket without any pressure, or were gonna be in for a long night. I hope Davis is putting together some blitz packages in place just for Bree’s. The Eagles allowed Orton to sit in the pocket for too long and make those quick throws. Can’t allow that to happen against the Saints..
Tough game for sure but that’s the playoffs! Shady has to carry 20 times even if it’s only for 67 yards…their defense is very freaking good… Feed shady the ball and make four big plays in the passing game
Agreed DMAN! Definitely need pressure upfront..early. Also, if the Birds win the toss on Saturday I would like to see them keep the ball and score on the first drive. Show WHO DAT who is boss!
If our front 7 doesn’t get consistant pressure on Brees, he will pick this secondary apart. Hopefully Davis can put together a good game plan, & come at Brees with some unique blitzes, & coverage packages. I’d put Boykin, or Williams on Graham. Kendricks, & the rest of our LB’s can not cover him, & our safeties are horrific. Keep your fingers crossed.
In case anyone was interested..
Paulman won the Championship for one of the GCOBB Fantasy Football Leagues by beating ZOLTEK in the Championship Round of the 8 Team League in a pretty close battle.. I am now off to Disney World…
gmcliff’s job is in jeopardy.
Is it crazy to maybe move Boykins to free safety next year? I know he is a valuable slot corner but Arizona moved Honey Badger to FS and he thrived. Boykin is bigger and better than Honey Badger. Gotta find a way to get Boykin on the field more than 51% of the snaps.
Say goodbye to 1:00 football games next year! Chip Kelly has guaranteed this Eagles team to 4- night games next year. Sun, Monday and Thursday night. Expect the Eagles to play SF, Seattle, Indy, Arizona or Dallass and another team with many 4:00 starts as well! The nation wants to see Chip and his high flying offense!