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Week 20 Game Recap: Philadelphia Eagles 25, Arizona Cardinals 32
What you need to know
| Philadelphia Eagles |
For the Eagles' offense, this was a game of two halves. In the first half, they struggled and fell behind 24--6. In the second half they scored 19 unanswered points and grabbed a one point lead in the fourth quarter. The Eagles' defense, however, ranked number one in the NFC, couldn't hold the lead and Arizona drove for the winning touchdown late in the game.
Donovan McNabb put up great numbers, 28 of 47 for 375 yards and three touchdowns, but his erratic passing early in the game was costly. Despite decent field position, Philadelphia was forced to settle for field goal attempts instead of touchdowns. Brian Westbrook did not score as he rushed 12 times for 45 yards and added 26 yards on two passes. When the two teams met on Thanksgiving, Westbrook scored four touchdowns.
McNabb connected with nine different Eagles receivers and TE Brad Celek set a Philadelphia playoff record with ten receptions for 83 yards and two touchdowns. Rookie DeSean Jackson caught six for 92 yards and one touchdown while fellow speedster Kevin Curtis grabbed four for 122 yards. With the Eagles trailing most of the game they ran 47 pass plays to just 18 rushes.
The Eagles defense had only allowed one touchdown pass in the past six games but Warner torched them for four. In their past 12 games only two teams had scored more than 14 points against Philadelphia, but the Cardinals had 24 by halftime.
| Arizona Cardinals |
The Cardinals utilized creative play calling as Larry Fitzgerald caught three touchdown passes while the Cardinals jumped out to a 24--6 halftime lead. During the regular season, Arizona was the best at making halftime adjustments and scored 154 third quarter points. The Eagles shut them out in the third quarter; however, as Philadelphia scored 19 unanswered points to take a one point lead early in the fourth quarter. Warner then took over and drove Arizona to the winning touchdown with 2:53 left in the game.
Warner finished the game completing 21 of 28 for 279 yards and four touchdowns while Edgerrin James averaged 4.6 yards per carry on 16 attempts. Hightower rushed a total of 11 times for 33 yards and scored the winning touchdown on an eight yard screen pass. As a team, the Cardinals ran 29 times for 102 yards. Anquan Boldin returned to the lineup but was only targeted once in the second half. Eight year Cardinals veteran S Adrian Wilson recorded seven tackles, two sacks, and forced a fumble to lead the defense.
The new found success of the Cardinals was born out of failure. On a long flight home from their 28 point loss to New England -- their second blowout in a row -- the coaches got together and decided what they had to do to get better. Edgerrin James had to return to lineup, Adrian Wilson had to add muscle to the rush defense, and the entire team had to play with more intensity. Players were told that if they didn't hit hard in practice they wouldn't start in the playoffs. They responded, and the Arizona Cardinals find themselves on their way to the Super Bowl.
What you ought to know
| QB Donovan McNabb, Pass: 28 - 47 - 375 - 3 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - 31 - 0 |
McNabb was a little erratic in the first half, and he either flat out missed receivers or threw so poorly they had to make a spectacular catch. Despite decent field position the Eagles had to settle for two field goals, but true to his streaky nature McNabb got hot in the second half. He threw two touchdown passes to Brad Celek and one to DeSean Jackson as the Eagles took a short lived fourth quarter lead. McNabb's solid numbers included two rushes for 31 yards, but after falling behind late in the game he then threw poorly to Jackson, Hank Baskett, and Kevin Curtis.
In the two previous playoff games McNabb had earned a perfect fourth quarter QB rating of 158.3. He threw four TD passes against Arizona in their earlier meeting.
| RB Brian Westbrook, Rush: 12 - 45 - 0, Rec: 2 - 26 - 0 (5 targets) |
Westbrook seemed unable to get on track and the Eagles had to try and win this game without him carrying the team on his shoulders. They nearly turned the trick. Westbrook gutted out 12 carries for 45 yards with a long run of 14 yards. He also caught two passes for 26 yards and was targeted on the incomplete two point conversion attempt following Philadelphia's third touchdown. While McNabb threw 47 passes, Westbrook was targeted just five times.
