Dec 29 2008
Thoughts on Week 17 in the NFL
It’s pretty pointless to recap Week 17, but I want to write a little somethin’ somethin’ about the Philadelphia Eagles.
A Hanukkah miracle landed the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs. After last week’s debacle in Washington (i.e. the first night of Hanukkah), it looked like the Birds would once again miss the playoffs because they would need to beat the Cowboys plus have Tampa to lose at home to Oakland and have Chicago lose to Houston or have Minnesota lose to the Giants. At best, it was a long shot (i.e. only having enough oil to burn in the menorah for one night when the oil needed to burn every night). Then a crazy thing happened in Week 17 (i.e. the eight night of Hanukkah). Michael Bush and the Raiders rolled over the Bucs and the Texans stampeded over the Bears during the early games. The stage was set for what was essentially a playoff game between the Eagles and Cowboys, with the winner claiming the #6 seed and the loser going home. Philly stepped up and played their most dominating game of the year and rolled to a 44-6 win.
Donovan McNabb and the offense looked energized. Andy Reid called a balanced offensive attack until the game was out of reach. While the offense was good, the defense was incredible. The Birds forced five turnovers (four fumble recoveries and an interception). Chris Clemons and Joselio Hanson returned both fumbles that were forced by Brian Dawkins for touchdowns. During the second and third quarters, the Eagles scored 41 unanswered points. Why the Eagles can’t play with that type of intensity every week, I have no idea. However, what I do know is that everything broke the right way for the Eagles, who had 25-1 odds of making the playoffs when the day started, and now they have a winnable road game against the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the playoffs on Sunday (i.e. one night of oil burning for eight nights). Hopefully the Birds have more miracles left in them.
AFC Playoff teams:
1. South: Tennessee (Last Week’s Projection: Tennessee)
2. North: Pittsburgh (Last Week’s Projection: Pittsburgh)
3. East: Miami (Last Week’s Projection: Miami)
4. West: San Diego (Last Week’s Projection: San Diego)
5. Wild Card: Indianapolis (Last Week’s Projection: Indianapolis)
6. Wild Card: Baltimore (Last Week’s Projection: Baltimore)
NFC Playoff teams:
1. East: New York Giants (Last Week’s Projection: New York Giants)
2. South: Carolina (Last Week’s Projection: Atlanta)
3. North: Minnesota (Last Week’s Projection: Minnesota)
4. West: Arizona (Last Week’s Projection: Arizona)
5. Wild Card: Atlanta (Last Week’s Projection: Carolina)
6. Wild Card: Philadelphia (Last Week’s Projection: Dallas)
