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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The temperature was 34, and the wind chill
was just 11.
If those numbers didn't numb the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the
Eagles' No. 5 surely did.
|  | | Bucs QB Shaun King completed 17 of 31 passes for 171 yards, but the Eagles defense did not allow a touchdown. |
Donovan McNabb ran for a touchdown and threw for two more,
leading the Philadelphia Eagles to 21-3 victory over Tampa Bay in
an NFC wild-card game Sunday, sending them on to the Meadowlands to
play the New York Giants next weekend.
"You either have it or you don't," Brian Mitchell,
Philadelphia's veteran running back, said of the runner-up for the
NFL's MVP award. "He has more ability than any quarterback I've
every seen."
It was a landmark win for Philadelphia, which was 8-24 the
previous two years and 5-11 last season after using the second
overall pick in the draft to take McNabb.
But it was also a landmark game for the Philadelphia defense
that came in overshadowed by Tampa Bay's fabled unit, but allowed
the Bucs just 101 yards in the first three quarters and made the
play that turned the game -- a fumble-forcing sack by Hugh Douglas
that set up Philadelphia's first score.
That's been the Philadelphia formula: defense and Donovan.
"They just outplayed us a bunch," said Derrick Brooks, the
Bucs' all-Pro linebacker.
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Eagles lose another RB
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Eagles running back Stanley Pritchett suffered a fractured left tibia in the win over the Bucs on Sunday and will be out for the rest of the playoffs.
Pritchett has played both tailback and fullback this season and is valued as a receiver out of the backfield.
In other Eagles injury news, wide receiver Charles Johnson is questionable for the Giants game because of a sprained left ankle suffered against the Bucs. Tight end Chad Lewis is well on his way to recovering from a neck stinger. Coach Andy Reid said Lewis was moving his head with little pain this morning. Lewis is probable. Running back Darnell Autry, who missed the Bucs game because of a high left ankle sprain, will be re-evaluated during the week in practice.
-- ESPN.com news services
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For the Bucs, who hoped to become the first team to play the
Super Bowl in their home stadium, it was a disappointing end to a
10-7 season that started with title hopes.
It also continued a string that has plagued them even as they
became one of the NFC's best teams: They're now 0-20 when gametime
temperatures were under 40 degrees, including three losses this
season.
McNabb, runner-up to Marshall Faulk for the NFL's MVP award,
played much of the game as if the weather was balmy. He finished
24-of-33 for 161 yards and ran for 32 yards on eight carries, and
was at his best as he quarterbacked the Eagles to two touchdowns in
a span of 3:21 late in the first half that gave Philadelphia
control of the game.
With the Bucs leading 3-0 with 3:21 left in the second quarter
and the wind in their favor, Shaun King dropped back to pass on a
third-and-19 from his own 25. He was sacked by Douglas, fumbled and
Mike Mamula recovered for Philadelphia at the 15.
Four plays later, McNabb took the snap on a third-and-goal from
five, cut through the line and swerved right for the Eagles' first
score.
The sack might have been a messed-up blocking scheme -- 5-foot-8,
185-pound Warrick Dunn blocking the 280-pound Douglas.
"I was trying to get to him before he threw the ball," Douglas
said. "For some reason, the tackle blocked down. I just hit him. I
think that made the momentum swing in our way."
It sure did. The Bucs never played well again, on offense or
defense.
Philadelphia got the ball back with 1:43 left in the half. Going
into the wind, common sense suggested they sit on the ball.
Instead, McNabb hit Mitchell for 11 and 13 yards to start the drive
that ended when he found Na Brown for a 5-yard touchdown with 12
seconds left in the half.
Then McNabb used up the first 7:44 of the second half going into
the wind, a drive that ended with David Akers missing a 36-yard
field-goal attempt. Tampa Bay had the ball for only 2:42 in the
third quarter.
McNabb clinched the game with a 2-yard TD pass to Jeff Thomason
45 seconds into the fourth quarter at the end of a 10-play, 57-yard
drive.
"That was a breakdown in communication," Tampa Bay coach Tony
Dungy said of the game-turning sack, on which he said 240-pound
fullback Mike Alstott should have been blocking Douglas instead of
Dunn.
"That really gave them momentum. They got 14 points going
against the wind in the last four minutes of the half and that was
basically the game."
The win by the Eagles means the four teams left in the NFC were
a combined 25-39 last season. Only Minnesota (10-6) had a winning
record. The Giants were 7-9, the Eagles 5-11 and New Orleans was
3-13.
Philadelphia's task could be tougher on the road next week.
The Giants, top seed in the NFC, beat the Eagles 33-18 and 24-7,
the only two games all season that Philadelphia had no chance to
win late.
"We're a different team now," Douglas said. "Those games were
early in the season. We'll be ready for them now."
Game notes
The Eagles' last playoff win had been five years and one
day ago, 58-37 over Detroit. ... Warren Sapp, Tampa Bay's all-Pro
defensive tackle, was held to four tackles and no sacks by the
Philadelphia offensive line. ... The win was the eighth in the last
nine games for Philadelphia. ... McNabb, who has started just 22
NFL games, was the youngest quarterback, at 24, ever to start a
playoff game for Philadelphia.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Tampa Bay Clubhouse
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Bucs offense falls silent in loss to Eagles
Douglas' sack, forced fumble, the key play in Eagles' victory
AUDIO/VIDEO
 The Eagles' Donovan McNabb joins ESPN's Ron Jaworski for this week's Sunday Conversation.
RealVideo: | 28.8
 Donovan McNabb feels the Eagles were ready for the Bucs.
wav: 254 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Andy Reid hopes the Philly fans keep their good behavior through the night.
wav: 130 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Tony Dungy thinks the late turnovers gave the Eagles the lift they needed.
wav: 100 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Keyshawn Johnson figures the Eagles just got the better of the Bucs.
wav: 125 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Keyshawn Johnson Official Site
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