E-A-G-L-E-S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Believe It Or Not, Eagles In The Playoffs

by: Joe Dolan

Do you believe in miracles?

If you had written off the Eagles' playoff hopes after a brutal 36-7 loss at Baltimore in Week 12, probably. If you'd given up hope after a lethargic 10-3 defeat in Washington last week, when the Eagles briefly controlled their own destiny, almost definitely.

If you couldn't anticipate the lowly Oakland Raiders, on the road, suffocating a Tampa Bay squad that had started the year 8-3, you probably had company.

All the cards fell into place for the Eagles, who catapulted from an unenviable abyss into the jump-ball second Wild Card slot in the NFC playoff hunt with a nuclear 44-6 win over hated Dallas at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday night. Though the Eagles did their job against the Cowboys, it took an unbelievable string of fortune for their season to extend.

A miracle, even.

"I've never been a part of anything like this," free safety Brian Dawkins said. "All those things lined up, and we took care of business."

Dawkins said he would have been "foolish" to assume knowing the outcomes of earlier games didn't give him some extra adrenaline – and it helped.

The Eagles flat-out annihilated Dallas in just about every aspect of the game, which in and of itself would have eliminated the Cowboys – who controlled their own destiny entering Sunday - from the playoffs. That particular consolation scenario against the bitter rivals might well have been considered the Eagles' more likely prize, considering all the pieces that needed to fall into place.

But Oakland capitalized on some late big plays to topple Tampa Bay, which becomes the first NFL team to start 8-3 and miss the playoffs since the divisions were realigned in 2002.

Chicago, one of the other two teams that needed to lose for the Eagles to even have a prayer, blew a 10-0 lead in Houston and fell 31-24. Therefore, a Minnesota win against a short-handed Giants squad didn't even matter. The Eagles, by some other act from the beyond, again controlled their own destiny.

This time, they wouldn't blow it.

"We knew we had to come out here and play a tough team that was hungry," quarterback Donovan McNabb said. "We wanted to come out and defend what happened last week and show it wasn't us."

The circumstances that detailed the Eagles' improbable run to the postseason are too extensive and too tiring to list. But the gist is this: Tampa Bay collapsed over the season's last month, putting a team not even on the Eagles' radar on Dec. 1 into a coffin the Buccaneers built for themselves.

And how can anyone forget Tony Romo's pick-six thrown to Deshea Townsend in Pittsburgh just three weeks ago, which capped 17 unanswered points for the Steelers en route to a 20-13 victory? Should the Cowboys hold their 13-3 fourth-quarter lead there, Sunday's game at Lincoln Financial Field would have been for little more than pride.

And how about that much-bemoaned tie in Cincinnati, which leaves the Eagles at 9-6-1, a half-game in front of Chicago, Dallas and Tampa Bay?

So the Eagles, who had hurt themselves nearly too many times with egregious errors for the entire 2008 season, were finally able to claim the last – and best – opportunity given to them this season.

Now, they'll be playing next week in Minnesota.

"Oh, it's the start of something," Dawkins said. "We'll see how special it is after we play (Minnesota). But it's the start of something."

found @ http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=17079

Winners and losers: McNabb, Reid stay alive

by: Charles Robinson

They couldn’t come back next season. But nobody said they couldn’t extend this one.

Maybe that was the fine print under the volumes of text written on the Nov. 23 demise of Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid. Both the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and head coach were written off after a 36-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on that date, including some words of disdain from yours truly (“Mark it down,” I wrote. “Five games are left in Philadelphia’s season and McNabb’s time in an Eagles uniform.”).

Make that five games, plus one – at least. And perhaps all of 2009, too.

A little over one month ago, I couldn’t fathom McNabb and the Eagles recovering from what was one of the most crushing losses of his career. He had turned the ball over three times and was benched after only one half against a Baltimore team that, in hindsight, was far better than most thought at the time. But we couldn’t see it then. The city of Philadelphia and much of the media – both local and national – wasted no time turning on McNabb and Reid.

What we couldn’t see at the time was an offense and defense that were going to get healthier in the regular season’s waning weeks, or a quarterback who was capable of turning the NFC’s elite teams and their seasons inside-out. But that’s precisely what McNabb and the Eagles did, burying the Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns and tripping the New York Giants.

But nothing seemed a more appropriate completion to the run than what happened Sunday, when Philadelphia vaporized a Dallas Cowboys team that began the season as a prohibitive Super Bowl favorite. Instead, the Eagles and Cowboys left Sunday going in opposite directions. McNabb finished the regular season dancing and Reid finished it applauding. All while the Cowboys were whipped 44-6 and yanked off the playoff stage by a giant question mark curled around their collective throats.

Five weeks can change everything. Just when we thought the curtain was coming down on McNabb and Reid, they’re back on the postseason marquee. And this time, the critics will have to wait to see how the end plays out, lest we all miss the mark all over again.

AND ON A SIDE NOTE>>> I THOUGHT THIS WAS PRETTY FUNNY

The Detroit Lions
Perfect in reverse: 0-16. There isn’t much left to say. This is what it would have been like to watch the Titanic sink … if it had simultaneously collided with the Hindenburg.

found @ http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AuDwiQocdFpTg5H7ULspRPxDubYF?slug=cr-winnersandlosers122808&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Eagles stomp Cowboys 44-6 to clinch playoff berth

by: Bob Maaddi

Donovan McNabb flexed his muscles, seemingly mocking Terrell Owens. The always stoic Andy Reid played cheerleader, encouraging the crowd to make noise.