Westbrook scored a career high four touchdowns against Arizona in their first meeting but only averaged 1.9 yards per carry in Philadelphia's first two playoff victories.
| RB Correll Buckhalter, Rush: 4 - 21 - 0, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (1 targets) |
The veteran from Nebraska carried four times for a 5.3 average and caught one pass for 12 yards.
| WR DeSean Jackson, Rec: 6 - 92 - 1 (7 targets) |
Jackson was targeted once in the first half as fellow rookie Rodgers-Cromartie had coverage. Jackson found another way to contribute early in game following the Cardinal interception when he forced a fumble after an Arizona interception and enabled Philadelphia to regain possession at their 25 yard line. In the second half, he beat Rodgers-Cromartie on a juggling 62 yard touchdown pass which put the Eagles ahead briefly.
| WR Kevin Curtis, Rec: 4 - 122 - 0 (7 targets) |
With the Eagles facing a third and eighteen Curtis made a tough catch on a 50 yard pass which led to the first Philadelphia touchdown. He averaged over 30 yards per receptions as he caught four passes for 122 yards.
| WR Jason Avant, Rec: 2 - 23 - 0 (4 targets) |
Avant caught two passes for 23 yards and was targeted twice in the first half and twice in the second. The team's slot receiver, Avant suffered a hyperextended knee in their last game and played sparingly.
| WR Hank Baskett, Rec: 1 - 14 - 0 (3 targets) |
Baskett managed to catch one pass for 14 yards but McNabb missed him two other times.
| TE Brent Celek, Rec: 10 - 83 - 2 (11 targets) |
Celek had a career day and set a Philadelphia playoff record ten receptions and became a favorite target for McNabb when Arizona blitzed. On several grabs either linebackers, safeties, or both hit Celek very hard but he always managed to hang on.
| TE L.J. Smith, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (2 targets) |
Smith managed to catch one pass for five yards.
| PK David Akers 2 - 3 FG, 1 - 2 XP, 7 points |
Akers had a tough afternoon. He hit his first field goal from 45, but the streak of consecutive playoff FGs was stopped at 19 when he missed from 47 yards out in the second quarter. He began a new streak when he hit from 39 yards. After the Eagles first touchdown he drove the ensuing kickoff out of bounds giving Arizona great field position. He also missed an extra point.
| PHI Rush Defense |
The Eagles held Arizona to 102 yards on 29 carries for a respectable 3.5 yards per carry. Edgerrin James had a long run of 22 yards, and on Arizona's game winning 14 play drive in the fourth quarter there were nine carries and just five passes. The fact that the Cardinals refused to abandon the run kept some pressure off Kurt Warner.
| PHI Pass Defense |
The Eagles could not figure out how to cover Larry Fitzgerald, but few teams could this season. Warner posted a passer rating of 145.7 based on 21 of 28 for 279 yards and four touchdowns.
In their first meeting the Eagles won easily, 48-20, but Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner still threw three touchdown passes. In the six games since, the Eagles allowed one.
| QB Kurt Warner, Pass: 21 - 28 - 279 - 4 TD / 0 INT, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 |
Warner helped the Cardinals race out to a 24--6 halftime lead against the vaunted Philadelphia defense as he completed 14 of 17 for 203 yards and threw three touchdown passes. He was shut out in the third quarter, however, as the Eagles stormed back to take a one point lead. During Arizona's game winning drive Warner went five of five for 56 yards and capped it off with a TD pass to Tim Hightower. Warner also had the rare privilege of catching a Kurt Warner pass when an Eagles' lineman batted the ball back to him; he caught it, and alertly picked up four yards.
