2004: Eagles Convert 4th-and-26, Force Overtime, and Beat Packers

The NFC Divisional playoff game on January 11, 2004 was the first to be played at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field as the host Eagles, NFC East champions in 2003 with a 12-4 record, took on the 10-6 Green Bay Packers, who had finished atop the NFC North.

The Eagles, under fifth-year Head Coach Andy Reid (a former Green Bay assistant), had won the division title and made it to the conference title game in each of the previous two seasons, but had struggled early in ’03. They were badly beaten in their first two contests and had a 2-3 record before reeling off nine straight wins. QB Donovan McNabb (pictured below right) suffered from a bruised thumb to start the year and was ineffective through the first six games, but came on strong in the second half along with the rest of the club. The three-headed running attack of Duce Staley, Brian Westbrook (who would be out for the playoffs due to an arm injury suffered in the season finale), and Correll Buckhalter was effective, combining for 1618 yards rushing and 83 pass receptions, although the wide receivers were average, at best. Defensively, star FS Brian Dawkins had missed nine games with a foot injury, but was healthy for the playoffs, while DT Corey Simon and CB Troy Vincent turned in Pro Bowl seasons.

Green Bay was coached for the fourth year by Mike Sherman and, as had been the case since 1992, featured 34-year-old QB Brett Favre, who passed for 3361 yards and a league-leading 32 touchdowns, but also 21 interceptions. WR Donald Driver and Pro Bowl TE Bubba Franks led the receiving corps, while RB Ahman Green ran for an NFC-leading 1883 yards.


It was a cold night in the teens with 67,707 fans in attendance at the new stadium. Neither club was able to generate much offense initially, with the Eagles failing to get a first down on any of their first three possessions. The Packers got a break when McNabb fumbled and LB Nick Barnett recovered. On the next play, Favre threw to WR Robert Ferguson for a 40-yard touchdown.

Eagles WR James Thrash returned the ensuing kickoff 36 yards and McNabb took off on a 41-yard run down to the Green Bay 15 on Philadelphia’s first play. However, the drive stalled and David Akers missed on a 33-yard field goal attempt. The Packers responded with an eight-play, 86-yard drive that included a 26-yard run by Green. Favre again hit Ferguson with a scoring pass, this time of 17 yards, and Green Bay had a 14-0 lead after one quarter of play.

The teams traded punts as the game moved into the second quarter. McNabb hit on five passes in a six-play drive that covered 77 yards and included a 45-yard completion to WR Todd Pinkston that in turn set up a seven-yard TD pass to Staley.

Green Bay came back with a drive deep into Eagles territory, but after getting a first-and-goal at the four yard line, the defense held and, when Green was stopped for no gain on a fourth down play at the one, Philadelphia regained possession. The first half ended with the Packers leading by 14-7.

Both offenses bogged down again in the third quarter, but as the period was winding down the Eagles, starting at their 11 yard line, began to drive. McNabb was successful on passes of 23 yards to TE L.J. Smith, 10 yards to Pinkston, and 15 to Staley. The fifth-year quarterback had started the drive with a 13-yard carry and he ran again, for 24 yards down to the Green Bay 36, as the period came to an end. On the first play of the fourth quarter, McNabb, barely scrambling out of trouble, threw to Pinkston for a 12-yard touchdown and, with the successful PAT by Akers, the game was tied at 14-14.

The teams traded punts before Favre completed a pass to WR Javon Walker for a 44-yard gain to the Philadelphia seven. The Packers had to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell, but had regained the lead at 17-14. The Eagles punted again following their next possession, and Green Bay put together a drive that burned over six minutes off the clock. But with fourth-and-one at the Philadelphia 41, Coach Sherman elected to punt rather than risk another failure to convert a fourth down.

Following Josh Bidwell’s kick, the Eagles got the ball on their own 20 with 2:21 remaining in regulation. Staley took off on a 22-yard run, but then McNabb threw an incomplete pass, was sacked for a 16-yard loss, and tossed another incompletion. With the ball on the Philadelphia 26 and facing a fourth-and-26 situation, it appeared that the Eagles’ season was practically over. However, McNabb completed a pass to WR Freddie Mitchell, in the midst of two defenders, for a 28-yard gain and an improbable first down (pictured at top).

