patriots eagles

Philadelphia Eagles (5-5) at New England Patriots (10-0)


KICKOFF: Sunday, 8:15 ET
GAMEDATE: 11/25/07
LOCATION:Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Mass.
SURFACE: Fieldturf
WEATHER: Game Conditions
TV: NBC, Al Michaels, John Madden, Andrea Kremer


SERIES: 11th meeting. Eagles lead series, 6-4. Their last meeting was in February 2005 in Super Bowl XXXIX. Donovan McNabb threw three interceptions in that game as the Patriots defeated the Eagles 24-21.

PREDICTION: Patriots 37-20

KEYS TO THE GAME: The good news for the Eagles is their ability to hold the ball -- they have 24 scoring drives of at least 10 plays. The bad news is QB Donovan McNabb is day-to-day with a sprained ankle and jammed thumb and might have to give way to A.J. Feeley. The key will be RB Brian Westbrook, who is on pace for a career-high 388 touches despite missing a game. He is averaging 29.3 over the past three games and must be productive on the ground and as a receiver to make spectators out of the Patriots' fleet of offensive playmakers. ... The Patriots expect plenty of blitzing from the Eagles' defense. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson is aggressive -- and to be honest, Philadelphia doesn't have many options. The Eagles have the pass rushers to cause problems, but if the protection holds up QB Tom Brady is in for another field day, and the Eagles have just one sack the past three games. Philly has a league-low 11 takeaways and starting CBs Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown have historically struggled against taller receivers like Randy Moss.

KEY INJURIES: Patriots: OG Stephen Neal (shoulder) could miss his second consecutive game. Eagles: McNabb is uncertain; S Quintin Mikell is unlikely to play.

FAST FACTS: Westbrook is sixth in franchise history with 312 career receptions. ... The Patriots can clinch the AFC East title with a win or a loss by Buffalo.

PERSONNEL NEWS:
Eagles:
--DE Jevon Kearse, who was a healthy inactive last week against Miami, will play Sunday against the Patriots. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson wouldn't say how much, but said he will use him mainly in passing situations.
--QB A.J. Feeley took all of the first-team snaps in practice Thursday and probably will start Sunday against the Patriots, with Donovan McNabb still nursing ankle and thumb injuries.
--QB Donovan McNabb didn't practice again Thursday. He suffered ankle and thumb injuries in Sunday's win over Miami and is out for this week's prime time game against the Patriots.
--SS Quintin Mikell isn't expected to play Sunday against the Patriots. He suffered an MCL knee sprain last week and hasn't practiced at all this week.
--S J.R. Reed will get his first start of the season Sunday. He will start at strong safety in place of injured SS Quintin Mikell.

Patriots:
--The Patriots had a light practice on Thursday before the players were let go early for the Thanksgiving holiday. DL Jarvis Green (ankle) was the only player who didn't participate in Thursday's practice.
--LB Adalius Thomas, who didn't practice Wednesday due to a team decision, was removed from the injury report. G Stephen Neal (shoulder) and S Eugene Wilson (ankle), who were limited in practice Wednesday, are also no longer on the injury report.
--QB Tom Brady (right shoulder) had limited participation in Thursday's practice. Brady will start Sunday night against the Eagles.

SCOUTING REPORTS:

EAGLES

--The Eagles will have a new playing surface for their next home game at Lincoln Financial Field on Dec. 2 against the Seattle Seahawks. With Temple University playing its football games at the Linc in addition to the Eagles, the field was in horrible shape. At the recommendation of head groundskeeper Tony Leonard, the Eagles brought in 4-by-25-foot rolls of sod earlier this week and put it over the old surface.

"It is developed, and we can get it cut thick enough where it's not going to move," Leonard said. "I feel comfortable that the last three games of the season will be fine."

The Linc is one of four DD Grassmaster fields in the league. Those fields are reinforced by polypropylene fibers, which are sewn into the sod. Pittsburgh, Green Bay and Denver also have DD Grassmaster fields.

"What we'll do at the end of the season is remove the sod, and we'll still have the DD Grassmaster field," Leonard said. "The field will be covered for six weeks by the sod, and the Bermuda grass (underneath) will stay alive because it's typically dormant at this time of year anyway."

--RB Brian Westbrook, who had a career-high 322 touches last season, already has 233 this season, despite missing a game earlier this season with an abdominal injury. He's averaged 29.3 touches in the last three games and is on pace to get 388 touches this season. Not bad for a guy who once was considered too small (5-foot-9, 200 pounds) and too brittle to be a heavy-duty running back. Asked whether his days of monitoring Westbrook's touches are over, coach Andy Reid said: "I'm not real worried about that right now. He'll let you know during the game (if he needs a rest). You get a pretty good idea if he wants to be in there or out."

--Westbrook increased his streak of regular-season touches without a fumble to 491. He has just two fumbles in his last 999 touches and just one fumble in his last 902 rushing attempts.

--It would appear this will be TE L.J. Smith's final season with the Eagles. Smith can become an unrestricted free agent after the season and isn't optimistic that the Eagles will try hard to keep him.

"We have different opinions of what L.J.'s value is," Smith's agent, Brian Mackler said.

Said Eagles president Joe Banner: "We just told them we're not in a position cap-wise to do a deal in the middle of the season right now. When the season ends, we'll see how he feels, we'll see how we feel, and if either or both are interested in talking, we'll try again."

Smith missed the entire preseason with a groin injury, then came back too soon and aggravated the injury. He missed three games, two of which the Eagles lost.

"I realized there's no sense in putting 20 bad plays on film," he said. "I'd rather just sit and get healthy. I'd rather play six great games than 10 bad ones."

