Philadelphia Eagles (finally) win a close one over Bears 24-20
by JasonB on Nov 23, 2009 12:04 AM EST
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62 comments
A 4th quarter comeback. A win in a close game. A road win in the conference... It wasn't the prettiest game of the year, but it was a big win and the team showed some real guts tonight.
It really was great to see the Eagles finish this one off. Both offense and defense making plays at the end of the game... it's something we haven't seen from this team is far too long, but sometimes all you need is to get that monkey off your back. The Eagles did that tonight.
That said... I can't really write a recap of this game without acknowledging the monumentally bad game from Jay Cutler tonight. Let's be honest, there were Bears receivers running wide open down field past our secondary and had Jay Cutler been able to put a ball on target for at least one of them this could have been a different game. That was the worst QB play I've seen from an opponent all year. I don't know what was up with him tonight, but the Eagles secondary won't be able to get away with the things they did tonight very often.
Much more after the jump
You wanted a run game, you got a run game
The Eagles rushed for 157 yards as a team tonight led by rookie LeSean McCoy who gained 99 yards on 20 carries. He averaged 5 yards a pop and scored what ended up being the decisive TD. The kid did fumble tonight, but bounced back and seemed to run even better afterward. He looked much more decisive hitting the hole(especially in the second half), and overall looked like a guy that is going to have a future in this league as a feature back.
Short yardage? No problem.
Of course, you can't talk about the Eagles run game tonight without mentioning Michael Vick, who had by far his play as an Eagle tonight in the first quarter when he broke a run on third and short for over 30 yards. He also ran a sort of option play later in the game where he handed off to McCoy who gained a first down on a third and short. It was finally an instance where the defense was worrying about Vick and the handoff fooled them. There was also a McNabb sneak for a first down and a great effort play from McCoy who was hit and the line of scrimmage and through a great second effort just nudged the nose of the ball across the line for a first.
Gutty performance from Sheldon
Definitely have to give credit to Sheldon Brown, who still has never missed a game in his NFL career. Despite suffering a hamstring injury last week, Sheldon got himself on the field tonight and really played hard. To be fair, he was beat a few times down the field but Cutler was so terrible he couldn't take advantage of it. Brown did make a number of good pass breakups and had a great tackle at the end of the game which prevented Earl Bennett from getting out of bounds.
Good stuff from the good young wideouts
Despite his fumble, Desean Jackson had yet another impressive outing tonight. He caught 8 passes for 107 yards including a 48 yard TD. He had a 53 yard punt return and threw in a 10 yard first down run on an end around for good measure.
Desean's big day overshadowed another solid outing from Jeremy Maclin who hauled in a solid 6 passes for 64 yards.
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"That was the worst QB play I've seen from an opponent all year"
Couldn’t agree with you more. Considering we also played Jamarcus Russell, that speaks volumes.
by tanman5 on Nov 23, 2009 12:12 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
McCoy
He was much more north-south today. That conversion on 3rd and 2 was some tough interior running
by tanman5 on Nov 23, 2009 12:13 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
And that fumble was ridiculous. Tillman is really a specialist with that “right hook”. I swear he just knows how to get the ball out.
"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain
by soman319 on Nov 23, 2009 12:16 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, McCoy actually did tuck that ball away with two hands and Tillman still knocked it out.
by JasonB on Nov 23, 2009 12:19 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Considering he did it twice already in that game, I concede it was just Tillman being Tillman.
"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain
by soman319 on Nov 23, 2009 12:22 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
He had 3 FFs the first 9 games, he had 3 in ONE game vs our Eagles. They got their breaks with the FFs and we got ours with Cutler’s misses on 2 TD passes.
Andy Reid is 43-5 when running the ball at least 30 times in a game( Ray Diddy on Eagles Post Game Live after Bears Victory)
by Route36 on Nov 23, 2009 12:28 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I love Dixon, he was a great pickup.
Andy Reid is 43-5 when running the ball at least 30 times in a game( Ray Diddy on Eagles Post Game Live after Bears Victory)
by Route36 on Nov 23, 2009 12:30 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Read the stat from my signature....
I was wowed when I heard that. People who don’t understand how important a run game is to an offense, that record should make it easier. This team is MUCH better with a balanced offense. Anytime the Eagles lose a game in which the play calling was unbalanced in an overall close game, Reid and Marty gets the blame, NOT Mcnabb.
Andy Reid is 43-5 when running the ball at least 30 times in a game( Ray Diddy on Eagles Post Game Live after Bears Victory)
by Route36 on Nov 23, 2009 12:23 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
That may be a chicken and the egg thing. Of course they run the ball to kill the clock when they have a big lead.