The Eagles continued their drive to the Green Bay 19, and with five seconds remaining Akers booted a 37-yard field goal to tie the contest at 17-17 and send it into overtime.

Philadelphia received the kickoff in the sudden death period and went three-and-out. But Favre threw a long, high pass that was intercepted by Dawkins and returned 35 yards to the Green Bay 34. Six plays later, Akers kicked a 31-yard field goal and the Eagles came away with a 20-17 win.

For the most part, the team statistics reflected the closeness of the outcome. The Packers had the most yards (381 to 363) while Philadelphia had the edge in first downs (19 to 16). Both teams turned the ball over once. But the Packers sacked McNabb eight times, while the Eagles got to Favre only once.

Despite the punishing pass rush, Donovan McNabb completed 21 of 39 passes for 248 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions and also ran for 107 yards on 11 carries, a NFL playoff-record rushing performance for a quarterback. Todd Pinkston caught 7 passes for 95 yards and a TD. Duce Staley led the running backs with 45 yards on five attempts and also caught three passes for 26 yards and a score.


Brett Favre was successful on 15 of 28 passes for 180 yards and two TDs against the one big interception. Ahman Green (pictured at left) ran for 156 yards on 25 carries, although the yard he failed to get on the fourth down play at the goal line in the second quarter had a profound effect on the outcome. Robert Ferguson led Green Bay’s receivers with 4 catches for 65 yards and two touchdowns.

“I tried to beat my man across from me and just go deep, and I went deep,” Mitchell said of the fourth-and-26 pass play. “I didn't see the guy on top of me but Donovan read that and threw a back shoulder to me and I saw it in the air and I made a play.”

“That shouldn't have happened,” Green Bay DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila said. “But it did.”

The dramatic win didn’t translate into success the following week for the Eagles, however, as they lost their third consecutive NFC Championship game, this time to the Carolina Panthers.

For Freddie Mitchell, the big catch against the Packers was the highlight of an otherwise-disappointing career in Philadelphia. The Eagles’ first round draft pick in 2001 out of UCLA, he ended up with a total of 90 receptions for 1263 yards and five touchdowns, and was released following the 2004 season, effectively ending his NFL career. But for one play, he reached the heights that had been expected of him.

2003: Punchless Eagles Beat Giants on Stunning Punt Return by Westbrook

The Philadelphia Eagles had been to the NFC Championship game in 2001 and ‘02, but Head Coach Andy Reid’s team was off to a slow start in 2003. They were embarrassed 17-0 by the reigning champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in the opening game that was also their regular season debut at the new Lincoln Financial Field, and then lost badly to the Patriots the following week. QB Donovan McNabb had been struggling through the first five games due to a bruised right thumb and lingered at the bottom of the passing rankings. The team’s record stood at 2-3 as they traveled to Giants Stadium to take on the division rival New York Giants on October 19.

The Giants were also underachieving at 2-3 under Head Coach Jim Fassel. The club had scored a total of 16 points in the prior two games as QB Kerry Collins tossed seven interceptions and no touchdown passes.

Philadelphia got the early advantage in its second possession of the game, driving 89 yards in 11 plays and highlighted by McNabb throwing to TE L.J. Smith for a 25-yard gain. RB Brian Westbrook ran around end for the last six yards and a touchdown that gave the Eagles a 7-0 lead.

Neither team was able to move the ball effectively for the remainder of the half. A promising second quarter drive by the Giants ended with TE Jeremy Shockey fumbling the ball away at the Philadelphia 19 yard line after a nine-yard gain on a pass from Collins. However, three plays later McNabb was intercepted by CB Will Allen and the Giants had the ball at the Eagles’ 29 with 1:23 remaining in the half. Brett Conway kicked a 39-yard field goal to make the score 7-3 at the intermission.

New York went ahead 10-7 in the third quarter after a 12-play drive that went 62 yards and produced a one-yard TD pass from Collins to Shockey. It looked like that would be enough as the game moved through the fourth quarter and the Eagles offense remained stymied, ending five consecutive possessions with punts – all but one of them had been three-and-out.

Midway through the fourth quarter it appeared that the Giants would score again, but on a third-and-five play at the Philadelphia 10 yard line Collins fumbled after being hit by LB Mark Simoneau and DT Corey Simon recovered for the Eagles to end the threat.

