After a night of restless sleep and plenty of contemplation, I think I have the stomach to write about this game.
Quick-Hit Reactions:
– Where was that heralded Eagles’ secondary?
Coming into this game, you had to think that the Eagles would do a better job of containing Larry 
Fitzgerald and the rest of the Cardinals’ receivers. With as much talent as the Eagles have in their secondary and as much money as they have spent on high-priced free-agents (Asante Samuel anyone) it should have been enough to slow down Larry Fitzgerald. It wasn’t. Fitzgerald torched the Eagles’ secondary to the tune of 9 receptions for 152 yards and 3 TDs. Three of those catches, including one TD, came on the Cards’ signature “drag play.” In this play, Fitzgerald starts on one side of the field and drags across to the opposite side, using one of his teammates as a pick. On both occasions, it looked as though Samuel tried to undercut the route. Samuel is a solid player that did his share to put the Eagles in this position, but he needs to focus on lock-down coverage rather than intercepting every pass thrown his way. I am starting to wonder whether he gives back as many plays as he takes. Despite all of this criticism, the Eagles secondary can only be expected to cover these receivers for a short period of time before one springs loose. The drag play is a slow-to-develop play as was the trick play TD to Fitzgerald, which brings me to my next point…
– Where was the pass rush?
In evaluating this game early in the week, I stated that my biggest concern was Warner’s ability to neutralize the blitz by getting the ball out quickly. In my opinion, this was the single biggest factor in the Cardinals winning the football game. The Eagles simply could not get a consistent pass rush on Warner and he made them pay all day long. Neither of those drag plays or the trick play happen if the Eagles are getting a consistent pass rush.
In the first matchup, the Eagles did not blitz all that much in an attempt to contain Fitzgerald. In yesterday’s game, the Eagles seemed to abandon that philosophy. Far be it from me to point the finger at Jim Johnson, but it did seem like an adjustment was needed.
– David Akers’ Implosion
Despite his recent string of success, I still felt uneasy with Akers kicking. Those fears turned out to be realized. Folks, do not underestimate the importance of that missed field goal and extra point (the laces were in so part of this blame goes to Rocca). With those four points on the board, the Eagles only need a field goal in the last possession. You would have seen different type of play calling if the Eagles only needed a field goal to send it to overtime.
– Too Much Quintin Demps
I think Demps has a bright future in this league, but we saw too much of him yesterday. He was one of the primary culprits on the long Fitzgerald TD catch. It’s tough to ask a rookie to stay home on a trick play in the NFC Conference championship game. To his credit, Demps was in position but simply fell when he had to switch shoulders. Again, I think Demps will be a very good player in this league but he may not have been quite ready for the spotlight of the NFC Conference championship.
– Westbrook Is Not Right
I don’t care what he says—Westbrook is not even 75%. He was hitting the hole very tentatively and without the burst we are accustomed to seeing. His inability to establish a running game was critical. Which brings me to my next point…
– What will it take to get Buckhalter on the field?
Correll Buckhlater is an effective running back that is well above average in all phases of the game. He can run, catch and block. So why not get him a few more touches, especially when you are playing with a one-legged version of Brian Westbrook? I don’t understand it.
– McNabb was not at his best
I am a long-time and vocal supporter of McNabb. I think he deserves the lion’s share of the credit for turning this franchise around. I also believe that he should be back with this organization next year without a shadow of a doubt. That being said yesterday was not McNabb’s finest performance. If you just glance at the stat line, you’d think he played well. But those 375 passing yards and 3 TDs are deceiving. McNabb played well in fits and starts and never permanently found his rhythm. On the final drive, McNabb missed an open DeSean Jackson across the middle and threw behind Hank Baskett. Both of those throws were costly.
All of that being said, he made a BIG throw when it counted and was victim of a non-call by the referee. McNabb did not play his best yesterday, but he played well enough to win. He deserves better.
– Pass Interference is Pass Interference
Photo courtesy of Philly.com
I am not one to complain about the referees, but at a critical point in the game, it has to be pointed out that Hood committed pass interference on that 4th and 10 throw. Would the Ealges have gone on to score? I don’t know. But the refs robbed the team and the fans of a chance at seeing that game through to its conclusion. You can sit here and say that the refs should not be the ones to decide who wins the game. That’s just an excuse for a ref with no balls. “Let the players decide the outcome of the game,” they say. Hood did decide the outcome of the play when he swiped at Kevin Curtis’ leg causing him to fall before he came out of his break. The refs missed that one–there is nothing more to it.
– The Defense Let the Eagles Down
Photo courtesy of Philly.com
The Eagles defense was the single most important factor in the team’s ascent into the NFC Conference championship game. This defense was playing at its highest level in years. So where was that defense yesterday? If your offense gives you 25 points you should win. If your offense takes the lead and the momentum with a 65-yard TD pass with 8 minutes to go, you should win. The defense could not get off the field when it mattered and it cost the Eagles a shot at the Super Bowl. There is a good reason why Brian Dawkins apologized to the fans.