Smith is finally healthy again, but still seems to be more focused on his uncertain contract situation than playing football. Two weeks ago, he had a costly fumble against Washington. Last week against Miami, he dropped an early pass and committed two bad penalties, including a hold that negated a 46-yard touchdown pass to WR Reggie Brown.

"You basically get 16 days a year to show what you can do," Smith said. "That's why Sundays are so important. You don't get many of them. I try not to think about that and just go out and play. But it's stressful, very stressful."

BY THE NUMBERS: 3 of 33 -- Eagles' conversion rate on third downs of 10 yards or more this season.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Look, if I don't play for the Philadelphia Eagles next year, it's not the end of the world. I'd like to be back there, but whatever happens, I'm not a nobody. I've made a name for myself. It will work out." - TE L.J. Smith

PLAYER NOTES

--DE Jevon Kearse, who was a healthy inactive last week against Miami, will play Sunday against the Patriots. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson wouldn't say how much, but said he will use him mainly in passing situations.
--QB A.J. Feeley took all of the first-team snaps in practice Thursday and will start Sunday against the Patriots, with Donovan McNabb still nursing ankle and thumb injuries.
--SS Quintin Mikell isn't expected to play Sunday against the Patriots. He suffered an MCL knee sprain last week and hasn't practiced at all this week.
--S J.R. Reed will get his first start of the season Sunday. He will start at strong safety in place of injured SS Quintin Mikell.
--LT William Thomas did not practice Wednesday because of illness, but he is expected to be all right by Sunday night.
--WR Jason Avant, who aggravated a groin injury Sunday in the Miami game, practiced Wednesday and appears to making improvement that would allow him to play this week.
--RB Brian Westbrook practiced Wednesday and doesn't appear to be having a flare-up in the knee that kept him out of two practices last week. Westbrook had a career-high 32 carries Sunday against Miami.

PATRIOTS

--With three weeks left in fan voting for the Pro Bowl, Tom Brady has passed Peyton Manning as the AFC's leading vote-getter. Brady has totaled 564,762 fan votes on NFL.com, while Manning currently has 552,845. Brady's total is the second highest among all NFL players, trailing only Packers QB Brett Favre (601,179).

--Randy Moss was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week after his 10-catch, 128-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Bills. Moss' four touchdown receptions in the first half tied an NFL record.

--Las Vegas has installed the Patriots as a 23.5-point favorite over the Eagles this Sunday. That is the largest point spread in NFL history that doesn't involve an expansion team.

--"It's the best offense I've ever seen. I said the other night that Tom Brady is playing the position of quarterback, right now, better than I've ever seen anyone play it in my history. Where they go as the best team (of all time), I think offensively they are right there. I think the best offensive teams that won were probably the San Francisco 49ers, in my mind, and I think this (offense) -- the way they're playing right now -- is probably better. Again, I put the whole thing together with the offensive line and the receivers and the quarterback and everything. When you go to 'team', then you have to put in defense. Their defense isn't the Pittsburgh Steeler defense, it's not one of those. It's not the '85 Bear defense. So you can say historically, when you put it together, I'm not sure they're the best team ever but I am sure -- in my mind, just my observation -- that they're the best offensive team I've ever seen." -- John Madden, on the 2007 Patriots.

--"Basically, you have to ignore those people because this is a job. We're out there, and what are we supposed to do? Like we scored on defense, when Ellis (Hobbs) caught the fumble, should he have taken a knee because we were up by so much? We're out there to do our job, just like they're out there to do their job. It kind of makes me mad when you hear somebody from the other team's defense going 'they shouldn't have done that; that's disrespect.' Do we think it's disrespect when they went and picked up their checks for letting a team score 50 points on them? That should be disrespect, that you went to your owner and said 'All right, pay me for that game I just played.' You can't look at it like that. You have to go out there and do your best. If somebody is blowing you out, you have to play harder. You have to stop them." -- Randall Gay, on teams complaining that the Patriots are running up the score.

--If the Patriots beat the Eagles on Sunday night -- or the Bills lose at the Jaguars -- the team will clinch the AFC East title. If the Patriots do clinch, they would tie the earliest division clinch since the NFL established the 16-game schedule in 1978. Three teams have clinched their division in its 11th game since 1978 -- the 1985 Chicago Bears, the 1997 San Francisco 49ers and the 2004 Philadelphia Eagles.

BY THE NUMBERS: 22 -- The number of times the Patriots have punted this season, the fewest in the NFL.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I don't think I'm going to go hungry, though, if that's what you're worried about. I don't look like I'm undernourished, do I?" -- Bill Belichick on getting some time off for Thanksgiving.

PLAYER NOTES

--RB Laurence Maroney has been criticized for being injury-prone and not being tough this year. Add the Patriots players to the camp who are starting to question Maroney's ability to play through pain. After being taken out of last week's game due to a foot injury, Maroney was greeted by a pile of diapers in front of his locker on Wednesday. It was an obvious attempt by his teammates to send a message that it's time for Maroney to take off the diapers and start playing hurt. We'll see how Maroney reacts this Sunday.
--The Patriots re-signed TE Jason Rader to their practice squad. To make room for Rader, the team released QB David Greene from the practice squad. The Patriots now have two tight ends on their active roster and one on the practice squad.
--LB Adalius Thomas, who didn't practice Wednesday due to a team decision, was removed from the injury report. G Stephen Neal (shoulder) and S Eugene Wilson (ankle), who were limited in practice Wednesday, are also no longer on the injury report.
--QB Tom Brady (right shoulder) had limited participation in Thursday's
Although the Rams barely made the playoffs with an 8-8 record, two of their regular season wins were against Seattle. And they proved they were up to the task again, beating the Seahawks in a back and forth game by scoring a touchdown with 2:11 left to go and then forcing a turnover on their own 5-yard line. With the win, the Rams became the first team in NFL history to win a playoff game after going .500 (8-8) in the regular season. St. Louis' defense held Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander, the NFL's second leading rusher during the season, to only 40 yards on 15 carries.