With Philadelphia out of time outs and 1:34 remaining on the clock, the Giants entrusted their defense to finish the job and Jeff Feagles punted. Westbrook fielded the short, wobbly kick on the bounce and quickly blew through the wall of defenders. Running past the Giants’ bench, he flew past Feagles and then just stayed inbounds as he eluded one last tackler, TE Marcellus Rivers, before completing the 84-yard touchdown return (pictured at top).

78,883 fans sat in stunned silence as the play was reviewed by the officials, who ascertained that Westbrook had indeed not stepped out of bounds.

New York still had one last chance and, following the ensuing kickoff, Collins tossed a pass to WR Amani Toomer for a 20-yard gain to the Philadelphia 44 yard line with 1:12 now left to play. But four more passes netted just one more completion for six yards, and the last one on fourth-and-four was broken up by CB Bobby Taylor. The Eagles came away with a shocking 14-10 win.

The stunning nature of the victory was all the more evidenced by the statistics. The Eagles had gained just 134 total yards, to 339 for the Giants. A net of just 47 of those yards had come through the air (McNabb was sacked three times for a loss of 17 yards) while they had gained 87 yards on the ground. Philadelphia accumulated 9 first downs, while the Giants had 25.

Donovan McNabb completed only 9 of 23 passes for 64 yards with an interception. L.J. Smith’s one catch had made him the team’s receiving yardage leader with 25. Brian Westbrook led the team in rushing with 67 yards on 15 carries, caught three passes for another 11, and returned three kickoffs for 61 yards and the punt for 84 – the combined total came to 223 yards and included both of the team’s touchdowns.

In defeat, Kerry Collins was successful on 22 of 36 passes for 174 yards with one TD and none intercepted. RB Tiki Barber gained 79 yards on 19 carries and RB Dorsey Levens, playing in his first game for the Giants, contributed another 64 yards on 16 attempts. Barber and Jeremy Shockey each caught five passes (for 34 and 23 yards, respectively) while Amani Toomer was the receiving yardage leader with 54 yards on four catches.

For the Eagles, the dramatic result proved to be the turning point of the season as they proceeded to win nine straight and finished once again at the top of the NFC East with a 12-4 record. They made it to a third straight conference title game, but lost to Carolina. New York won its next two contests, but then lost the remaining eight to close out at 4-12 and at the bottom of the division. In the housecleaning that followed, both Coach Fassel and Collins were sent packing.

Donovan McNabb’s return to full health was a significant factor in Philadelphia’s second-half surge. He ended up passing for 3216 yards with 16 TDs and 11 interceptions and was named to his fourth of an eventual five straight Pro Bowls (six overall with the Eagles).


In his second season out of Villanova, Brian Westbrook (pictured at left) emerged as a major all-purpose talent. He returned a second punt for a touchdown during the season and ranked first in the NFC with a 15.3 average on 20 returns. Overall, he gained 1738 all-purpose yards with 613 rushing on 117 carries, 332 on 37 pass receptions, 487 on 23 kickoff returns, and 306 returning punts. While he would be used far less on punt returns in future seasons (and not at all on kickoff returns), his yards from rushing and pass receiving rose greatly.

2000: Duce Staley – and Pickle Juice – Help Eagles Defeat Cowboys

It was a hot day at Texas Stadium for the season-opening game between the host Dallas Cowboys and visiting Philadelphia Eagles on September 3, 2000. The temperature at game time was 109 degrees, with readings on the artificial surface of 150.

Second-year Head Coach Andy Reid pulled the Eagles off the field early from pre-game warmups. Trainer Rick Burkholder also had the players drink pickle juice, a practice the club had begun during training camp as a means to combat both dehydration and cramping.

Reid took an aggressive approach once play began. Dallas having won the toss, the Eagles took them by surprise by executing an onsides kick that they successfully recovered (WR Dameane Douglas made the play for Philadelphia). The offense proceeded to drive 58 yards in eight plays, ending with QB Donovan McNabb tossing a one-yard TD pass to TE Jeff Thomason.

