NFC East Fly By Week 7
The Games
Eagles @ Buccaneers
In what was a must win game
for the Eagles, the Eagles rallied from a 17-0 deficit only to come up short as
the Buccaneers handed the Eagles their third loss of the year in dramatic
fashion. The Eagles were playing following an emotional last second loss in
Week 6 to the Saints and were looking to rebound where as the Bucs were coming off their first win of the year. Right away
the Eagles were dominating, but were plagued by turnovers from the start as
Jason Avant fumbled on the opening drive. The Eagles
defense played lights out all day while the Bucs
offense was staggered. However, once again the turnovers doomed the Eagles.
Donovan McNabb threw 3 INTs, 2 of which went to Ronde Barber who returned them for TDs
for an easy 14 points. In the second
half, Donovan McNabb was electric going 11 for 15 with 3 TDs.
With 33 seconds left in the game, Brian Westbrook scored on a 52 yard catch and
run to make the score 21-20 Eagles. However, as has been the case with all the
Eagles losses this year, this one was in dramatic fashion. With 3 seconds left
in the game,
Eagles 21 Buccaneers 23
Redskins @ Colts
The Redskins have fallen on
some hard times this year with a stagnant offense and an inconsistent defense
and it did not get any easier when the ‘Skins rolled into
Redskins 22 Colts 36
Giants @ Cowboys
For a Monday night contest,
this game had a lot of expectations and unfortunately for the Cowboys this game
did not live up to those expectations. Playing at home against the surging NY
Giants, the Cowboys were dominated right from the start when Plaxico Burress and Eli Manning
hooked up on a TD pass to give the Giants an early lead. Following that,
Cowboys QB Drew Bledsoe who is about as mobile as a brick wall was sacked in
the end zone for a safety. Sacks would be a continuing problem for the Cowboys
as the Cowboys offensive line allowed 6 sacks on the day by the Giants D. In
the second half, with Cowboys coach Bill Parcells and
the fans obviously upset with Bledsoe’s performance, rookie Tony Romo was thrown into the game and ended up throwing an interception
on the first play from scrimmage that would lead to a Jeremy Shockey TD for the Giants. The Cowboys would eventually get
14 points in the 4th quarter as Romo was
able to hook up with both Terrell Owens and Patrick Clayton. By that point it
was too little too late as the Giants continued their dominating play within
the division and the Cowboys dropped a tough one at home. The story of this
game lies in the running game where Giants RB Tiki
Barber was able to pile up 114 yards on the Cowboys defense while Cowboys RB
Julius Jones could only accumulate 30 yards. Romo ultimately
finished the day 14 for 25 with 2 TDs and 3INTs in a
game Cowboys fans would like to forget. Things were not all roses for the
Giants though, as LB Lavar Arrington was lost for the
season following a ruptured Achillies tendon injury.
Giants 36 Cowboys 22
What does it mean for
the Eagles?
In a game that they should
have won, the Eagles have fallen on some hard times and are desperate for a
rebound game against the Jaguars. The only problem is, the Jaguars are coming
off an embarrassing loss to the Houston Texans and will also be looking to
rebound. Now that the Eagles are now in second place, every game will be
important because in this division every game matters from this moment on. The
Giants have a very winnable game at home against the Bucs
and can definitely extend their lead in the upcoming weeks, especially with the
Eagles having a bye in Week 9. If the Eagles are going to make a playoff run,
they need to stop committing mental mistakes and start winning games now. The
game against the Jaguars would be a good start. Following their bye, the
Redskins have a very tough second half schedule with games against
Standings
Giants 4-2
(3-0)
vs. Buccaneers
Eagles 4-3
(1-1) vs. Jaguars
Cowboys 3-3
(1-2) @ Panthers
Redskins
2-5 Bye