Shortly after the opening kickoff, Rams quarterback Marc Bulger completed a 52-yard pass to Torry Holt at the Seahawks 11-yard line. Three plays later, he threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Holt to give the Rams an early 7-0 lead. Then on Seattle's first play of the game, defensive back Travis Fisher intercepted a pass from Matt Hasselbeck at the Seahawks 44-yard line. Bulger once again tried to go deep, but the Seahawks were ready and Ken Hamlin picked off his pass at the 4. After an exachange of punts, Seattle drove 46 yards in 9 plays ans scored with Josh Brown's 47-yard field goal, cutting their deficit to 7-3.

Early in the second quarter, Bulger's 52-yard completion to Kevin Curtis set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Marshall Faulk. But Seattle responded by driving 84 yards in 9 plays. On the eighth play of the drive, Hasselbeck's pass was intercepted, but a 15-yard penalty on Trev Faulk nullified the play and gave Seattle the ball at the Rams 19-yard line. Taking advantage of his second chance, Hasselbeck threw a 19-yard touchdown completion to Bobby Engram on the next play, making the score 14-10.

On the opening drive of the third quarter, the Seahawks moved the ball 64 yards in 14 plays and scored with Brown's 30-yard field goal, cutting their deficit to 1 point. The Rams responded with a field goal from Jeff Wilkins to retake their 4-point lead, but Hasselbeck stormed back, completing five consecutive passes for 75 yards on Seattle's ensuing drive and finishing it off with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Darrell Jackson, giving his team their first lead of the game 1:17 into the fourth quarter. But the Rams struck back with an 11-play, 60-yard drive to tie the game with a second field goal from Wilkins. Then after forcing a punt, St. Louis drove 76 yards in seven plays, featuring two key receptions by players who had not caught a pass yet in the game. The first was a 31-yard completion from Bulger to Shaun McDonald on third down and 2. Then three plays later, Bulger threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Cam Cleeland with 2:11 left in regulation.

Hasselbeck started out the ensuing drive with three of four completions for 54 yards, moving the ball to the Rams 11-yard line. But over the next two plays, he threw an incompleted pass and was sacked for a 6-yard loss by St. Louis lineman Jimmy Kennedy. After that, he completed a 12-yard pass to Engram, bringing up fourth down and four on the Rams 5-yard line. With 27 seconds left, Hasselbeck tried to connect with Engram in the end zone, but the pass zipped through his hands and the Seahawks turned the ball over on downs.

Bulger finished the game with 313 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception. Holt caught 6 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown, while Curtis added 4 receptions for 107 yards. Hasselbeck completed 27 of 43 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns, with 1 interception, and rushed for 26 yards. Jackson caught 12 passes for 128 yards.

Scoring
STL - Holt 15 pass from Bulger (Wilkins kick) STL 7-0
SEA - FG Brown 47 STL 7-3
STL - Faulk 1 run (Wilkins kick) STL 14-3
SEA - Engram 19 pass from Hasselbeck (Brown kick) STL 14-10
SEA - FG Brown 30 STL 14-13
STL - FG Wilkins 38 STL 17-13
SEA - Jackson 23 pass from Hasselbeck (Brown kick) SEA 20-17
STL - FG Wilkins 27 Tie 20-20
STL - Cleeland 17 pass from Bulger (Wilkins kick) STL 27-20

[edit] AFC: New York Jets 20, San Diego Chargers 17 (OT)
1 2 3 4 OT Total
Jets 0 7 10 0 3 20
Chargers 0 7 0 10 0 17
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego

Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST/5:00 p.m. PST
Game weather: 55°F (Slight drizzle)
TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels (play-by-play) and John Madden (color commentator)
Referee: Ed Hochuli
Game Attendance: 67,536
New York entered the game after losing their last two regular season games, but managed to defeat the Chargers with a Doug Brien field goal in overtime. This game proved to be as close and competitive as the earlier playoff game in Seattle, featuring numerous key plays in the fourth quarter and in overtime that kept it going utill 14:55 had elasped in the extra period.

New York took the opening kickoff and drove to the Chargers 11-yard line. But San Diego's defense kept them out of the end zone and Brien missed a 31-yard field goal attempt. In the second quarter, San Deigo drove 88 yards and scored with Drew Brees' 26-yard touchdown pass to Keenan McCardell, which was initially ruled an incompletion, but overturned to a touchdown after a replay challenge. Later in the quarter, a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty against the Chargers on a punt gave New York the ball on the San Diego 37-yard line. Five plays later, quarterback Chad Pennington completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Becht, tying the game at 7. On their ensuing drive, the Chargers mounter a scoring threat by moving the ball to the Jets 37-yard line, but Reggie Tongue intercepted a pass from Brees and the score remained tied at halftime.

After forcing a punt on the opening second half drive, Pennington completed three consecutive passes for 68 yards, the last one a 47-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss. Then after forcing a punt, New York drove 42 yards in eight plays, featuring two receptions by Curtis Martin for 33 yards and scored with a 42-yard field goal from Brien, giving them a 17-7 lead going into the fourth quarter.

