Click here to see all recaps on a single page
| Other Week 4 Game Recaps | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI at NYJ | ATL at CAR | BAL at PIT | BUF at STL | CLE at CIN | DEN at KC | GB at TB | HOU at JAX |
| MIN at TEN | PHI at CHI | SD at OAK | SF at NO | WAS at DAL | |||
Week 4 Game Recap: Philadelphia Eagles 20, Chicago Bears 24
What you need to know
| Philadelphia Eagles |
The Eagles were playing from behind for much of the game and would never catch up -- falling to 2-2 and last in the NFC East after a 24-20 loss to the resurgent Chicago Bears.
Quarterback Donovan McNabb had a decent day by his own standards, but couldn't manage to drive the team for a score at all in the second half.
The team certainly felt the absence of Brian Westbrook (who was out with an ankle injury), but RB Correll Buckhalter proved to be a serviceable fill in. Although it was more to the credit of the Bears defense, Buckhalter failed to put the Eagles ahead late in the fourth with two back to back opportunities from the one yard line.
WR DeSean Jackson continued his up and down season. He totaled just over one hundred yards from scrimmage and one TD. But also fumbled a punt. Reggie Brown looked healthy and productive, finishing the night as the team leader in both receiving yardage (79) and receptions (six).
| Chicago Bears |
The Bears moved into a tie for first position in the NFC North with the Green Bay Packers after Sunday night's victory over the Eagles.
QB Kyle Orton looked impressive overall in the game against an Eagles defense that came into the matchup with the league's 12th best passing defense. Although he began to trail off near the end of the game, he looked decisive, accurate, and commanding for most of the night.
Rookie RB Matt Forte didn't have the most eye popping game Sunday night rushing wise, but he more than made up for it in his role as a receiving back and through his solid, play changing, blitz pickups.
The passes weren't primarily thrown to any one WR or TE in the game, but Greg Olsen looked to be a favorite target of quarterback Kyle Orton. He is blossoming into quite the TE/WR hybrid. Unlike a usual Bears game, all of the team's touchdowns came through the air and were scored by three different players: Devin Hester, the aforementioned Greg Olsen, and Marty Booker.
What you ought to know
| QB Donovan McNabb, Pass: 25 - 41 - 262 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - -5 - 0 |
McNabb spread the ball around in typical fashion and looked like he was primed for yet another monstrous passing day after driving the Eagles downfield for two touchdowns (74 and 67 yard drives respectively) within the games first twenty minutes. It went downhill from there though, with McNabb unable to get the Eagles into the end zone for the go ahead score until late in the fourth quarter (more on that later). Without his primary weapon in Brian Westbrook, McNabb still had an impressive game and most importantly, looked unaffected by last week's chest injury.
| RB Correll Buckhalter, Rush: 16 - 66 - 1, Rec: 2 - 24 - 0 (3 targets) |
Buckhalter showed flashes of the injured RB he was filling in for in route to 66 yards and one TD on the ground (24 yards thru the air). The Nebraska alum actually left the game in the third quarter with a lower back contusion, and while his night was impressive for the most part, it unfortunately ended on a sour note. Deep inside Bears territory, Buckhalter was given three rushes inside the five yard line (one from the four and two from the one) and was stuffed by the Bears rejuvenated defense each and every time. It was as much a credit to the goal line stand from the Bears D as anything though.
| RB Lorenzo Booker, Rush: 2 - 7 - 0, Rec: 1 - -3 - 0 (2 targets) |
Booker only ran the ball twice for seven yards and was tackled behind the line of scrimmage on his only reception for negative three yards.
| RB Brian Westbrook |
Westbrook was inactive for Sunday night's game, but often looked eager and willing to suit up and play during shots of him at key points during the contest.
| WR DeSean Jackson, Rush: 2 - 35 - 0, Rec: 5 - 71 - 1 (13 targets) |
Despite fellow WR Reggie Brown's impressive game in the wake of injury, Jackson remained the apparent favorite of QB Donovan McNabb's esteemed targets. In addition to being targeted the most out of anyone on the team, the rookie was also called upon in the running game -- being given two end around handoffs that resulted in 21 and 14 yard gains. Jackson finished the night with 106 yards from scrimmage and one receiving TD. On the punt returning side of the ball, Jackson did manage to make two mistakes. One came on a muffed punt early in the second quarter and the other was a misjudged no catch on a ball that rolled to a stop out of bounds at the Eagles four yard line. All in all though, it was another impressive showing for the rookie wide out.
| WR Reggie Brown, Rec: 6 - 79 - 0 (10 targets) |
It appeared that Reggie Brown had successfully returned from his hamstring injury. He was second to only DeSean Jackson in targets and caught six passes for 79 yards, including back to back receptions in the second quarter for 16 and 31 yards. Brown was not targeted in the red zone, but then again, neither was anyone else since the Eagles did nothing but pound the ball with the ground game whenever they were near the goal line.
