Bird Watch: Eagles Fall Short in Hard-Fought Battle with Dallas

Perhaps last year’s season-ending rout of the Cowboys truly did remain in Dallas’ mind. Or maybe the Eagles just didn’t execute a quality game plan. Some may argue the referees influenced the result of last night’s rivalry matchup with inconsistent calls, and others point the finger at poor clock management by head coach Andy Reid and his Birds, but no matter where the blame is placed, the fact is simple…that Philadelphia came up short in a hard-fought contest with the Cowboys last evening to drop to second place in the NFC East.

There are a countless amount of reasons that can be brought up when attempting to discover why the Eagles really lost this big game, but in reality, the team just simply didn’t perform on a consistent level, something they’ve struggled with all season. As many have pointed out, the Eagles’ offensive unit has relied heavily on the “big play” this year to succeed, and so far it has become typical that when they don’t have those big plays on a regular basis, they fall. On the defensive side of the ball, the Birds appeared solid, for the most part. Other than a touchdown catch that was allowed late in the game, the defense did a nice job containing what was regarded a very powerful Dallas offense. As for the absences of some key players on the Eagles, OLB Chris Gocong was replaced in the lineup by rookie Moises Fokou, and RB Brian Westbrook’s spot was filled by LeSean McCoy for the second consecutive week. Fokou certainly played with emotion, but often times involved himself in unnecessary tackle attempts or illegal actions resulting in penalties. McCoy, however, made the most of his opportunities, compiling 115 total yards on 18 touches.

On a low note, QB Donovan McNabb had trouble throwing the ball accurately throughout the game, and completed only 16 of his 30 pass attempts. After looking nearly perfect against the Giants in Week 8, it appears some more practice and work on throwing mechanics is in store for the veteran Quarterback. If the Eagles plan on winning games as they did a week ago versus tough opponents like the Cowboys, they will need to have McNabb step up as their offensive leader, and continue playing good on defense. As saddening as it is to ponder the situation and realize that the rival Cowboys captured the division lead with the victory, there is no time to waste pouting. Before we officially move on from the loss, here is the weekly look at the significant plays, injuries, and scores from the Eagles’ performance…

Opening up the game, which began at 8:20 p.m. ET, neither team was able to establish a solid offensive strategy, as the Cowboys’ QB Tony Romo was brought down for a sack and the highly-regarded Dallas running game failed to churn out yards. For the Eagles, McNabb was intercepted for the first time since Week 1 when his intended target–rookie WR Jeremy Maclin–bobbled the pass and the ball fell into the outreached hands of FS Gerald Sensabaugh. In an effort to capitalize off of the turnover, Dallas drove the ball inside the Eagles’ 20-yard line with a few successful passes. When eventually lined up at the 2-yard line, 3rd-string RB Tashard Choice took the snap from the Wildcat formation and scored on a small rushing TD, giving the Cowboys an early 7-0 lead.

A few series later, the Eagles suffered a significant loss on their offensive line when starting OT Jason Peters was rolled up while blocking, awkwardly twisting his lower leg. The offseason trade acquisition had already been rattled earlier in the game when he allowed the Cowboys to reach McNabb on several blitzing plays, however, his backup–King Dunlap–had not seen a ton of playing time in previous games. As many guessed, the loss of the mammoth-sized Peters on McNabb’s blindside was a negative one, as the Eagles’ QB was continuously pressured. To the relief of many Eagle fans, though, the Tackle returned just before halftime and performed very well.

At the start of the second quarter, the Birds tacked on some points when K David Akers converted on a 45-yard field goal, minimizing the Dallas lead to 4. On the ensuing Cowboy offensive drive, the Eagle defense once again ceased their rivals from moving the ball, forcing a punt and placing continuous pressure on Tony Romo. Following the punt, the Eagles were able to develop some offensive momentum, executing several long running plays with McCoy and FB Leonard Weaver each taking carries, and backup QB Michael Vick taking the field for a pair of plays (one was a designed QB run, the other a hand-off from the Shotgun formation). Despite their sudden success, the team failed to reach the endzone, and settled with kicking a 48-yard field goal, knocking the Cowboys’ lead to a single point.