In the final period, the Chargers managed to rally back. First they drove 54 yards in 12 plays and scored with a 35-yard field goal by Nate Kaeding. The Jets responded with a drive to San Deigo's 33-yard line, Pennington threw an incomplete pass on third down and they decided to punt rather than risk a 51-yard field goal. The Chargers subsequently moved the ball 80 yards in 10 plays to tie the game on a thrillng drive in which they nearly turned the ball over twice. One the first play, Brees fumbled the ball while being sacked by linebacker Jonathan Vilma, but he recovered it himeself. Then he completed a 21-yard pass to tight end Antonio Gates to pick up the first down. One play later, he completed a 44-yard pass to Gates at the Jets 22-yard line. Two runs by LaDainian Tomlinson for 13 yards and a 7-yard run by Brees brought up third down on the Jets 2-yard line. After Tomlinson was tackled for a 1-yard loss, A fourth-down pass Brees with under 20 seconds left fell incomplete into the end zone, but Jets linebacker Eric Barton was penalized for roughing the passer, giving the Chargers a first down from the one-yard line. Brees threw a touchdown pass to Gates on the following play, sending the game into up overtime.

After an exchange of punts in overtime, the Chargers drove to the Jets 22-yard line, but Kaeding missed a 40-yard field goal attempt late in the extra period, allowing the Jets to come back down the field. Two Pennington completions for 29 yards and a 19-yard run by LaMont Jordan then set up a 28-yard field goal from Brien with five seconds remaining in overtime.

Pennington completed 23 of 33 passes for 272 yards and 2 touchdowns. Moss finished the game with 4 receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. Brees completed 31 of 42 passes for 319 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception. Tomlinson rushed for 80 yards and caught 9 passes for 53 yards.

Scoring
SD - McCardell 26 pass from Brees (Kaeding kick) SD 7-0
NYJ - Becht 13 pass from Pennington (Brien kick) Tie 7-7
NYJ - Moss 47 pass from Pennington (Brien kick) NYJ 14-7
NYJ - FG Brien 42 NYJ 17-7
SD - FG Kaeding 35 NYJ 17-10
SD - Gates 1 pass from Brees (Kaeding kick) Tie 17-17
NYJ - FG Brien 28 NYJ 20-17

[edit] Sunday January 9, 2005

[edit] AFC: Indianapolis Colts 49, Denver Broncos 24
1 2 3 4 Total
Broncos 0 3 14 7 24
Colts 14 21 0 14 49
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana

Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Indoors (Domed stadium)
TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz (play-by-play) and Phil Simms (color commentator)
Referee: Mike Carey
Game Attendance: 56,609
The Colts followed up their wild-card blowout of the Broncos in the previous year's Wild Card Round, and also made up for a loss in Denver's INVESCO Field at Mile High a week earlier with another thrashing. Indianapolis scored a franchise playoff record seven touchdowns and led 35-3 at the half. Colt quarterback Peyton Manning, who threw a record 49 touchdown passes in the 2004 regular season, completed 27 of 33 passes for 457 yards (the second highest total ever in a playoff game) and four touchdowns, including two to receiver Reggie Wayne (who had 10 receptions for 221 yards receiving on the day), and one each to tight end Dallas Clark (who caught 6 passes for 113 yards) and receiver James Mungro. Manning and running backs Edgerrin James and Dominic Rhodes scored rushing touchdowns. For Denver, quarterback Jake Plummer threw for 284 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception, while receiver Rod Smith caught 7 passes for 99 yards and a score.

Manning dominated the Broncos in the first quarter, completing 11 of 14 passes for 156 yards. On the Colts second drive of the game, he completed two passes to Wayne for 41 yards and a 25-yard pass to tight end Marcus Pollard before throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass to Mungro. Then after a Denver punt, Manning completed three passes to Clark for 63 yards on an 87-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by James, giving Indianapolis a 14-0 lead with 38 seconds left in the first quarter.

On Denver's opening drive of the second quarter, safety Mike Doss intercepted a pass Plummer on the Colts 41-yard line. One play later, Manning threw a 49-yard completion to Wayne at the Denver 9. Rookie defensive back Kelly Herndon ended the drive by intercepting a pass from Manning in the end zone, but it didn't matter. Denver was forced to punt after three plays and Troy Walters returned the ball 9 yards to the Colts 48-yard line. Manning then completed three consecutive passes for 48 yards, the last one a 19-yard touchdown throw to Clark. This time the Broncos managed to respond. Smith caught 2 passes for 41 yards on a 51 yard drive that ended with a 33-yard field goal by Jason Elam, cutting the score to 21-3. Then the Broncos treid to fool the Colts with a surprise onsided kick. But it didn't work. Indianapolis' Nick Rogers recovered the ball on the Denver 40-yard line, and one play later, Manning threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Wayne. Before the end of the half, the Colts put together another touchdown drive. This time Manning went to Marvin Harrison, who had been dominated all game, completing two passes to him for 41 yards before a 20-yard catch by Wayne moved the ball to the Broncos 1-yard line. Manning finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 6 seconds left in the half, increasing the Colts lead to 35-3.

The Broncos scored on the opening drive of the second half, moving the ball 75 yards and scoring with Plummer's 9-yard touchdown pass to Smith. Then after forcing a punt, they drove 85 yards and scored with Plummer's 35-yard touchdown pass to Jeb Putzier, cutting the score to 35-17. But on the Colts ensuing drive, Wayne caught a screen pass from Manning and took it 43 yards for a touchdown, giving Indianapolis a 42-17 lead early in the fourth quarter. Denver receiver Triandos Luke returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards to the 43-yard line, setting up a 57-yard scoring drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Tatum Bell. But Harrison recovered Elam's onside kick attempt and the Colts subsequently closed out the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run by Rhodes.