| WR Jason Avant, Rec: 4 - 29 - 0 (5 targets) |
Avant played a part in the Eagles offensive game plan on Sunday, just not a major one. He ended the night with four receptions for 29 yards.
| WR Hank Baskett, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (2 targets) |
Baskett played a bit role in the teams week four game, managing only one catch for ten yards on two targets.
| TE Brent Celek, Rec: 3 - 21 - 0 (4 targets) |
Celek did what he was asked to do in fill in work for injured TE L.J. Smith on Sunday, catching three of his four targets for 21 yards.
| TE L.J. Smith |
Smith was inactive for Sunday night's game with a back injury.
| PK David Akers 2 - 4 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points |
Akers missed two field goals from 50 and 47 yards, which could have ensured the Eagles were ahead late in the game. He did convert from 31 and 24 yards and managed to kick both of his extra point attempts thru the uprights, though.
| PHI Rush Defense |
The Philadelphia Eagles rush defense continued its league leading performance in week four, holding the Bears' heralded rookie RB Matt Forte to just 43 yards on 19 attempts.
| PHI Pass Defense |
The Eagles passing defense picked off Kyle Orton twice and sacked him four times. They also held him a yard under 200 yards but did let up three passing touchdowns in the game.
| QB Kyle Orton, Pass: 18 - 34 - 199 - 3 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 |
Orton not only managed to have a very good game against a very tough passing defense, but he also played a major part in why the Bears won the game. For the majority of the night, Orton looked calm, collected, decisive, and accurate. In the midst of a throw in the second quarter, he was hit and the ball was flung up into the air like a lame duck -- a duck that was immediately devoured by Eagles defensive end Darren Howard. Thus, only one of Orton's two interceptions on Sunday night was actually the result of his reads and poor decisions. It's appearing as if Lovie Smith and the rest of the Bears organization made the correct decision to start him over Rex Grossman.
| RB Matt Forte, Rush: 19 - 43 - 0, Rec: 5 - 42 - 0 (6 targets) |
Forte's day (from a rushing perspective) may have been a tad disappointing (19 carries for 43 yards) but his contributions elsewhere had a lot to say about where his future is likely headed. The talented rookie out of Tulane University caught five balls for 42 yards and proved to be in the rare class of rookie RB's who are both intelligent and effective when it comes to blocking and quick and talented to succeed in blitz pickups.
| RB Kevin Jones, Rush: 3 - 16 - 0 |
Jones had three carries in relief of RB Matt Forte for 16 yards. One of the carries was a shifty 15 yard scamper that was quite impressive to say the least.
| WR Devin Hester, Rush: 1 - 15 - 0, Rec: 3 - 27 - 1 (5 targets) |
Hester added 27 yards and one TD on three receptions to his 99 kick return and 15 rushing yards (one attempt) in a performance that showed a lot of promise for the electric young player as a wide receiver. He could have made the night even more memorable had he managed to pull in a long first quarter pass that would have most certainly ended in a touchdown.
| WR Marty Booker, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0, Rec: 1 - 23 - 1 (4 targets) |
Veteran WR Marty Booker only converted one of his four targets into a reception, but it was quite the reception, going for 23 yards and a touchdown.
| WR Brandon Lloyd, Rec: 2 - 33 - 0 (3 targets) |
Lloyd looked promising in what he played in thru the first two quarters; however he suddenly began walking towards the sidelines right before a second quarter play, and fell to the ground after an Orton offered suggestion in order to show that he was injured. The confusion at first suggested that Lloyd may have a concussion, but that was quickly put to rest when it was confirmed his exit was due to a knee injury. As of the wee hours of Sunday morning, nothing further had been reported on the seriousness of the injury.
| WR Rashied Davis, Rec: 1 - 34 - 0 (2 targets) |
Davis looked to be a sure part of the Bears game plan after a 34 yard catch and run on the first play of the game. However, he was only targeted once more and would finish the game with the same stats that he started off with.
| TE Greg Olsen, Rec: 4 - 35 - 1 (7 targets) |
Olsen was targeted early and often and had arguably the best finishing stat line out of anyone in the teams receiving category. He ran hard, he blocked hard, and he looked like a wide receiver crossed with a ballet dancer during a 19 yard first quarter catch that was oh so close to being called out of bounds.
| PK Robbie Gould 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points |
Gould converted all three of his extra point attempts and his only field goal attempt of 41 yards.
| CHI Rush Defense |
Even if the rushing defense had let up 500 yards rushing prior to its goal line stand at the end of the game, the accomplishment still would have been incredibly impressive. In addition to stopping Correll Buckhalter form punching it in from the four yard line, the defense would go on to stop Tony Hunt and Buckhalter from the one not once, not twice, but three times.
| CHI Pass Defense |
The passing defense didn't exactly shut down the Eagles passing game or anything, but they did manage to pick off McNabb once and hold him to one passing TD.