Many fans may not want the quarterback or coach back for another season. But they’ll be here for at least one more game—a playoff game.

The Philadelphia Eagles overcame daunting odds to capture an NFC wild-card spot with a dominating 44-6 victory over the Cowboys on Sunday. So much for all that preseason Super Bowl hype in Dallas—America’s Team can start its vacation plans early.

The Eagles (9-6-1) will play at NFC North champion Minnesota (10-6) next weekend.

“A lot of people counted us out and said it was over,” McNabb said. “We continued to stay focused on what the plan was. We knew we had to come out and play a tough team that was hungry, just like we were. Today was a total team effort. Things worked out well and we’re playing next week.”

Surely, it’ll be a drama-filled offseason for the Cowboys, as owner Jerry Jones has to answer more questions about coach Wade Phillips’ job and perhaps consider a major overhaul.

“There will not be a new head coach,” Jones repeated several times in a somber Cowboys locker room.

In a game that became do-or-die for both teams shortly before kickoff, the Eagles thoroughly outplayed the error-prone Cowboys (9-7) in every facet. McNabb threw two touchdown passes and ran for another, and Brian Dawkins forced two fumbles that were returned for scores.

Written off after a 10-3 loss at Washington last week, Philadelphia avoided elimination when Oakland upset Tampa Bay and Houston beat Chicago in the early games. The Raiders were 13-point underdogs against the Buccaneers, who lost their fourth straight.

“I want to thank the Raiders and Texans,” Reid said. “They did a heck of a job.”

Of all the teams that remained in contention for a playoff berth entering the final weekend, the Eagles had the lowest odds. Meanwhile, Dallas knew all week it just had to win to get in.

How ‘bout them Cowboys!

Tony Romo came up way short in another crucial game, dropping his record to 5-8 in December. T.O. was a non-factor, despite six catches for 103 yards.

“They just handed us an old-fashioned butt whipping,” Owens said. “I don’t have all the answers, but I’d love to be part of the solution.”

According to multiple media reports, Romo suffered a rib injury late in the game and collapsed in the shower after. He had to be helped to his feet by teammates. Romo had X-rays and was able to meet with reporters, though he blew off questions about his health.

Right from the start, the Eagles played with more urgency. While fans cheered Tampa’s loss to Oakland, players waited until that game was over before running onto the field for pregame introductions.

McNabb scored on a sneak from inside the 1 to put Philadelphia ahead 10-3 in the second quarter. He kept the drive going with a 59-yard catch-and-run to Correll Buckhalter on third-and-6. Buckhalter, who has missed three full seasons to knee injuries during his eight-year career, outran several tacklers to reach the Cowboys 6.

Then the Eagles scored 17 points in the final 2:03 of the second quarter. McNabb tossed a 4-yard TD pass to Buckhalter to make it 17-3 just before the 2-minute warning. He twice kept the drive going in third-and-long situations, connecting with Kevin Curtis for 15 yards and DeSean Jackson for 34 yards to the Cowboys 3.

Sheldon Brown intercepted Romo’s underthrown pass to Roy Williams on Dallas’ ensuing possession and returned it 23 yards to the Dallas 42. Then two big penalties—a personal foul on Adam “Pacman” Jones and pass interference against Terence Newman in the end zone—set up McNabb’s 1-yard TD pass to Brent Celek.

A fired-up McNabb sprinted toward the Eagles sideline and suddenly stopped. He turned around toward the Cowboys bench and flexed, the way T.O. often does.

“It’s an exciting time for us right now, but we can’t sit and dwell on this for a long time,” McNabb said. “We know we have a tough team ahead of us, a tough task.”

Jones was stripped by Quintin Demps on the kickoff and Omar Gaither recovered at the Cowboys 31 with 3 seconds left in the half. David Akers made a 50-yard field goal to give the Eagles a 27-3 lead going into halftime.

Dallas pulled out all the tricks on the first possession of the third quarter, including a 42-yard pass from tight end Jason Witten to Owens to the Eagles 14. But Dawkins sacked Romo on the next play, and Chris Clemons picked up the fumble and raced 73 yards for a score that gave Philly a 34-3 lead.

Joselio Hanson returned Marion Barber’s fumble 96 yards for a TD on the next series.

“I wake up tomorrow and I keep living,” Romo said when asked how he deals with tough defeats.

The Eagles seemed headed for their third last-place finish in four years after they tied lowly Cincinnati and were routed by Baltimore in consecutive weeks last month. McNabb was benched for the first time in his career in that loss to the Ravens and his future in Philadelphia was the hot topic.

But McNabb came back strong and led the Eagles to three straight wins only to fall short against the Redskins—Reggie Brown was tackled at the 1 on the final play.

Still, the Eagles found a way to make the playoffs after getting all the help they needed around the league.

“Everybody turned their backs on us,” Dawkins said. “But we believed in one another.” ^Notes: The Eagles scored a franchise-record 416 points this season. … McNabb broke his own single-season team record for yards passing, finishing with 3,916. … Akers kicked his 31st field goal in the first half, setting a single-season team record. … Jackson set a team record with 912 yards receiving. He became the first rookie to lead the Eagles in catches since 1942. … The Cowboys have lost nine consecutive season finales.

found @ http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap;_ylt=AstsYF.FCmzPEwdneWBP5tJDubYF?gid=20081228021&prov=ap