Dec 28th 2008 8:45PM by Enrico Campitelli (author feed)
Filed under: Cowboys, Eagles, NFC EastIn a game in which the winner would earn a spot in the playoffs, the Philadelphia Eagles destroyed and embarrassed the Dallas Cowboys in South Philadelphia and extended their season at least another week.

Andy Reid, in his post-game press conference, thanked the fans first for showing up at the Linc to cheer on the Birds against their most hated rival. Not shortly after, Reid thanked the Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans for doing their part to put the Eagles in position to play next weekend. How ’bout them Oakland Raiders?!?

Finally, he acknowledged his players for bringing the thunder on the final day of the regular season and making the Dallas Cowboys look more like Monaco’s Team than America’s Team.

It was an all-out team showing by the Eagles, who put up impressive offensive drives ending in two McNabb touchdown passes and another QB sneak in the first half. After that, the Birds’ defensive looked rabid against a lifeless Cowboys offense. Tony Romo came up extremely small, giving the ball away, in another big game in the lore of Romo.Continue Reading

Dec 28th 2008 9:55PM by Tom Herrera (author feed)
Filed under: AZ Cardinals, Chargers, Colts, Dolphins, Eagles, Falcons, Ravens, Vikings, NFL PlayoffsAbout an hour ago, we were still talking about the collapse of the Cowboys, Jets, et al. But life moves fast in the NFL and we’ve already got the schedule and times for next weekend’s wild-card round of the playoffs.

Check out the full slate of matchups below, and after the jump, make your predictions for which teams will bang out some big wins. I’m going with Falcons, Colts, Ravens and Vikings (though I was tempted pick all four road teams).

No. 5(11-5) at No. 4 (9-7, NFC West champs)
4:30 PM ET (NBC)

No. 5 (12-4) at No. 4 (8-8, AFC West champs)
8:00 PM ET (NBC)

No. 6 (11-5) at No. 3 (11-5, AFC East champs)
1:00 PM ET (CBS)

No. 6 (9-6-1) at No. 3 (10-6, NFC North champs)
4:30 PM ET (FOX)
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Dec 28th 2008 11:29PM by Enrico Campitelli (author feed)
Filed under: Cowboys, Eagles, NFC East, NFL InjuriesJim Johnson’s defense brought the heat on Sunday and Tony Romo was the unhappy recipient of the Eagles’ swarming blitzes and constant pressure. According to the Dallas News blog, Romo’s back was causing him so much pain following the game that he collapsed in the shower and needed two people to help him down a single step.

As discussed ealier, Tony Romo once again came up very small in a big game. The Cowboys QB was often viewed as a savior for America’s Team, but after failing to get Dallas into the playoffs once again, all is not well in Big D.

When asked how he deals with all of these tough defeats, Romo responded, “I wake up tomorrow and I keep living.”

Albeit with a painfully sore back and vacation plans.

Romo’s loud-mouthed receiver, Terrell Owens, called the game an “old-fashioned butt whipping.” It’s safe to say his quarterback would agree.

Dec 29th 2008 8:30AM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Cowboys, Dolphins, Eagles, Jets, NFL Fans, NFL CoachingChad Pennington’s eight-year Jets career came to an inglorious end four-and-a-half months ago, when he was by Brett Favre. New York restocked the roster with big-name players last offseason, and Favre was supposed to be the guy to get them back to the playoffs following the four-win effort in 2007.

Instead, after an 8-3 start, the Jets stumbled into Week 17 at 9-6, needing to win the season finale against the Dolphins and hoping that either the Bills beat the Patriots or the Ravens lost to the Jaguars. As it turned out, New England outlasted Buffalo, Baltimore blew the doors off Jacksonville, and New York went through the motions against Miami.

Favre, who has been inconsistent all season, threw three interceptions yesterday, all typically Favre-ian. Although the Jets were only down three points heading into the fourth, it just seemed like Favre was too old, too slow, and too reckless to keep New York in the game. And that’s exactly what happened when he threw an inexplicable pick midway through the fourth quarter that basically signaled the end the 2008 season. And if we’re lucky, Favre’s career.Continue Reading

Dec 29th 2008 9:15AM by Sportz Assassin (author feed)
Filed under: AZ Cardinals, Chargers, Colts, Dolphins, Eagles, Falcons, Ravens, Vikings, NFL PlayoffsWinning an NFL division championship means a playoff spot, a home game and nothing else. All four teams that will be hosting the wildcard round of the playoffs are underdogs.

The lines for the four wildcard games has been set:

Eagles (-3) at Vikings
Falcons (-2.5) at Cardinals
Colts (-2.5) at Chargers
Ravens (-3) at Dolphins

The Falcons have two more wins than the Cardinals. The Colts have four more wins than the Chargers. The Ravens and Dolphins have the same record. The Eagles finished with just one less win than the Vikings but the same amount of losses.

Since the NFL has established the current playoff format in 2002, this has not been rare. In both the 2004 and 2005 playoffs, three of the four road teams won their wildcard matchups. This year, we have our first 8-8 division champion since 1985.

