| |  McNabb outduels Vick in Eagles' win
By Greg Garber
ESPN.com
PHILADELPHIA -- Five yards deep in the end zone, he glided away from the defender, and almost nonchalantly blazed up the right sideline. What looked to be an imminent sack for a safety turned out to be a 19-yard gain. Another great escape for Michael Vick, the quarterback of the future and, quite suddenly, the present?
Actually, no. It was the return of Donovan McNabb, the Philadelphia Eagles' ethereal signal caller. Somewhere, somehow during the eight weeks he was sidelined with a broken right fibula, we managed to forget that McNabb was this town's real "Answer," even when there was no question.
"From the very beginning, I felt in a good rhythm," McNabb said of his second play back. "And the offense started to roll a little bit."
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You live and learn. You live and learn. We had opportunities to score and we just didn't do it. We've got a young team. We're going to get better. I learned a lot from this game tonight. ” |
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— Michael Vick, Falcons quarterback |
The future of the position looks a lot like McNabb, who at 26 is only four years older than Vick. On Saturday night at Veterans Stadium, McNabb was the difference in the Eagles' muscular 20-6 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
McNabb's 35-yard touchdown pass to James Thrash on fourth-and-1 with 6:26 left put the game away.
"He started fast and he finished fast," observed Philadelphia head coach Andy Reid. "I think he might be a little sore tomorrow, but he was himself today."
"I didn't think he'd be rusty. I thought he'd come out and do what he did."
Which was more than enough. And while there were a few occasions when McNabb's timing looked a little off, there was nothing resembling rust. He seemed to tire a little in the fourth quarter -- there was an awkward moment in the fourth quarter when he couldn't get away from Atlanta linebacker Keith Brooking -- before rallying with that big toss to Thrash.
McNabb completed 20 of 30 passes for 247 yards. He ran four times for 24 yards and did not throw an interception.
"He looked great," said defensive tackle Corey Simon. "He looked like the same old Donovan to me."
Let's be honest. Not everyone saw this coming.
The Falcons, you may remember, went into Green Bay last week and roughed up the Packers 27-7. It was the Packers' first playoff defeat ever at Lambeau Field and it left some folks thinking the Falcons had a chance.
In retrospect, it was a nice little fable, wasn't it?
And while The Vet, in its second-to-last appearance in NFL history, was every bit as hostile (although, honestly, the final arrest total of 30 was disappointing for a playoff contest) and bone-numbingly cold (the wind-chill was in the teens) as Lambeau, it is now painfully obvious that the Eagles' defense is several levels better than the Packers'. As they say in television, this just in.
Vick, the Human Highlight Film, looked like the 22-year-old college kid he would be if he hadn't left Virginia Tech after his sophomore year.
Vick completed 22 of 38 passes for 274 yards, but he was sacked three times and threw two interceptions. He ran six times for 30 yards, a decidedly modest effort considering the source.
Most important, the Falcons did not score a touchdown; they were held to a harmless pair of field goals.
"We wanted to continue to pressure (Vick), that's what we do best," Reid explained. "We didn't want a mush rush … that's aggressive, downhill football."
Vick was lucky to escape the first quarter alive. Consider his harried life in those first 15 minutes:
Series 1 -- The Eagles' rush forced him to throw away a third-and-13 pass to Shawn Jefferson, leading to a punt.
Series 2 -- Vick's pass, intended for Jefferson, was intercepted by Eagles cornerback Bobby Taylor and returned 39 yards for a touchdown.
Series 3 -- After he was sacked by defensive end Brandon Whiting on second down, Vick was scrambling when Ndukwe Kalu knocked the ball loose. The Falcons punted.
Series 4 -- After getting flagged for intentional grounding and being forced to burn a timeout, Vick handed off to T.J. Duckett, who was stuffed on third-and-1 by defensive tackle Corey Simon. Yet another punt.
A week ago, the Falcons didn't turn the ball over once against the Packers; their defense, meanwhile, recovered two Brett Favre fumbles and intercepted two of his passes. That one interception by Taylor might have cost Vick the game.
"I just threw an interception," said Vick, standing in his stocking feet in front of his locker. "Give me 10 opportunities to make that play and I'll make it nine times."
But as the game evolved, Vick seemed to settle down; he seemed to better gauge the speed and fury of the Eagles' defense. When Atlanta placekicker Jay Feely ended the first half with a 52-yard field goal, the Falcons were hanging around in a 13-6 game.
In fact, Vick appeared to have tied the game in the third quarter when fate -- and a streaking Brian Dawkins -- intervened in the play of the game. Vick had taken off on one of his breathtaking scrambles, but just as he reached the end zone the Eagles' safety buried his helmet into Vick's ribs. Vick went down, as did a penalty flag on left guard Travis Claridge, who was detected holding. So, the Falcons lost a touchdown and, very nearly, their franchise.
"Just got the wind knocked out of me -- that's all," Vick said later.
Vick missed only one play -- backup Doug Johnson got a rare snap -- but the Falcons' failed to score when Feely's 37-yard field goal veered wide right.
"You live and learn," Vick said. "You live and learn. We had opportunities to score and we just didn't do it. We've got a young team. We're going to get better. I learned a lot from this game tonight."
And so, there will be one more game at The Vet.
The 13-4 Eagles will play host to the winner of Sunday's Tampa Bay-San Francisco game in the NFC Championship Game. There was a sense of destiny in the Philadelphia locker room after the game. These players are still carrying the pain of the five-point defeat last year against the St. Louis Rams in the same game. That game, of course, was in St. Louis.
McNabb made a point to stay on the field and watch the Rams celebrate the victory that took them to the Super Bowl. His goal -- the Eagles' collective goal -- became a destination: San Diego. That's where the NFL stages Super Bowl XXXVII in two weeks.
"Obviously, we're excited," McNabb said, "but it's unfinished business. This is an opportunity to take another step toward our goal. We've got another game left and we'd like to take full advantage."
Greg Garber is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
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One Step Closer