I'm not drunk I'm just drinking.
by no1pipelayer on Nov 23, 2009 12:29 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I knew someone would say that. I guess 4 points is a big lead. There were only like 5 rushes after we got that lead.
Andy Reid is 43-5 when running the ball at least 30 times in a game( Ray Diddy on Eagles Post Game Live after Bears Victory)
by Route36 on Nov 23, 2009 12:31 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
they ran it exactly 30 times tonight
so…in this case, running to kill the clock was the reason that we reached 30 rushes.
by eagleyosh on Nov 23, 2009 12:40 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I would say about 25 rushes during normal game time. That’s what should be kept up.
Andy Reid is 43-5 when running the ball at least 30 times in a game( Ray Diddy on Eagles Post Game Live after Bears Victory)
by Route36 on Nov 23, 2009 12:42 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I agree with you
running is important. Just pointing out the validity of the chicken and the egg argument.
by eagleyosh on Nov 23, 2009 12:43 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
sweet crap thats an amaizng statistic
"It's unfortunate that happened. That's no excuse. Absolutely no excuse."
-Andy Reid
by immynimmy on Nov 23, 2009 12:50 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
That stat is backwards – you run when you have the game won not to win the game.
" The first article ever written for Football Outsiders was devoted to debunking the myth of “establishing the run.” There is no correlation whatsoever between giving your running backs a lot of carries early in the game and winning the game. Just running the ball is not going to help a team score; it has to run successfully.
There are two reasons why nearly every beat writer and television analyst still repeats the tired oldschool mantra that “establishing the run” is the secret to winning football games. The first problem is confusing cause and effect. There are exceptions but, in general, winning teams have a lot of carries because their running backs are running out the clock at the end of wins, not because they are running wild early in games.
The second problem is history. Most of the current crop of NFL analysts came of age or actually played the game during the 1970s. They believe that the run-heavy game of that decade is how football is meant to be, and today’s pass-first game is an aberration. As we addressed in an essay in last year’s book on the history of NFL stats, it was actually the game of the 1970s that was the aberration. The seventies were far more slanted towards the run than any era since the arrival of Paul Brown, Otto Graham, and the Cleveland Browns in 1946. Optimal strategies from 1974 are not optimal strategies for today’s game."
by deep64blue on Nov 23, 2009 5:29 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
I don't know if it's as much establishing...
Establishing the run is nice, but I think the key here is Offensive Balance and that’s more of the reason why the win % is so high when we run 30+ times. It means we were at least running the ball 20 times before any big lead could have been established and therefore keeping up the balanced offensive attack.
by 5 plus 10 equals 6 on Nov 23, 2009 9:02 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
Jim Johnson 1941-2009
"The 0-2 pitch, swing and a miss! STRUCK HIM OUT! The Philadelphia Phillies are 2008 World Champions of baseball! And let the city celebrate! " - Harry Kalas 1936-2009
by Whodie126 on Nov 23, 2009 9:14 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It's not really establishing the run
so much as it’s establishing Play Action. Andy Reid loves play action (don’t we all?), the problem is PA tends to be very ineffective when it’s the 3rd quarter and you’ve had 10 runs for 27 yards. You aren’t fooling anyone at that point. Keeping some balance may bring a safety into the box and create an opportunity to send DJax deep without safety help. The run stat Didinger gave is over stated, but not untrue.
by Cormican on Nov 23, 2009 12:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
WOW stat
I am even surprised by that lil nugget of info in your sig…
I think that should speak more than anything I could come up with…
It was definitely a pleasant surprise to have a balanced offense last night…Committing to the run game early and often is what makes McNabb and the offense as a whole play better and keeps the defense guessing…I know this is a crazy, foreign concept to some but look!…it works!
by 5 plus 10 equals 6 on Nov 23, 2009 8:55 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Well, I’m sure having Cutler on the other side helped, but to be fair, on a lot of those mis-throws he had guys in his face. He was constantly throwing off his back foot. That may not work with Brady, but with guys like Romo, Cutler, and Eli it will.
But I’m enjoying this win regardless.
Reid- Best Coach in Eagles History
McNabb- Best QB in Eagles History
This is the year
by bdawk4ever on Nov 23, 2009 12:36 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Also....Sav Rocca needs to get the boot!(pun intended)
a 16 yard punt?? That led to a field goal. I would rather have a punter that consistently punts 35-40 yards then have one that punts 45-50 yards but shanks one every game that leads to a score.
Andy Reid is 43-5 when running the ball at least 30 times in a game( Ray Diddy on Eagles Post Game Live after Bears Victory)
by Route36 on Nov 23, 2009 12:40 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
He’s a goner.