Dec 29th 2008 10:00AM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Filed under: Cowboys, Eagles, NFL Fans, NFL VideoHigh fives are a way of life. No matter how popular the exploding fist pound becomes, the high five will remain a universal symbol of celebration. Unless, of course, Jeffrey Lurie continues to use said symbol as a method of popping his wife in the face. (Note: he didn’t do this intentionally, but it’s still funny.)

See, this is why it’s funny to see old people high fiving: it’s almost always guaranteed to be awkward, and it’s only exacerbated when someone — like Lurie in this case — misses and plants a hand on his wife’s grill. And sure, she might look embarrassed, but at least not as embarrassed as the Cowboys.

Dec 26th 2008 4:00PM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Filed under: Bears, Buccaneers, Cowboys, Eagles, Redskins, Vikings, NFL Fans, NFL Eliminated Teams, NFL Media Watch, NFL RumorsHad Philadelphia taken care of business last Sunday and beaten the Redskins, the Cowboys-Eagles game was set for primetime, Sunday night, must-see, WIN OR GO HOME football. Instead, the ‘Guls lost and the game suddenly became “Cowboys win = in” as far as the playoffs go.

Naturally, the game would be bumped back to 1:00 EST because it’s in Philadelphia. Only it wasn’t — now it kicks off at 4:15 EST … which is what happened, and also which makes little sense. Or, if you’re Tim Cowlishaw and/or freaking love conspiracy theories, a whole lot of sense.
Tampa Bay, Chicago and Minnesota all play noon games. If the Bucs win, or if the Bears and Vikings both win, the Eagles are eliminated from playoff contention.

[…] But the Eagles are going to prepare all week in hopes that a victory will get them into the playoffs. To learn after you have warmed up and just before kickoff that you have been eliminated can be devastating.
Fiction can be funny … but seriously, this is kind of a stretch, no? Sure, that could potentially be an advantage for Dallas, but the Eagles hate the Cowboys, and people are still going to be screaming for Tony Romo’s head. Additionally, as Cowlishaw notes, the 4:15 slot with an NFC rivalry game and the Cowboys’ playoff hopes on the line for huge ratings.

Besides, why would Roger Goodell bother “pulling a Stern” and landing the Cowboys in the playoffs when they’re only going to play one game anyway? Just seems like a little too much effort.

Dec 25th 2008 10:49PM by Sportz Assassin (author feed)
Filed under: Cowboys, Eagles, NFC East, NFL Police BlotterCowboys receiver Terrell Owens doesn’t think the offense is doing what it should. He thinks that there is a certain receiver who is getting overlooked — a guy who is being paid a lot of money to catch passes and score touchdowns and he’s not getting the opportunity to make plays.

For once, that guy isn’t Owens himself. He’s talking about Roy Williams.”If you bring a guy over here and you pay him that much money, you want (him) to be involved,” Owens told reporters in Irving. “He has a lot of talent. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be here. I’m not saying that in a negative way. I’m saying that because I know he can help the team.

“Once we figure out a way we can get him more involved and he can help this offense, the better off we’ll be.”Since Williams was acquired via a trade in October, he has caught just 17 passes for 194 yards and one touchdown. When Dallas dealt for Williams, they also inked him to a five-year extension worth $45 million.

Dec 21st 2008 2:55PM by Sportz Assassin (author feed)
Filed under: Bills, Broncos, Buccaneers, Chargers, Colts, Cowboys, Dolphins, Eagles, Jets, Giants, Panthers, Patriots, Ravens, Titans, Vikings, NFL Media WatchLast year, the NFL started this flex scheduling thing, which allows them to alter the schedule late in the season so that the more meaningful games are broadcast on national television.

While there are rules that the NFL follows for selecting these games, they do Week 17 a bit differently. No games are off limits for the switch to NBC, aside from picking teams that have reached televised limits. They also only have to give six days advance warning about the change, instead of the normal 12 days.

That means the NFL will place the game with the most riding on it as their season finale on NBC.

So which games look like they could be a possibility?Continue Reading

Dec 21st 2008 7:44PM by Sportz Assassin (author feed)
Filed under: Chargers, Eagles, Redskins, NFC East
There is no way I can stat up this game — it was a stinker. Neither offense could really get anything going, both defenses were all over the field and there were enough bad plays to fill Daniel Snyder’s mansion.

Still, it was a gripping game that went down to the final play of the game. It also came down to the final inches of the field.

Down 10-3, the Eagles made a last second drive to tie the game. With :12 left on the clock, Donovan McNabb completed a pass to Reggie Brown on the two, maybe three, inch line. The Redskins LaRon Landry and Fred Smoot stopped him there and with Philly out of timeouts, the clock ran out. Yes, that is the play pictured above.

This is a huge blow to the Eagles playoff chances. Coming into the game, Philly actually held its own destiny. With a win over the Redskins and next week against the Cowboys, the Eagles would have been in the playoffs. Now Philly needs to win and hope Tampa Bay loses to Oakland and Chicago loses tomorrow against Green Bay or in Houston next week. While possible, it’s hard to pin your hopes on Oakland winning in Tampa against Jon Gruden.
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