Scoring
IND - Mungro 2 pass from Manning (Vanderjagt kick) IND 7-0
IND - James 1 run (Vanderjagt kick) IND 14-0
IND - Clark 19 pass from Manning (Vanderjagt kick) IND 21-0
DEN - FG Elam 33 IND 21-3
IND - Wayne 35 pass from Manning (Vanderjagt kick) IND 28-3
IND - Manning 1 run (Vanderjagt kick) IND 35-3
DEN - Smith 9 pass from Plummer (Elam kick) IND 35-10
DEN - Putzier 35 pass from Plummer (Elam kick) IND 35-17
IND - Wayne 43 pass from Manning (Vanderjagt kick) IND 42-10
DEN - Bell 1 run (Elam kick) IND 42-24
IND - Rhodes 2 run (Vanderjagt kick) IND 49-24

[edit] NFC: Minnesota Vikings 31, Green Bay Packers 17
1 2 3 4 Total
Vikings 17 7 0 7 31
Packers 3 7 0 7 17
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game time: 4:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. CST
Game weather: 26°F (Cloudy, Freezing Drizzle)
TV announcers (FOX): Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman and Cris Collinsworth (color commentators)
Referee: Walt Anderson
Game Attendance: 71,075
The Vikings, like the Rams, were a .500 (8-8) franchise during the regular season. Furthermore, they had stumbled into the postseason losing 7 of their last 10 games, the worst performance in NFL history by a playoff team in a final 10-game span. Two of their losses, by identical 34-31 scores, came in last-second games to the Packers. This time, however, there was no denying the Vikings as they avenged their regular-season sweep, coming out with a stellar performance on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Daunte Culpepper threw for 284 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 54 yards, while the Vikings defense, who only intercepted 11 passes all season, picked off Green Bay counterpart Brett Favre four times. Wide receiver Randy Moss caught two touchdowns for Minnesota, but drew controversy for his celebration after his second, which decided the outcome of the contest. Moss pretended to "moon" Packers' fans, better known as "cheeseheads" by pretending to pull down his pants, mocking a move done by Packer fans to the losing team's bus as they leave Green Bay. The NFL was not amused, and docked Moss $10,000 (US) for his actions a few days later.

On the Vikings' opening drive, Culpepper narrowly avoided a sack with a short completion to receiver Moe Williams, who then dodged a tackle attempt from cornerback Moe Williams and took off for a 68-yard touchdown reception. The Packers were forced to punt after Favre was sacked for a 10-yard loss on third down by Chris Claiborne, and Nate Burleson returned the ball to the 45-yard line. Three plays later, Culpepper threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Moss, giving Minnesota a 14-0 lead after just 5:05 had elasped in the game. A 30-yard kickoff return by Najeh Davenport gave the Packers good field position on their 42-yard line, but two plays later, defensive back Antoine Winfield intercepted a pass from Favre and returned it to the Vikings 43. After that, Culpepper completed two passes for 19 yards and rushed for 23, setting up a 35-yard field goal by Morten Andersen and increasing the lead to 17-0.

After being completely dominated up to this point, the Packers managed to rally back. First Davenport returned the ensuing kickoff 20 yards to the 38-yard line. Then a 21-yard completion from Favre to Javon Walker set up a 43-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell. The Vikings were forced to punt after Culpepper was sacked on third down by Michael Hawthorne, and Green Bay subsequently drove 54 yads in 12 plays and scored with Favre's 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bubba Franks, cutting their deficit to 17-10 with 10:24 left in the second quarter. But on the Vikings' next drive, a 29-yard reception by Burleson and a 23-yard run by Culpepper helped move the ball to the Packers 9-yard line. Green Bay seemed to catch a break when Anderson slipped on a field goal attempt, resulting in a block. But on the next play, safety Brian Russell intercepted a pass from Favre and returned it 14 yards to the Packers 28-yard line. One play later, Culpepper threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Burleson, putting the Vikings up 24-10. The Packers subsequently drove to Minnesota's 8-yard line, but while scrambling around looking for an open receiver, Favre threw an illegal forward pass when he could have run for a first down. On the next play, Longwell missed a 28-yard field goal.

After a scoreless third quarter, Davenport's 1-yard touchdown run cut the Packers deficit to 24-17. But the Vikings responded by driving 66 yards and scoring with a 34-yard touchdown completion for Culpepper to Moss. Then after forcing a punt, Minnesota put the game away with an 8-minute drive that ran the clock down to 8 seconds.

Scoring
MIN - Williams 68 pass from Culpepper (Andersen kick) MIN 7-0
MIN - Moss 20 pass from Culpepper (Andersen kick) MIN 14-0
MIN - FG Andersen 35 MIN 17-0
GB - FG Longwell 43 MIN 17-3
GB - Franks 4 pass from Favre (Longwell kick) MIN 17-10
MIN - Burleson 19 pass from Culpepper (Andersen kick) MIN 24-10
GB - Davenport 1 run (Longwell kick) MIN 24-17
MIN - Moss 34 pass from Culpepper (Andersen kick) MIN 31-17

[edit] Divisional playoffs

[edit] Saturday January 15, 2005

[edit] AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 20, New York Jets 17 (OT)
1 2 3 4 OT Total
Jets 0 10 7 0 0 17
Steelers 10 0 0 7 3 20
at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time: 4:30 p.m. EST
Game weather: 28°F (Fair)
TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg (play-by-play) and Dan Dierdorf (color commentator)
Referee: Bill Leavy
Game Attendance: 64,915
The Jets came out on the losing end of this overtime game when placekicker Doug Brien missed two consecutive field goals at the end of regulation, setting an NFL record of 3 missed game winning field goals in a single post-season. Despite a subpar performance by Steelers' rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers managed to win after Jeff Reed made a game-winning 33-yard field goal 11:04 into the extra period. Steelers running back Jerome Bettis finished the game with 101 rushing yards and a touchdown, along with a 21-yard reception.

