08 Late Season Rally defeated Giants 20 to 14

[LeonardRachiele]

The article below came after the Eagles defeated  New York in 2008 20 to 14.  Two weeks earlier, they lost on the road to the Baltimore Ravens 36 to 7, bringing their record to 5-5-1.   Andy Reid benched McNabb after an awful first half.   Four days later, on Thanksgiving Night,  the Eagles tore up the Arizona Cardinals 48 to 20.    Then came the below game.

Brian Westbrook yesterday proved why he is so valuable to the Eagles-and McNabb. Despite some early problems, the offensive line was superb both in running and pass protection. Philadelphia won the game in the 3rd quarter when they controlled the ball for all but two minutes. I anticipated that the blocked field goal on the last play of the first half would change the momentum. That was a 10 point waste. Instead of leading 13 to 0, the Eagles were up only 10 to 7. Oddly enough, the same thing happened at San Francisco in the 40 to 26 victory. The Eagles did not allow a sack or turn the ball over.

The other complaint came at the start of the game. After receiving the kickoff, Brian Westbrook ran for nine yards. They could not get a first down which was very frustrating. The Philadelphia defense really stopped the ground game. While they got no sacks or turnovers, the rush forced Eli Manning out of the pocket. Twice, I believe, the defensive line hit Manning while throwing and the pass fell dead.