"THIS IS NOT COLLEGE NO MORE. THIS IS THE BIG MAN SPORT." ~Crazy Lady on BGN forums
by southjersey89 on Nov 23, 2009 12:46 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
He was Bad.
Very Bad. And he only seems to get worse the colder it gets..
by 5 plus 10 equals 6 on Nov 23, 2009 8:56 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
11 yard punt after the penalty … he was absolutely horrible.
Jim Johnson 1941-2009
"The 0-2 pitch, swing and a miss! STRUCK HIM OUT! The Philadelphia Phillies are 2008 World Champions of baseball! And let the city celebrate! " - Harry Kalas 1936-2009
by Whodie126 on Nov 23, 2009 9:15 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
is it me....
or did Chris Collinsworth sound like he had his lips hanging off of the Bears jockstrap tonight? and did he seriously say “Johnny Knox is the fastest receiver in the game today” he wasn’t even the fastest on the field tonight….he wasn’t even the 3rd fastest….D-Jack, Hester, and Maclin are faster then he is!!!!
by Smrdwnnow on Nov 23, 2009 1:14 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I’m pretty sure he said that Knox was the fastest receiver on the Bears, not fastest in the game. Either way he is wrong. Hester(4.27 forty) is the fastest on the Bears. Knox is definitely faster than Maclin though. Knox’s forty = 4.34. Maclin’s forty = 4.48.
Andy Reid is 43-5 when running the ball at least 30 times in a game( Ray Diddy on Eagles Post Game Live after Bears Victory)
by Route36 on Nov 23, 2009 1:46 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
nah
i remember him saying he is the fastest receiver in football. i was calling BS on that too.
Eagles.
by #1EaglesFan on Nov 23, 2009 2:13 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
he definately said in the nfl
never even heard of the guy
by Bo Jangles on Nov 23, 2009 3:14 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
knox
he went to college in texas, abilene christian, he’s REAL fast. I was hoping the eagles would draft him to return kicks. He ran an unofficial 4.25 40 at the combine.
"Eagles fans are a passionate group who love their team," said McNabb, "if not the actual players. It's not like winning a Super Bowl before the first month of the season is the hardest thing they've ever asked of me. That'd be all those times they asked me to go kill myself."
by greenbean#twoOH on Nov 23, 2009 12:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I heard Bears too
maybe he said both?
by Screen Name 20 on Nov 23, 2009 9:46 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
if johnny knox is so fast
why didn’t al davis pick him up?
by el on Nov 23, 2009 1:51 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
actually he said that DeSean is the fastest, and he payed some props to a lot of ppl on the Eagles, if anything I think he likes the Eagles orginization more. But he still is kinda a bitch to listen to
by MalibuLSV23 on Nov 23, 2009 3:00 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Collinsworth..
He was straight up ripping Cutler tho…for good reason.
but yea…never heard so much love for Johnny Knox my entire life.
by 5 plus 10 equals 6 on Nov 23, 2009 8:57 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Collinsworth is the man
He makes games more interesting, incredibly rare for a PBP guy / analyst. He’s by far my favorite analyst, and he absolutely does more homework than any other guy. Forty times, btw, aren’t everything when it comes to speed.
by Alon on Nov 23, 2009 11:28 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
for all who missed it
Let's get it Birds.
by homestar2281 on Nov 23, 2009 1:55 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
lol from that picture it looks like play-doh
"It's unfortunate that happened. That's no excuse. Absolutely no excuse."
-Andy Reid
by immynimmy on Nov 23, 2009 2:08 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
i laughed for sooo long after seeing this
Eagles.
by #1EaglesFan on Nov 23, 2009 2:12 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I told you the Bears were our mirror images tonight.
"THIS IS NOT COLLEGE NO MORE. THIS IS THE BIG MAN SPORT." ~Crazy Lady on BGN forums
by southjersey89 on Nov 23, 2009 2:39 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
"worst QB play we have seen all year"
umm…..how about Jake Delhomme?
by Clyde Simmons on Nov 23, 2009 7:35 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Yeah...
Yeah, that was pretty bad….Although it is something to say that Cutler was worse than Campbell and J. Russell…I think he was so concerned with not throwing the pick that he overcompensated…
---AstrosFan (Austin Lawyer and Sports Fan)
by AstrosFan on Nov 23, 2009 10:54 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Also
He only had a few catches, but Jason Avant continues to impress.
by andyreidswaistline on Nov 23, 2009 7:55 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Yep...
He’s our “sixth man” award winner, no doubt. Even saw him hustling on special teams.
---AstrosFan (Austin Lawyer and Sports Fan)
by AstrosFan on Nov 23, 2009 10:55 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I was surprised to see the Bears had more penalties than us as well.