Philadelphia’s defense sacked star QB Troy Aikman three times during the first Dallas possession; rookie DT Corey Simon recorded one in his first regular season play. Before the first quarter ended, the Eagles took a 14-0 lead when a pass interference penalty put the ball on the Dallas one yard line and RB Duce Staley plowed into the end zone. Two minutes later, and now into the second quarter, LB Jeremiah Trotter intercepted an Aikman pass and returned it 27 yards for another Eagles TD and a 21-0 tally.

Aikman was sacked a fourth time and took a total of six hits by the Eagles defense before leaving the game during the second quarter with a concussion, to be replaced by former Philadelphia QB Randall Cunningham. The Eagles scored once more, on a 33-yard field goal by David Akers, before the Cowboys got on the board with field goals of 34 and 38 yards by Tim Seder, both following interceptions. The score at halftime stood at 24-6.

Philadelphia’s offense took control once again in the third quarter, with a time-consuming 14-play drive that covered 61 yards and culminated in another Akers field goal, this one from 37 yards. After the Cowboys went three-and-out, the Eagles put together another long possession of 72 yards in nine plays, with McNabb running the last three yards for a touchdown.

The Eagles scored once more in the fourth quarter as Staley ran 60 yards to set up a six-yard TD run by RB Brian Mitchell. Dallas scored a touchdown on a four-yard pass from Cunningham to WR Joey Galloway, which was followed by a successful two-point conversion, but the outcome had long since been decided. The final score was 41-14, making it the worst opening-day defeat for the Cowboys since 1963.

Staley (pictured at top) was the star for the Eagles, gaining 201 yards rushing on 26 carries (just missing the franchise single-game rushing record by four yards) with one TD and also leading the club with four pass receptions for another 61 yards and a total of 262 yards from scrimmage. Overall, the team accumulated 306 yards on the ground, its highest single-game total since 1951.

Donovan McNabb passed for 130 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions while completing 16 of 28 throws; he also ran for 29 yards on five carries with a TD.

It was a hard day for Dallas across the board. Troy Aikman failed to complete any passes and threw the one interception that was returned for a score before leaving the contest. Randall Cunningham was successful on 13 of 26 passes for 135 yards with one touchdown and one picked off. The Cowboys, playing catch-up from the beginning, only ran the ball 13 times for 67 yards – RB Emmitt Smith had just 29 yards on 7 carries while WR Raghib “Rocket” Ismael led the team with 33 yards on two rushes. Joey Galloway was the top receiver with four catches for 62 yards and the late touchdown, but suffered a knee injury late in the game that knocked him out of action for the remainder of the season.

The opening win over the Cowboys didn’t generate immediate momentum for the Eagles, who lost their next two games, but, coming off of three straight losing seasons, they improved to 11-5, placed second in the NFC East, and secured a wild card spot in the postseason. Philadelphia defeated Tampa Bay in the first round but lost to the Giants in the Divisional playoff.

Dallas, going in the opposite direction, went 5-11 to place fourth in the division. After making it to the playoffs in eight of the previous nine years and winning three championships, the Cowboys would not make it back to the postseason (or have a winning record) again until 2003.

Duce Staley, who was coming off back-to-back thousand-yard rushing seasons in 1998 and ’99, was lost for the year due to a foot injury in Week 5 and gained just 344 yards on the ground in 2000. The running game suffered without him (he still ended up with the highest yardage total of any running back on the team), but the second-year quarterback McNabb emerged to account for 76 percent of the team’s offense, rushing for 629 yards and passing for 3365.

2005: Eagles Win NFC Title on 4th Try, Beating Falcons

By the 2004 season, the Philadelphia Eagles were becoming regular participants in the NFC Championship game, but had yet to win under Head Coach Andy Reid. Since the 2001 season they had made it to the conference title game in three consecutive seasons - in ‘01, traveling to St. Louis where they lost a hard-fought battle to the favored Rams; in 2002, the final season at Veterans Stadium, they hosted Tampa Bay and were humiliated, 27-10; and in ’03 it was the Carolina Panthers coming to Philadelphia and winning, 14-3.