To end the first half, Dallas managed to tack an additional trio of points on the scoreboard, when their 2nd-year K Nick Folk squeezed a somewhat inaccurate boot inside the crossbars for a 22-yard field goal. It was clear that the game was not going to end an offensive shootout by halftime, as neither team gathered over 10 points, and the defensive squads were playing the biggest roles in the contest.

The 3rd quarter opened with excitement for the Lincoln Financial Field crowd, as the Eagles found their way into the endzone for a touchdown, when Donovan McNabb rolled to his right and dumped a short pass to his reliable TE Brent Celek. The 11-yard strike put the Eagles on top for the first time in the game, and with the way the team’s defense was performing to this point, it seemed as if a win was clearly not out of the question. Besides, there was plenty of time remaining to play in the Week 9 game.

The Eagles gained even more confidence when their defensive unit stepped up on Dallas’ following offensive series. After several running plays were called, the ‘Boys decided to take a shot down the field by throwing a deep pass, and fortunately for the Birds, Tony Romo’s heave down the left sideline and near the endzone was intercepted by CB Sheldon Brown. The veteran coverage man returned the ball 54 yards and into Dallas territory, but a penalty called on Moise Fokou took the Eagles back to their own 24-yard line. With this decline in field position, the offense failed to put together another good string of plays, and was forced to punt, giving the ball right back to the Cowboys.

After the defense once again held the Cowboys, the offense once again didn’t take advantage of their opportunity. Donovan McNabb aired the ball deep on the first play from scrimmage on the drive, and the pass was picked off by young CB Mike Jenkins. This turnover marked the first game this year that McNabb tossed two interceptions, and also provided the Cowboys with yet another chance to score with good field position. They did just that, as Nick Folk nailed another field goal, this one from 33 yards out. Now facing a tie game, the Eagles realized they needed to start producing offensively, and gained a few determined yards via running plays and short passes. However, when faced with a crucial 4th-down situation, the referees ordered the team short of the first down when McNabb attempted to sneak the ball up the middle for a run. Head coach Andy Reid challenged the play, but for the second time in the rivalry showdown, was denied a call reversal. From my perspective, it appeared McNabb dove past the first-down marker successfully, but of course, I am not the official, and therefore had no say in the controversial decision.

Dallas capitalized on the upheld ruling and turnover, when Romo found top receiver Miles Austin for a 49-yard touchdown pass. Austin had been held without a catch up to this point, but finally broke out in a huge way in the 4th and final quarter with the catch. Now up 20-13, the Cowboys’ defense continued their strong showing by keeping the Eagles under wraps in the final minutes, allowing only another field goal by David Akers, and walking out of Philadelphia with a motivating victory.

With their third loss of the season, the Eagles now prepare to face a member of the AFC conference in the San Diego Chargers. This matchup will take place back again away for the Eagles, in Qualcomm Stadium, and will be played on Sunday afternoon at approximately 4:15 p.m. ET.. Further analysis and evaluation of today’s game will be released throughout the week, but for now, take a look at the Eagles’ statistical leaders from the matchup, some of their key players, a scoring summary of the contest, and a look at some interesting things that you may have missed while viewing the game:

Statistical Leaders

Passing: Donovan McNabb (QB): 16-30, 227 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT

Rushing: LeSean McCoy (RB): 13-54 yards

Receiving: LeSean McCoy (RB): 5-61 yards

Receiving (cont.): Jeremy Maclin (WR): 3-44 yards

Defensive: Akeem Jordan (OLB): 6 tackles

Defensive (cont.): Will Witherspoon (MLB): 6 tackles

Kicking: David Akers (K): 3-3 FG, 1-1 extra point

Punting: Sav Rocca (P): 3-42.0 punt yard average

For a complete statistical breakdown of the game, click here.

