This game looked a lot like the week one matchup between these teams. The Eagles were clearly outplayed in the first half, got down to a big deficit but scratched their way back in the second half largely thanks to Michael Vick. But like that first game, the Eagles comeback wasn't quite enough. Green Bay corner Tramon Williams picked off a Michael Vick pass intended for Riley Cooper in the end zone. Throwing to a WR matched up one on one with a significant height advantage in the end zone wasn't a bad read, but the throw was too short.
While Vick's pick was certainly the heartbreaker, if you're searching for goats in this game you don't have to look much further than David Akers. The kicker was coming off a pro bowl bow year, but inexplicably shanked two very make-able field goals. The Eagles lost by five and that was six points left on the board.
And of course, no recap would be complete without a look at the season long goat, the Eagles defense. Honestly, if you would have told me that they would have held the Pack to only 21 I probably would have been happy with that... The final score doesn't really tell the story of how soundly they were beaten though. Aaron Rodgers dinked and dunked them to death with three TDs. Some guy named James Starks runs for 123 yards. They convert on 7 of 13 first downs and held the ball for 32 minutes... The Packers offense wasn't flashy today, but they were incredibly efficient.
And so the season ends. In the end, you'd have to say the Eagles exceeded all expectations set for them before the season. Michael Vick emerged as a franchise QB, LeSean McCoy & Jeremy Maclin had breakout years... Now it's time to fix the defense and the offensive line. It's another disappointment for sure, but there does seem to be more hope going forward this season than in years passed.