The Eagles had boosted their heavily pass-oriented West Coast offense for 2004 with the addition of WR Terrell Owens to provide QB Donovan McNabb (pictured at left) with a proven All-Pro target. The brash wide receiver didn’t disappoint, catching 77 passes for 1200 yards and 14 touchdowns before being sidelined late in the season by a high ankle sprain. McNabb had his best season, throwing for 3875 yards and 31 TDs against just 8 interceptions; his 104.7 passer rating was his career-best. RB Brian Westbrook was an exciting all-purpose talent who ran for 812 yards in 12 games and had another 703 yards on 73 pass receptions. The team rolled out to a 13-1 start and rested its starters in the final two games - once they had locked up the highest seed in the NFC playoffs - ending up at 13-3 atop the NFC East. They handily defeated Minnesota in the Divisional round, with Owens still sidelined, as he would be for the conference title game.

The team they faced for the NFC Championship was the Atlanta Falcons, who went 11-5 in winning the NFC South under Head Coach Jim Mora, Jr. QB Michael Vick had his detractors as a passer, but was a dangerous runner who accumulated 902 yards on 120 carries. Together with RB Warrick Dunn, who ran for 1106 yards, they spearheaded the top rushing attack in the league. Pro Bowl TE Alge Crumpler led the club with 48 pass receptions, while the defense featured DE Patrick Kerney and LB Keith Brooking.


The weather at Lincoln Financial Field was bitterly cold for the game on January 23, 2005 with a wind chill factor between zero and five below. The Eagles scored on their second possession, after Atlanta’s Chris Mohr punted into the gusty wind for just eight yards. Following a 36-yard run by Westbrook (pictured), RB Dorsey Levens plowed four yards into the end zone for a touchdown.

Atlanta came back with a 17-play, nine-minute drive to the Philadelphia two yard line, but the Eagles defense refused to yield as 254-pound RB T.J. Duckett was thrown for a loss on first-and-goal, Vick was sacked by DT Hollis Thomas on third down, and the Falcons ultimately had to settle for a 23-yard Jay Feely field goal. The Eagles responded with a 45-yard pass play from McNabb to WR Greg Lewis down to the Falcons four yard line. From there, TE Chad Lewis (pictured at top) made an outstanding catch of a high throw in the corner of the end zone, just keeping both feet inbounds to score the TD and extend Philadelphia’s lead to 14-3.

The Falcons came back strong as they drove 70 yards in five plays capped by a 10-yard touchdown run by Dunn with just over two minutes left in the half. The 14-10 score stood at the intermission.


The first half had been highly competitive, but the Eagles dominated the second half. David Akers kicked field goals of 31 and 34 yards in the third quarter, the second following an interception of a Vick pass by FS Brian Dawkins, who returned the ball 19 yards to the Atlanta 11. The Falcons couldn’t get the offense going even after getting the wind advantage in the fourth quarter as the Eagles defense stacked the line and forced Vick to pass from the pocket.

With 3:21 left in the game, McNabb threw another TD pass to Lewis, this from two yards, to thrill the hometown crowd of 67,717 and sew up the win. It was costly – the tight end sprained his foot and was lost for the Super Bowl. But the Eagles had finally won the NFC Championship in their fourth try by a score of 27-10.

Donovan McNabb completed 17 of 26 passes for 180 yards and two TDs with none picked off; he also ran for 32 yards on 10 carries. Brian Westbrook led the team both in rushing, with 96 yards on 16 attempts, and pass receptions with 5 for another 39 yards. Greg Lewis led the team in receiving yards with 65 on two catches.

The Eagles defense effectively hemmed Michael Vick in and sacked him four times – DE Derrick Burgess (pictured above left) had an outstanding game, accounting for two of the sacks. Vick completed just 11 of 24 passes for 136 yards with an interception. After the two solid drives in the first half, the Falcons running game was ineffectual; they were outrun by the Eagles, 156 yards to 99. Warrick Dunn led the team with 59 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown. TE Alge Crumpler was Atlanta’s top receiver with 4 catches for 49 yards, although most memorable was a crunching hit he took from Dawkins after one of them (pictured below).

Terrell Owens was back for the Super Bowl, but Philadelphia fell short against the New England Patriots. The Eagles were mired in controversy in 2005, as the mercurial Terrell Owens wore out his welcome in Philadelphia and Donovan McNabb went down with an injury; they would return to the postseason in 2006. Atlanta dropped out of playoff contention the next three seasons, and Michael Vick’s career was derailed due to legal problems. Coach Mora was gone after the ’06 season, and there would be two more coaching changes before the Falcons returned to the postseason.