Warner earned a QB rating of 145.7. In six previous games against the Eagles his average passer rating was just 69.3.
| RB Edgerrin James, Rush: 16 - 73 - 0, Rec: 1 - 16 - 0 (1 targets) |
James was able to establish the running game early for Arizona and had a 22 yard run in the second quarter which led to their third touchdown. He piled up a total of 73 yards on 16 carries, but Arizona remained committed running the ball even when he was held to no gain or loss yardage.
| RB Tim Hightower, Rush: 11 - 33 - 0, Rec: 1 - 8 - 1 (2 targets) |
When Hightower gave James a breather his three yard per carry average was enough to keep the Eagles from sending all eleven on a blitz. Hightower caught the winning TD on an eight yard screen pass. On the game winning drive, he converted on fourth and inches by running around right end for six yards. Toward the end of the regular season he ran out of gas but his conditioning should improve next year.
| RB J.J. Arrington, Rush: 2 - -4 - 0, Rec: 1 - 16 - 0 (1 targets) |
Arrington began the flea flicker which led to Arizona's second touchdown. He took a pitch to the right and when he reached the numbers he stopped and threw a cross field lateral. Warner caught it and promptly threw the ball 62 yards to Fitzgerald.
Arrington is usually the single back in their four receiver formation and has proven to be a reliable receiver out of the backfield. With a greater emphasis on running the ball lately, Arrington has seen his playing time squeezed.
| WR Larry Fitzgerald, Rec: 9 - 152 - 3 (11 targets) |
Fitzgerald made a case for being the first wide receiver taken in most fantasy drafts next year. In the first half alone he caught six passes for 113 yards and a record setting three touchdowns. He kept breaking wide open on shallow crossing patterns and was covered primarily by Asante Samuel.
He is the youngest player in NFL history to reach the 400 reception plateau and has already surpassed Jerry Rice's old record of 409 postseason receiving yards.
| WR Anquan Boldin, Rec: 4 - 34 - 0 (7 targets) |
Boldin caught Warner's first pass of the game but was targeted just once in the second half. His presence in the lineup may have helped Fitzgerald, although Arizona is 4--1 this season when he's been sidelined with an injury. In the fourth quarter, with the Cardinal offense on the field, he was seen on the sidelines yelling at offensive coordinator Todd Haley who was yelling right back.
| WR Jerheme Urban, Rec: 1 - 18 - 0 (1 targets) |
Urban caught a key first down pass in the second quarter, but with Boldin back in uniform he returned to his role as WR4 in the offense.
| WR Steve Breaston, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (1 targets) |
Breaston caught a ten yard pass in the second quarter.
| TE Leonard Pope, Rec: 2 - 21 - 0 (3 targets) |
Pope, who has been battling injury lately, was able to play and caught two passes for 21 yards.
| TE Ben Patrick (2 targets) |
Patrick was unable to haul in either target.
| TE Jerame Tuman |
Tuman, inactive for this game, was re-signed for depth when Stephen Spach hurt his knee against Carolina. The ten year veteran played in three games for the Cardinals earlier this year before his release in late December. He earned a Super Bowl ring with the 2006 Pittsburgh Steelers, however, and with Arizona thin at the position he may see some playing time against his old team.
| PK Neil Rackers 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points |
Rackers was one for one on FG attempts, hitting from 49 yards with :03 left in the first half. In the regular season he only missed three field goals and his only miss in the playoffs came against Carolina from 53 yards out in the rain.
| ARI Rush Defense |
Brian Westbrook has struggled throughout the playoffs. Arizona held him 45 yards on 12 carries, while Correll Buckhalter added 21 yards on five carries. McNabb rushed twice for 31 yards. When Philadelphia fell so far behind the running game was all but ignored.
| ARI Pass Defense |
McNabb lit up the Arizona pass defense in the second half, throwing three touchdown passes and leading Philadelphia to a fourth quarter lead. In all McNabb completed 28 of 47 for 375 yards and three touchdowns. S Adrian Wilson registered the only two sacks for Arizona, while DB Aaron Francisco intercepted one pass. When the Cardinals rushed only three and dropped everyone into coverage McNabb had all day to throw. He often found nobody open and dumped the ball down to Celek, who wound up leading the team in catches. Blitzing was effective, as S Adrian Wilson recorded two sacks and McNabb was called for intentional grounding.
Nine year veteran CB Ralph Brown had to battle for a roster spot in his two seasons with the Cardinals. He finally started at nickel corner midway through the season and intercepted three passes in his last four games. As a veteran, he's been a valuable mentor to rookie Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
