Eagles - Vikings re-cap

Well, we called it a 'must win" and they got it done. It wasnt pretty, but they got the job done, scoring two TD's in five red-zone trips (which needs to be better).

Here are my thoughts:

Quarterback - McNabb played probably his best game of the season other then the Lions game. However, all I can think of was that missed chance in the 1st quarter when he missed L.J. Smith in the back of the end zone. Overall, there were signs that he is getting more and more confident in his game. If he can continue to improve, the Eagles can get back into this race.

Running Game - I was somewhat dissapointed that they Eagles didnt run the ball better, but I kind of had the feeling with as good as Minnesota's run defense was, that would be the case. But they did manage to use Westbrook still and I loved what I saw from both in the pass game and on the ground - even with the low YPC.

Passing game - Other then the over-thrown ball to Smith in the end zone, the passing game was pretty effective. I thought Reggie Brown would be a factor with LJ back and he was - 8 catches for 105 yards. Kevin Curtis again had a nice game and caught a slant that has been his go-to route. On the downside, the tight end still didnt contribute.

Defense - I wasn't overly impressed with the defense epically because the Vikings are such a one dimensional team. I think they did a nice job verse the run but they still didnt have that big play, turnover that we have been looking for all season.

Trent Cole was a one-man beast, he had one of the better games I have seen a DE play in a long time. The linebackers had a good game, Chris Gocong and Omar Gaither continue to impress, Gocong led the team in tackles with 8. We also saw Javon Kearse get a pretty big sack with about four-minutes left in the game. But he still hasnt had a very good season. I hope B-Dawk can come back for the Dallas game, he would provide a big lift and maybe get them that turnover we keep looking for.

Special teams - The punting game was better, Sav looks like he is finding his groove and had his second straight solid week of punting. Reno Mahe did was he is asked to do, caught the ball. But he really doesnt provide any threat to score. The kick return game is brutal but I thought the coverage teams did well verse a pretty good kick return unit.

Overall, it was a win and in this season thats all you can ask for. Was it pretty...not at all, but baby steps were taken and they did get into the end zone...twice. I predicted 23-13, and I was close but basically the game went pretty much as I thought. Lets hope Donovan can progress even more for next week verse Dallas.

See you at Chickie's and Pete's for the Omar Gaither Show...