The Steelers opened up the scoring with a 43-yard field goal by Reed. Then after the ensuing kickoff, Steelers safety Troy Polamalu intercepted a pass from Chad Pennington and returned it 15 yards to the Jets 25-yard line, setting up a 3-yard touchdown run by Bettis. New York Responded with a 42-yard field goal from Brien on their next drive to cut their deficit to 10-3. Later in the second quarter, Jets receiver Santana Moss returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown to tie the game.

Midway through third quarter, Jets defensive back Reggie Tongue intercepted a pass from Roethlisberger and returned it 86 yards for a touchdown. On Pittsburgh's next drive, they drove all the way to New York's 23-yard line. But then Bettis fumbled the ball and New York's Erik Coleman recovered it. After forcing a punt, the Steelers drove into scoring range for the third consecutive drive, this time scoring with Roethlisbeger's 4-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward, tying the game at 17.

The Jets responded with a drive inside the Steelers 30-yard line, but Brien missed a 47-yard field goal attempt with 2 minutes left in regulation. Two plays later, New York defensive back David Barrett gave his team another chance to score the winning points by intercepting a pass from Roethlisberger and returning it 25 yards to Pittsburgh's 36-yard line. But Brien missed another field goal, this one from 43 yards, as time expired in the fourth quarter, and the game went into overtime.

The Jets won the coin toss, but were forced to punt. Pittsburgh then drove 72 yards in 14 plays and won the game with a 33-yard field goal from Reed.

Scoring
PIT - FG Reed 35 PIT 3-0
PIT - Bettis 3 run (Reed kick) PIT 10-0
NYJ - FG Brien 42 PIT 10-3
NYJ - Moss 75 punt return (Brien kick) Tie 10-10
NYJ - Tongue 86 interception return (Brien kick) NYJ 17-10
PIT - Ward 4 pass from Roethlisberger (Reed kick) Tie 17-17
PIT - FG Reed 33 PIT 20-17

[edit] NFC: Atlanta Falcons 47, St. Louis Rams 17
1 2 3 4 Total
Rams 7 10 0 0 17
Falcons 14 14 10 9 47
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Indoors (Domed stadium)
TV announcers (FOX): Dick Stockton (play-by-play) and Daryl Johnston (color commentator)
Referee: Terry McAulay
Game Attendance: 70,709
In a classic rout, quarterback Michael Vick and the Falcons steamrolled over the Rams in their first home playoff game since 1999, racking up 327 rushing yards and 232 yards on special teams. Vick combined for 201 yards (including 119 rushing yards, a playoff record for a quarterback) and threw 2 touchdown passes, while running back Warrick Dunn rushed for 142 yards and 2 touchdowns. Allen Rossum set an NFL post-season record with 152 punt return yards and added another 80 on kickoff returns.

On the Falcons opening drive, Vick rushed for 47 yards and later threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Alge Crumpler, giving his team a 7-0 lead after just 3:02 had elasped in the game. The Rams responded with Marc Bulger's 57-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Curtis, but four plays after the ensuing kickoff, Atlanta running back Warrick Dunn scored on a 62-yard touchdown run.

Early in the second quarter, Dunn's 19-yard touchdown run gave the Falcons a 21-7 lead. The Rams struck back with Bulger's 28-yard touchdown pass to Torry Holt, and then recovered a fumble from Vick on Atlanta's next drive. But the Falcons defense forced a punt and Rossum returned it 68 yards for a touchdown.

Rams kicker Jeff Wilkins made a 55-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 28-17 on the last play of the second quarter, but the Falcons dominated the second half. First they forced the Rams to punt, and Rossum returned the ball 39 yards to the St. Louis 32-yard line. Five plays later, Vick threw a touchdown pass to Peerless Price. Then Rossum returned the Rams next punt 45 yards to the Rams 13-yard line, setting a 38-yard field goal by Jay Feely. Throughout the rest of the game, the Falcons intercepted a pass from Bulger, forced him to lose a fumble, and sacked him in the end zone for a safety. After the safety, Atlanta running back T. J. Duckett scored the final point of the game on a 4-yard run.

Bulger finished with 292 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception. Curtis caught 7 passes for 128 yards. Duckett rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown.

Scoring
ATL - Crumpler 18 pass from Vick (Feely kick) ATL 7-0
STL - Curtis 57 pass from Bulger (Wilkins kick) Tie 7-7
ATL - Dunn 62 run (Feely kick) ATL 14-7
ATL - Dunn 19 run (Feely kick) ATL 21-7
STL - Holt 28 pass from Bulger (Wilkins kick) ATL 21-14
ATL - Rossum 68 punt return (Feely kick) ATL 28-14
STL - FG Wilkins 55 ATL 28-17
ATL - Price 6 pass from Vick (Feely kick) ATL 35-17
ATL - FG Feely 38 ATL 38-17
ATL - Safety, B. Smith sacked Bulger in end zone ATL 40-17
ATL - Duckett 4 run (Feely kick) ATL 47-17

[edit] Sunday January 16, 2005

[edit] NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Minnesota Vikings 14
1 2 3 4 Total
Vikings 0 7 0 7 14
Eagles 7 14 0 6 27
at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia

Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 31°F (Cloudy)
TV announcers (FOX): Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman and Cris Collinsworth (color commentators)
Referee: Pete Morelli
Game Attendance: 67,722
The Eagles advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the fourth consecutive year on the strength of quarterback Donovan McNabb (21 out of 33 completions for 286 yards and 2 touchdowns). Meanwhile, the Vikings repeatedly shot themselves in the foot with penalties (including 3 pass interference calls for 78 yards), turnovers (including two third quarter interceptions), and other miscues. The most notable was a blown fake field goal attempt which failed because they did not send the right personnel onto the field.

