Remember that 48-20 beating that the Eagles gave the Cardinals on Thanksgiving? After today, that seems like it happened eons ago.
The Arizona Cardinals came out scorching in the desert on this day, while the Eagles came out as they had in four of their previous five NFC Championship games, ice cold.
The first drive of the game kind of gave you the sense that it would be the WR Larry Fitzgerald show on this day. Warner targeted his favorite receiver for three catches and then hit him on a crossing pattern in the red zone which Fitzgerald was able to take across the goal line.
Philadelphia thought it could come out and rush only their front four and still get the necessary pressure on Warner, but after the first drive, they knew that plan wasn’t going to get it done. The Cardinals were able to keep the Eagles defense off-balance, something not easy to do against the third-ranked defense in the NFL, with a mixture of runs and high percentage pass plays.
And when they got it back after the Eagles had hit a FG, they included a little trickery to their offensive arsenal. On first down, Warner pitched the ball to his RB Edgerrin James, who in turn pitched it back to him. He looked down the field and saw Fitzgerald in single coverage against the Eagles’ third CB. After that, it was a matter of launching it down the field and letting his superstar receiver take over. 14-6.
For the rest of the half, the Eagles didn’t do much else on offense or defense, and found themselves in an 18-point hole.
But in the second half, the story would be very different. Sensing the desperation of their situation, the Eagles’ coaching staff made the necessary adjustments and the defense returned to dominant form. They limited Warner and Co. to just 12 plays on three three and outs.
McNabb also found his stride.
In a stretch which began with about six minutes left in the third quarter, Donovan torched the Cards for three TDs, hitting TE Brent Celek for two TDs and rookie WR DeSean Jackson for one on a 60+ yard bomb.
And with that score, the Eagles had taken a 25-24 lead with ten minutes to play and had all of the momentum.
But they couldn’t keep it up. Warner, who had been ice cold in the second half, orchestrated a 14 play, 72 yard drive that consumed over seven minutes of the clock. And on a crucial 3rd-and-goal from the 10, Arizona called a screen pass – the perfect play call – and RB Tim Hightower executed it to perfection and took it in for the go ahead TD. After the two point conversion, it was 32-25 with just under three minutes left to play.
Now is when legends are made. The one blemish on Donovan McNabb’s career to date has been his inability to perform in big games and clutch situations. Coming into this football game, he was batting .250 in NFC Championship Games and lost his only Super Bowl. Here was an opportunity to change that legacy.
Unfortunately for McNabb, it was not to be. He was erratic on the entire final drive – constantly throwing high or behind his targets, and after an incomplete out pattern to WR Kevin Curtis on 4th down, which could’ve been called for pass interference, he saw another golden opportunity to solidify his legacy and get his team to a Super Bowl slip right through his fingers.
Game over.
So the Cardinals, a team that most will call this year’s New York Giants, (although that comparison would be inaccurate because they played two home games in the playoffs,so the 2006 Colts would be a better comparison), advance to play in the Super Bowl while the Eagles, who had a great year in their own right, will kick themselves over this one because everything was set up for them to advance to the Super Bowl.