"I hate listening to people's dreams. It is like flipping through a stack of photographs. If I'm not in any of them and nobody is having sex, I just don't care. "
by midnitegreen on Nov 23, 2009 9:39 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
any team with more penalties than us is always surprising.
In life, as in a football game, the principle to follow is: Hit the line hard.
-Theodore Roosevelt
by Eaglesgrl5 on Nov 24, 2009 8:00 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I know that we played against a team that isnt very good, and we could have played far better. but, this is still a very big win nonetheless, it puts us in a much better position for the stretch run
by eaglesinmd on Nov 23, 2009 10:08 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
So maybe i am a hater....
But I saw this game as just another example of the Eagles playing down to their opponents skill level. This game should have been salted away with a few good drives after going up 10-0 early. They scored on two drives, one helped by DJAX being just so studly and getting that long ball, and another solid drive capped off by McCoy.
I could not believe our DEF did not blow this one, looking at how we had single no safety coverage on alot of plays, I honestly thought we were going to get torched, and almost did 3 TIMES!
We will not win if we play this way against the cowboys, gianst, or falcons!
Pressure with just the front 4?! Please let us find a way!!!
by PierrEagles on Nov 23, 2009 10:35 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
have you seen the cowboys the past 2 games?
they’re already in december form.
by eagleyosh on Nov 23, 2009 11:41 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
The Eagles Defense is beat to hell aside from the line. It’s hard to blitz more than 4 because the corners need safety help and half our linebackers couldn’t cover my Mother.
And yes, December seems to have come early for Romo this year. 7-6, thank God I didn’t have to watch that abomination.
by Cormican on Nov 23, 2009 12:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I agree completely
Where was Jason Babin? I was encouraged by his fast start, but he has disappeared the last two games (though I think he should be taking snaps from Parkter).
Mike Patterson and Bunkley have been very average the past two games. Hopefully, getting Jordan back will take some pressure off of them.
The offense was much better in the second half, hitting big plays, short passes, and running the ball effectively. If our offense plays like that consistently, it is easily one of the best in the league.
by tanman5 on Nov 23, 2009 1:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Trent Cole?
Where’s the love for Trent Cole last night? He was a beast and was thoroughly whipped Pace last night. Only success Pace had was when he was able to get underneath Cole or drive him to the outside long enough. Hell, the Bears were constantly putting a RB/TE over to help out or chip Cole.
Cole maybe only had 1 sack but he had a couple of pressures/hits, 2 tackles for a loss, and caused 1 holding call (and they could have called another 1-2). Cutler wasn’t rolling out to the left virtually all night long because of the pressure Cole was bringing.
My star of the game on defense last night for the Eagles. ’Spoon did a nice job too of coverage on Olsen including generally tackling him once he caught the ball (which has been a real problem with the Eagles). Patterson and Brown all deserve props for generally solid enough play given the state of the secondary.
by MG77 on Nov 23, 2009 10:45 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Eagles were lucky
That the Bears really missed some real opportunities in the 1st half. Eagles had 2 bad turnovers on offense in the 2nd quarter with a Bears offense that was driving up & down the field. If the Bears put that ball into the end zone at least once, Bears go into half up at least 13-10 and I wonder if Reid/McNabb don’t start to panic just a little bit.
by MG77 on Nov 23, 2009 10:50 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Defense...
The issue for me the last few games has been the defense…the injuries at LB and CB seem to be taking the toll on our blitz packages….we’re not jumping routes and getting the turnovers we’re used to seeing…seems like there are a lot of easy open guys on 3rd down…Cowboys ate us alive on the hot reads, and not getting Romo for a few picks is definitely outside the norm for his play…
---AstrosFan (Austin Lawyer and Sports Fan)
by AstrosFan on Nov 23, 2009 10:58 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
The best part of this Sunday
was the fact that the redskins shutout the cowboys for about 57 minutes…too bad they couldn’t hold on though. The way the cowboys played was atrocious and they only won because the redskins missed field goals. That game along with last weeks one touch down against the packers shows that the cowboys are ripe for the fall. We could pick it up ourselves a little though. Our win could easily have been a loss if someone else were the bears qb.
by strikeeagle on Nov 23, 2009 11:35 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
This was a good win
Good win by the Eagles toughing this one out. Say what you will about how bad the bears are including Cutler, but they are much better at home including Cutler. It was great to see McNabb lead a fourth quarter comeback against a defense that has been playing much better lately. On a sidenote, anyone else think Brett Favre may just be on steroids???
by PhilsForever on Nov 23, 2009 11:40 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
on a side note...
how ’bout those former Eagles 6th-round draft picks?
Gibson with 5 rec, 61 yds for the Rams and Studebaker with 2 picks for the Chiefs
by alcatraz0109 on Nov 23, 2009 1:12 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
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