Midway through the first quarter, McNabb scored the first points of the game with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Freddie Mitchell. The next time the Eagles got the ball, McNabb completed a 52-yard pass to receiver Greg Lewis, setting up his second touchdown pass on a 7-yard toss to Brian Westbrook. Mewelde Moore returned the ensuing kickoff 39 yards to his own 42-yard line, and two plays later, Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper threw a 40-yard completion to Marcus Robinson. After that, he finished the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run, cutting the score to 14-7. But the Eagle struck right back on their next drive. First, J. R. Reed returned the kickoff 48 yards to the Vikings 46-yard line. After two penalties against Minnesota gave them 33 yards, McNabb completed two passes to tight end L. J. Smith. Smith fumbled the ball on the second pass, but Mitchell recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown, increasing the Eagles' lead to 21-7.

The Vikings responded with a drive to Philadelphia's 3-yard line. On fourth down, coach Mike Tice called a fake field goal that was supposed to involve backup quarterback Gus Frerotte passing the ball. But the lineman next to the long snapper didn't hear the call. He remained in and Randy Moss, who was supposed to receive the pass, had to run off the field to avoid a penalty. When the ball was snapped, a confused Frerotte had no receivers to pass too, and was forced to throw the ball away. The Eagles then drove 93 yards the Vikings 4-yard line, but were unable to stop the clock from running out before they could score.

After a scoreless third quarter, Philadelphia kicker David Akers kicked two field goals in the final period. The Vikings managed to respond with an 80-yard drive capped by Culpepper's 32-yard touchdown pass to Robinson, but they could not recover the onside kick and the Eagles ran out the rest of the clock.

Culpepper threw for 354 yards and 1 touchdown, but was intercepted twice. Robinson caught five passes for 119 yards and a touchdown. Westbrook rushed for 70 yards and caught five passes for 47 yards and a touchdown.

Scoring
PHI - Mitchell 2 pass from McNabb (Akers kick) PHI 7-0
PHI - Westbrook 7 pass from McNabb (Akers kick) PHI 14-0
MIN - Culpepper 7 run (Andersen kick) PHI 14-7
PHI - Mitchell fumble recovery in end zone (Akers kick) PHI 21-7
PHI - FG Akers 21 PHI 24-7
PHI - FG Akers 23 PHI 27-7
MIN - Robinson 32 pass from Culpepper (Andersen kick) PHI 27-14

[edit] AFC: New England Patriots 20, Indianapolis Colts 3
1 2 3 4 Total
Colts 0 3 0 0 3
Patriots 0 6 7 7 20
at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Game time: 4:30 p.m. EST
Game weather: 25°F (Cloudy, snow)
TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz (play-by-play) and Phil Simms (color commentator)
Referee: Bill Carollo
Game Attendance: 68,756
In a snowstorm, the Patriots dismantled the league's highest scoring team by forcing three turnovers and holding them to just 276 yards and 3 points, their lowest point total since their opening game of the 2003 season. Peyton Manning suffered his seventh loss in Foxborough, even though he had more yards passing than Brady did in the game. The Patriots limited Manning to 238 passing yards with 1 interception and no touchdowns, and Edgerrin James to just 39 rushing yards. The Patriots also held possession of the ball for 37:43, including 21:26 in the second half and recording three long scoring drives that each took over 7 minutes off the clock. New England running back Corey Dillon, playing in his first career playoff game after suffering through 7 losing seasons as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, rushed for 144 yards and caught 5 passes for 17 yards.

Both teams defenses dominated early, as the first five possessions of the game ended in punts. But after that, the Patriots put together a 16-play, 78 yards scoring drive that took 9:07 off the clock. They lost a touchdown when Dillons' 1-yard score was overturned by a penalty, but Adam Vinatieri kicked a 24-yard field goal to give them a 3-0 lead. The next time New England got the ball, a 42-yard run by Dillon set up another Vinatieri field goal, increasing the Patriots lead to 6-0. The Colts responded with a drive to New England's 39-yard line, but linebacker Tedy Bruschi ended it by forcing and recovering a fumble from running back Dominic Rhodes. After a Patriots punt, Manning led the Colts 67 yards to a Mike Vanderjagt field goal, cutting the score to 6-3 going into halftime.

But the Patriots dominated the second half, holding the ball for nearly all the time in regulation with two long drives. After an echange of punts, they drove 87 yards in 15 plays on a drive that consumed 8:16 and ended with Brady's 5-yard touchdown pass to David Givens. At the end of the Colts next drive, Hunter Smith's 54-yard punt pinned New England back at their own 6-yard line. But it didn't stop them. The Patriots stormed down the field on a 14-play, 94-yard drive that ate up another 7:24. Dillon rushed for 35 yards and caught a pass for 9 on the drive, including a 27-yard run on third down and 8, while Brady finished it with a 1-yard touchdown run, gving the Patriots a 20-3 lead with just over 7 minutes left in the game. Then two plays after the ensuing kickoff, safety Rodney Harrison stripped the ball from Reggie Wayne and Bruschi recovered it, allowing his team to take more time off the clock. Indianapolis responded with a drive to the Patriots 20-yard line, but Harrison intercepted Manning's pass in the end zone with 10 seconds left.

Scoring
NE - FG Vinatieri 24 NE 3-0
NE - FG Vinatieri 31 NE 6-0
IND - FG Vanderjagt 23 NE 6-3
NE - Givens 5 pass from Brady (Vinatieri kick) NE 13-3
NE - Brady 1 run (Vinatieri kick) NE 20-3

[edit] Conference Championships

[edit] Sunday January 23, 2005

[edit] NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Atlanta Falcons 10
1 2 3 4 Total
Falcons 0 10 0 0 10
Eagles 7 7 6 7 27
at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Game time: 3:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 17°F (Partly sunny)
TV announcers (FOX): Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman and Cris Collinsworth (color commentators)
Referee: Bill Carollo
Game Attendance: 67,717
Despite a game-time temperature of 17 °F (-8 °C) and a swirling wind that sent wind chills into sub-zero temperatures, the Eagles finally succeeded in advancing to the Super Bowl in their fourth consecutive NFC Championship Game appearance. The Eagles' defense held Michael Vick to a combined total of 162 yards, sacking him four times. Tight end Chad Lewis caught two touchdown passes of three and two yards from Donovan McNabb; however, he suffered a Lisfranc injury to his foot in the process of catching the second touchdown, and would miss the Super Bowl.