– Summary
Do not interpret this as a laundry list of excuses for why the Eagles lost the game. The Cardinals outplayed the Eagles in nearly every facet of the game and rightfully earned a trip to Tampa. These are merely observations of what went wrong from the Eagles perspective. In the end, all it amounts to is another off-season of anguish for tormented Eagles’ fans.
When do pitchers and catchers report?
The two pass interference no calls killed me. Especially the one that ended the game for the Eagles. Heartbreaking loss, especially for them to come all the way back but the defense came up short in this one. Why was Fitzgerald seeing so many single coverages? Good analysis.
Good question Ryan. It seemed like Fitzgerald was the only Cardinal burning the Eagles on a regular basis–so why not role a safety over the top? I think part of the problem is that the Cards continued to run those drag routes. It is tough to double a player on a drag route. Credit the game plan of the Cards with that one.
Coaching: The mistakes started before the game. Scratching Sheppard for Demps proved to be a mistake. I’m sure there were good reasons for this decision to be made…maybe JJ did not think Lito’s heart was in it. We could have used an experienced corner on the field. Then the game started. Play calling by Arizona was perfect versus a very predictable Eagles defensive scheme. It reminded me of the second half of the Super Bowl against the Patriots. Halftime could not come fast enough. To his credit, JJ made adjustments and they came out in the second half with the intensity we are used to.
Offense: McNabb and the offense eventually found their rhythm. The offense did their job. Despite the implosion of Akers, the offense gave the team the lead with 10 minutes left in the 4th quarter. True, McNabb was off the mark on some throws and missed some big play opportunities. He also made a lot of big plays when he needed to, converted on 3rd downs, and came back from a huge deficit to give the team the lead.
Defense: The Eagles defense always gets the credit for being a tough group that plays an aggressive style and makes big plays. When they are on their game, they are great, which, more times than not, is when they are playing with the lead. The truth is, as many times as McNabb has had a chance for the storybook drive to win big game and let us down, the defense has had opportunities to protect a lead in a big spot. Yesterday, the defense let us down, period. The offense gave them a chance to redeem themselves following a brilliant 3rd quarter and they came up very small. They gave up 32 points yesterday. I guess it’s fair to expect the offensive to score 35 points and rack up 500 yards of offense.
The Fans: This time last week, Eagles fans were ridiculed for their criticism of Reid and McNabb, given their success. The ridicule was warranted and the fans are proving it today. When did it become routine for a QB to lead his team on a 2 minutes game winning/tying TD drive in an NFC Championship game. Drives like these are few and far between and are exceptional feats. They are career defining moments for NFL QBs. However, in McNabb’s case, his career should be defined more broadly. He should be remembered as the best QB in Eagle’s history…one that will not be easily replaced.
Agreed on all fronts Nick. The Eagles offense played well enough to win and the defense could not get the job done. I’m still shaking my head at the defensive performance from yesterday. Jim Johnson seemed to be thoroughly out schemed in that regard.
I’d also agree that Lito could have helped in this game if we could trust his heart and effort. I don’t think he was necessarily scratched in favor of Demps, as Demps was not scratched all year, but maybe because they have grown to trust Demps more in defending the pass. In any event, upon further review, Demps was one of the few Eagles that was even close to being in position on that trick play. I still think he was on the field too much though.
In the end, it just amounts to one more off-season of questions.
Im still recovering form the loss the other day too. I must say It is frustrating to watch Mcnabb on a bad day. I love the guy no matter what I loved him when he was on the Syracuse Basketball team’s bench. But how many times did you see a pass across the middle thrown behind a wide open Receiver. It would happen on a third and long situation where they ended up kicking a feild goal. The screen play where Westbrok rolled for the screen pass, got his clocked clean and the pass was ten feet over his head and anothor punt. Also the defence was not at its best. But I feel it is playoff time and that everyone has to play with more heart then evebefor . I felt Mcnabb did not show this till late in the game. It is Frustrating to be an Eagels fan because they get so close and lose it. I feel when mcnabb is not having his day the offence is not efficent. But if hes on there is no better Offense in the leauge. I hear roumors that he could be in a Viking Jersey next year and that would just crush me. I feel that he is one of the greatest QBs of his era and I want him to win a super bowl so bad it hurts.
Thanks for reading Nate. McNabb is definitely erratic at times and that reared its ugly head on Sunday. Even with these problems, McNabb made the throws he needed to put the team ahead and as you pointed out, the defense fell short. With a one-point lead and 8 minutes to play in the game, they have to be able to slow the Cardinals down and get off the field.
There will be a lot of talk in the coming weeks about the future of McNabb as the quarterback of the Eagles. I for one would like to see him back. Sometimes people forget how dreadful this team was before his arrival. But I don’t. I remember that 3-13 season all too well.