Down But Not Out

Just when you think they are dead in the water, they suck you right back in.  At 3-6, the Eagles were definitely up against the ropes heading into last night's division game against the Giants.  And while it certainly wasn't a flashy victory, they got the job done and now it seems that their playoff hopes are still very much alive.

Last night the Eagles put aside their back to back home losses and injuries to Mike Vick and Jeremy Maclin, and they won a football game.  They went on the road and beat a tough division opponent by a final of 17-10.

With 3 interceptions Vince Young certainly wasn't great.  But he did manage the game and was able to orchestrate an 18 play 81 yard drive that ended with a Riley Cooper touchdown.  In the end Young was 23 of 36 for 258 yards and 2 touchdowns.  While he didn't look pretty throwing the ball with his awkward and some what uneasy mechanics, he got the job done especially in the fourth.

And give credit to the Eagles coaching staff.  McCoy was getting pretty bottled up but the Eagles kept going to him.  They were consistent with the run through out the game and were able to mix in Chad Hall, Ronnie Brown, and Dion Lewis into the ground attack.

Defensively credit has to be given to Juan Castillo.  The Eagles defense did a great job of filling gaps and stopping the run.  Jacobs was a huge non-factor last night primarily because the Eagles linebackers stepped up and made some plays.

The defensive line also got great pressure on Eli Manning.  They hurried him into making bad decisions, and Jason Babin forced a fumble at the end to help seal the victory.  With under two minutes, the Giants were driving and threatening to score when Babin popped the ball out from Eli's hand and the Eagles recovered.

The defense, offense, and special teams all played well and everyone contributed to this great victory.  The Eagles played a full 60 minutes, were able to overcome turnovers, and fought and clawed their way to victory.

As I stated before, at 4-6 the Eagles are definitely not out.  And when the Eagles play like they played last night, it makes you believe that the possibilities are endless.  The good news for the Eagles is the Giants looked absolutely lost last night.  They couldn't run the ball, Eli looked bad, and they overall didn't look like a playoff team.  The Giants are also faced with a tough schedule down the stretch, so I definitely believe the Eagles can catch the Midgets.

The bad news for the Birds is the Cowboys look good.  They are finding a nice balance between their running and passing game and they look like they are getting hot.  The Cowboys also have a seemingly favorable remaining schedule.

The Eagles are definitely going to need some help if they want to play post season football.  But if the defense plays the way they did last night I think the sky is the limit for this team.