On their first drive of the game, the Eagles drove to Atlanta's 32-yard line. But they turned the ball over after trying to convert a fourth down with a fake field goal attempt. The next time they got the ball, a 36-yard run by Brian Westbrook and a 21-yard catch by L. J. Smith set up a 4-yard touchdown run by Dorsey Levens, giving them a 7-0 lead. Atlanta responded with a drive to the Eagles 3-yard line, but was forced to settle for a Jay Feely field goal after Vick was sacked on third down. Six plays after the ensuing kickoff, Greg Lewis' 45-yard reception moved the ball to the Falcons 4-yard line, setting up McNabb's 3-yard touchdown pass to Chad Lewis one play later. Atlanta struck right back on their next drive, moving the ball 70 yards in just five plays and scoring with Warrick Dunn's 10-yard touchdown run with 21 seconds left in the first half.

The Eagles dominated the second half, forcing Atlanta to punt on every possession except one which resulted in an interception, and their last one, which ended when they turned the ball over on downs. Philadelphia also added 13 points to their lead with two David Akers field goals and another touchdown pass from McNabb to Lewis.

McNabb threw for 180 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 32 yards. Westbrook rushed for 96 yards and caught five passes for 39.

Scoring
PHI - Levens 4 run (Akers kick) PHI 7-0
ATL - FG Feely 23 PHI 7-3
PHI - Lewis 3 pass from McNabb (Akers kick) PHI 14-3
ATL - Dunn 10 run (Feely kick) PHI 14-10
PHI - FG Akers 31 PHI 17-10
PHI - FG Akers 34 PHI 20-10
PHI - Lewis 2 pass from McNabb (Akers kick) PHI 27-10

[edit] AFC: New England Patriots 41, Pittsburgh Steelers 27
1 2 3 4 Total
Patriots 10 14 7 10 41
Steelers 3 0 14 10 27
at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time: 6:30 p.m. EST
Game weather: 11°F (Fair)
TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz (play-by-play) and Phil Simms (color commentator)
Referee: Walt Anderson
Game Attendance: 65,242
The game-time temperature of 11 °F (-12 °C) made it the second-coldest game ever in Pittsburgh and the coldest ever in Steel City playoff annals. However, it was the Patriots that handed Ben Roethlisberger his first loss as a starter after a 14-game winning streak, the longest by a rookie quarterback in NFL history, as the Steelers became the second NFL team ever to record a 15-1 record and fail to reach the Super Bowl. The Patriots converted four Pittsburgh turnovers into 24 points, while committing no turnovers themselves.

The Steelers never recovered from their poor performance in the first quarter. Patriots defensive back Eugene Wilson intercepted Roethlisberger's first pass of the game on his own 48-yard line, setting up Adam Vinatieri's 48-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead. Pittsburgh responded with a drive to the Patriots 39-yard line. But then running back Jerome Bettis lost a fumble while being tackled by Rosevelt Colvin and linebacker Mike Vrabel recovered it. On the next play, Tom Brady threw a 60-yard touchdown pass to receiver Deion Branch.

With 1:28 left in the first quarter, the Steelers cut their deficit to 10-3 with Jeff Reed's 23-yard field goal. But after an exchange of punts, Branch caught a 45-yard reception on Pittsburgh's 14-yard line. Two plays later, Brady threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to David Givens. Then on the Steelers ensuing drive, safety Rodney Harrison intercepted a pass from Roethlisberger and returned it 87 yards for a touchdown, giving the Patriots a 24-3 halftime lead.

In the second half, the teams scored three consecutive touchdowns. New England was forced to punt on the opening drive of the third quarter, and Antwaan Randle El returned the ball 9 yards to the Steelers 44-yard line. Then on the Steelers ensuing possession, he caught two passes for 46 yards as they drove 56 yards in five plays. Bettis finished the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run, cutting their deficit to 24-10. New England responded by moving the ball 69 yards in seven plays and scoring with Corey Dillon's 25-yard touchdown run. But Pittsburgh stormed right back, driving 60 yards in ten plays and scoring with Roethlisberger's 30-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward. Then after forcing a punt, Randle El returned the ball 22 yards to the Steelers 49-yard line. On their ensuing drive, Ward's 26-yard reception on the last play of the third quarter set up Reed's second field goal, making the score 31-20 with 13:32 left in the game.

However, the Patriots took over the rest of the quarter. They responded with a 49-yard drive that took 5:26 off the clock and ended with Vinatieri's 31-yard field goal. Then two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Wilson intercepted another pass from Roethlisberger at New England's 45-yard line. The Patriots subsequently marched down the field on another long scoring drive, taking 5:06 off the clock. Branch capped it off with a 23-yard touchdown run on a reverse play, giving the Patriots a 41-20 lead. The Steelers responded with Roethlisberger's 7-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress on their next drive, but by then there was only 1:31 left in the game.

Brady completed 14 of 21 passes for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns. Dillon rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown. Branch caught 4 passes for 116 yards, rushed for 37 yards, and scored two touchdowns. Roethlisberger threw for 226 yards and 2 touchdowns, and rushed for 45 yards, but was intercepted 3 times. Ward caught 5 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown.

Scoring