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The Philadelphia Eagles are 0 for 2 in back to back NFC championship game...
This is McNabb's Best Chance! The Eagles lost 0/2 back to back NFC Title games. Is this McNabb's best chance? Last weekend’s divisional games proved once again that defense means everything in the NFL, especially in the playoffs. No team has learned that lesson better than the Philadelphia Eagles, who this Sunday will host their third straight NFC Championship Game, a new NFL record. This also marks the fourth straight time QB Donovan McNabb and the Eagles will be within one game of the Super Bowl. However, unlike the last two seasons, when the Eagles faced teams built around their unbeatable defenses, the Eagles will be facing the Atlanta Falcons, the league’s 14th best defense. In comparison to what the Eagles have battled in the last two seasons, this Sunday is their best opportunity yet to compete in the Super Bowl.
On the road in 2002, the Eagles lost to the St. Louis Rams, known then as “The Greatest Show on Turf” in a 29-24 shoot-out where defense was not as issue, although keeping QB Kurt Warner and company under 30 in 2002 was an accomplishment. Two seasons ago, however, the Eagles hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January 2003 and lost 27-10 to the eventual Super Bowl champs. The Bucs showed the world and the Oakland Raiders, two weeks later, that defense dominates the National Football League. The Eagles were home and Vegas favorites once again last season, but mustered only a field goal when they lost 14-3 to the Carolina Panthers. In these last two losses, McNabb was matched up against defenses that clearly had his number and prevented the Eagles from putting points up on the scoreboard. Even a healthy WR Terrell Owens would not have helped McNabb against the might Buccaneers’ defense or the Panthers’ impenetrable secondary.
This year is a different ballgame, though, as the Eagles take on a solid but flawed Falcons’ defense with a young secondary. McNabb will finally have the chance to take on a defense that might not be able to contain him, even without Owens. And, unlike last season’s game against the Panthers, RB Michael Westbrook is healthy and ready to compliment McNabb’s passing game. For the Falcons, CB Jason Webster and CB Allen Rossum, who was named this week’s NFL Special Team’s Player of the Week for his punt returns last week, will have to contain the Eagles’ high-flying receivers who could not be stopped by the Minnesota Vikings. CB Kevin Mathis is listed as questionable with an ankle injury, so Atlanta will have to find a way to slow down WR Freddie Mitchell, who had 65 yards receiving and one touchdown last week, and Westbrook, who had 117 total yards and one touchdown.
Although the Falcons have a tough defense, they are nothing like the Panthers of last season or the Super Bowl Champion Buccaneers of two years ago, and if McNabb and Coach Andy Reid have any hopes of finally making it to the Super Bowl, this Sunday could be their best hope.
This article was written by one of our forum members JB17, a former journalist. JB (Jason) has worked with NY Newspapers as an editor, reporter & sports writer. He has provided some excellent football analysis for us on recent games and his NFL picks have been right on the money.
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