Key Players:

• RB LeSean McCoy: Other than a loss-of-yardage run on a significant 3rd-down situation, the rookie McCoy took advantage of his starting opportunity and played very well. He didn’t get the ball a lot in terms of rushing the ball, but was able to gain a total of 115 yards on offense, while making a team-high 6 receptions and executing some great blocks to assist the offensive line in protecting Donovan McNabb. With Brian Westbrook set to return in Week 10, there might not be as many touches for McCoy, but with the sudden problems that have popped up for the typical starter, it may not be a bad prediction to say that the freshman pro will see at least one more start in the season.
• OT Jason Peters: Peters overcame what initially looked to be a serious leg injury and one of the league’s best pass rushers to have quite a great game. The former Buffalo Bill struggled with handling Dallas’ defensive weapon–OLB DeMarcus Ware–early in the game, but rebounded well, not allowing the strong and physical blitzer to reach McNabb and force a crucial mistake. As if that wasn’t hard enough, Peters did this while playing with a heavily-taped injured ankle. Although he has yet to prove he can block dominantly week in and week out, the large lineman is on the right track to earning the respect he was expected to receive when traded for.
• DE Trent Cole: Cole has been an aggressive force all year for the Eagles’ defense, and continued to show that when he recorded a pair of tackles and a sack last night. The 5th-year Defensive End now has 7.5 sacks on the season, and is well on pace to have a career season, as he’s gotten to the opposing teams’ QB in all but one game thus far. In addition to his pass rush, Cole also worked into coverage formations in which he lined up as an occasional coverage man. This worked successfully, as no pass was completed to receivers manned by the Eagles’ versatile defensive lineman. Overall, he had a dominant performance, something that has become typical in this 2009 season.

Did You Know…

• …that CB Asante Samuel was flagged for taunting when in reality he was congratulating Cowboys’ RB Marion Barber following a run? Samuel made the tackle on Barber’s short rushing play, and upon bringing the Dallas runner to the ground, immediately leaned over Barber as if expressing some disrespectful or cocky comments. However, the two then smiled at each other and Samuel happily helped Barber up from the ground. The referees must’ve saw the incident as a verbal exchange of unsportsmanlike conduct, as they penalized Samuel and the Eagles 15 yards for the Cornerback’s actions.
• …that preseason star and fan favorite DE Jason Babin recorded another sack in last night’s matchup? After being listed as inactive for the first few games, the Training Camp free agent addition saw playing time in the absence of Victor Abiamiri. The determined and passionate defender now has 2.5 sacks on the year, and that is pretty impressive considering he was only recently installed into the base plan of the defense.
• …that this game was the 100th played between the Eagles and Cowboys between both franchises’ histories? Although Dallas stole the century mark victory, Philadelphia has had the better all-time record versus Dallas as of late, and will look to continue that when they meet for the second time with the rivals in the final week of the regular season. By that time, there may be playoff implications on the line, and the rivalry will surely be an intense one if so.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter
	TD	T.Choice 2 yd. run (N.Folk kick) (7-37, 4:11)
2nd Quarter
	FG	D.Akers 45 yd. Field Goal (10-55, 3:34)
	FG	D.Akers 48 yd. Field Goal (12-54, 6:08)
	FG	N.Folk 22 yd. Field Goal (9-77, 1:34)
3rd Quarter
	TD	B.Celek 11 yd. pass from D.McNabb(D.Akers kick) (6-77, 3:12)
4th Quarter
	FG	N.Folk 33 yd. Field Goal (5-27, 2:08)
	TD	M.Austin 49 yd. pass from T.Romo(N.Folk kick) (4-55, 2:45)
	FG	D.Akers 52 yd. Field Goal (8-30, 3:37)