Week 13: Wrap Up

Andy Reid and his boys have a lot to be proud of this week. After a first half that featured a season-high combined punt total, the offense opened up in the second half for a thrilling conclusion that culminated in an end zone interception by Lito Sheppard with less than half a minute on the clock. Jeff Garcia, booed as late as the third quarter, showed a national audience that he can still lead an offense with the best of them, throwing for 312 yards and 3 touchdowns and never melting under pressure. Garcia displayed ample mobility as well, getting out of the pocket without hesitation (especially in the first quarter when the line was breaking down). Brian Westbrook gained 124 yards from scrimmage, and Donte Stallworth and Reggie Brown were a lethal duo downfield. After initial struggles, the offensive line managed Carolina’s D-line well, only allowing one sack (and none to sack leader Julius Peppers). The defense did a pretty good job of stopping the run, giving up just 108 yards on the ground. The big story for the D, though, was the key interceptions by Dawkins and later by Sheppard that bailed out the Birds in this close contest.

 

Post Game Positives

 

Pass Rush

This was the first week in a long time that the defensive line was really able to get to a quarterback. Delhomme was visibly frustrated, forced into making bad throws (2 interceptions) and got his number called twice for intentional grounding. Pressure came from all along the line, not just Trent Cole. Juqua Thomas and Darren Howard were constantly in Delhomme’s face, and the battle between Mike Patterson and Carolina guard Evan Mathis clearly went to Patterson, who would have had a sack in the second quarter had Delhomme not slipped out. The speedy Cole even did his best Julius Peppers impression, dropping back into coverage on Brad Hoover and making a tackle to force a 3 and out on the following play.

 

Play Selection

Normally, the Eagles draw a lot of criticism for throwing the ball too much, but they can be forgiven tonight (39-27 pass-run ratio). Facing one of the most feared defensive lines in football, we couldn’t expect too much from the running game (98 yards). With Carolina’s secondary banged up, this was a perfect matchup for the west-coast offense. Westbrook was at his best when he lined up as a receiver tonight, highlighted by his 29-yard catch on 3^rd and long that set up Reggie Brown’s touchdown. Though Garcia had some difficulty finding open men, he displayed excellent judgment on the few occasions he chose to throw deep and was rewarded with several plays over 30 yards.  

 

Punting Unit

Special teams are often overlooked, but it was tough to overlook the Eagles’ punt team tonight because they were on the field so much (7 times), and mostly in the first half (6 punts). When the offense was still searching for a rhythm, Dirk Johnson and company did a great job of keeping the Eagles on top in the field position battle and thus keeping the score close. After the first Panther touchdown, Carolina had to start their first half drives at their own 10, 23, 13, 20, and 22 and only scored once more before halftime. The coverage team did a fine job containing one of the league’s worst return units. Additionally, new long snapper Jon Dorenbos quietly fit right in, making no mistakes on the 12 plays he was on the field.

 

Post Game Negatives

The Big Play

As good as the Philly defense was, it was a few big plays that kept Carolina in the game right up to the end. Often this came from ineffective blitzes or missed tackles. The ugliest example was the short screen pass to DeAngelo Williams which turned into a 35-yard touchdown, thanks to at least three missed tackles by Eagle defenders. When the Eagles gave up big plays, they usually paid for it; Carolina’s scoring drives were all under four minutes, and were usually salvaged by a penalty on the Eagles followed by a big play to move them into the red zone.

 

2-Minute Drill (Defense)

Going along with the big play theme, the defense was at its worst in the final two minutes of each half. With about 40 seconds left in the first and stuck in his own territory, Steve Smith beat Michael Lewis and Brian Dawkins on 3^rd and 8 for a 38-yard gain that put the Panthers in scoring range. This was followed by a pass interference call in the end zone that allowed for an easy touchdown and a halftime lead for Carolina. Fast forward to the end of the game. The relentless pass rush suddenly vanished on the Panthers’ final drive, allowing Delhomme to move the ball 38 yards in two plays. After that, Williams and Smith amassed 26 yards on the ground to set up a 1^st and goal with half a minute and two timeouts left. If not for Lito’s pick, it is likely that we would be writing about another Tampa-esque last-minute disappointment.

 

Closing Remarks

As Eagles fans, we haven’t felt this good about a game since the win over Dallas back in October, and this game was made all the more sweeter by getting to see “Meshawn” toss his helmet in frustration at the end. Not only did this win bring the Eagles back to .500, but it could also come back to haunt the Panthers come New Year’s; with both teams at 6-6, it is quite possible that these two teams will be battling for a wild card spot at the season’s end, and this head-to-head win puts the tiebreaker in Philadelphia’s favor. Overall, this game had its scary moments, but we saw some great football played by both sides and can hold our heads high.

 

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