The streaking Philadelphia Eagles are on a mission to rescue the reputation of the NFC.
By beating the Cowboys on Christmas in Dallas for their fourth straight victory, the 9-6 Eagles clinched a playoff spot and can wrap up the NFC East Division title Sunday by beating the Atlanta Falcons in Philadelphia.
The 9-6 Cowboys already had clinched a playoff spot and will finish at home against Detroit. The Cowboys still can win the division if the Eagles lose. But for now, the Eagles and the New Orleans Saints pose the most legitimate obstacles to the Bears in the NFC. As a result of the Cowboys’ loss, the Saints clinched the No. 2 seed behind the Bears.
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Only one playoff spot is left in the NFC, and the New York Giants have the inside track even though they have lost six of their last seven games and are 7-8. The Giants play at Washington on Saturday. The Packers, who play the Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field, are among five NFC teams with 7-8 records that remain in the race for the final spot.
The Eagles, with backup quarterback Jeff Garcia continuing his amazing run, have just completed one of the most daunting stretches in NFL history by beating three division rivals in a row on the road in December: the Redskins, the Giants and now the Cowboys.
They were the only team to face such a schedule. They began the month with a 5-6 record and no respect before beating Carolina to start their rise.
After losing quarterback Donovan McNabb to a season-ending knee injury, they turned in desperation to the 36-year-old Garcia, a flop in Detroit and Cleveland the last two seasons. His selection over Philly favorite A.J. Feeley by coach Andy Reid was greeted by boos in Philadelphia.
The Eagles swept the Cowboys this season, so the exit from Philadelphia of receiver Terrell Owens can now be officially labeled addition by subtraction. He caught the Cowboys’ only touchdown pass from Tony Romo but finished with just two catches for 23 yards Monday.
The win also was personal vindication for Garcia over Owens, who had ripped Garcia after the two had enjoyed success with the San Francisco 49ers. Owens is now 0-2 against former quarterbacks he has criticized. McNabb quarterbacked the first Eagles victory over Dallas on Oct. 8.
Garcia’s resurgence has eclipsed the budding story of Romo, who lost his second straight game.
The Eagles’ surge is reminiscent of last year’s December charge by the Pittsburgh Steelers, who won four straight to end their regular season before winning three road playoff games to get to the Super Bowl.
Seahawks’ celebration
If seeded teams prevail, the Bears’ first playoff opponent at Soldier Field on Jan. 13 or 14 most likely would be Seattle. The Seahawks clinched the NFC West on Sunday despite losing their third straight game to San Diego.
“I still like our team,” quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said after the Chargers’ last-minute 20-17 win. “I like our team’s chances in the tournament.”
The Seahawks clinched because the 49ers lost to the Arizona Cardinals.
Shaun Alexander, who rushed for 140 yards against the Chargers, also likes his team’s chances because the NFC isn’t like the AFC.
“I think the Chargers are definitely a Super Bowl team,” Alexander said. “If we play against a bunch of other teams that way, I think we’ll win. I’m glad they’re in the AFC. Hopefully, everyone over there can bang them a little bit before we seen them in Miami (for the Super Bowl in February).”
Big losses
If you don’t think Giants coach Tom Coughlin and Falcons coach Jim Mora are on borrowed time, consider this: Both teams were playing at home in important NFC games with playoff ramifications.
Both teams are quarterbacked by former No. 1 overall draft choices, the Giants’ Eli Manning and the Falcons’ Michael Vick. The Giants scored seven points against New Orleans; the Falcons three against Carolina. And the Falcons lost to a backup quarterback, Chris Weinke, who completed only four passes.
Meanwhile, the Chargers continue to benefit from trades made by the Giants and Falcons to get Manning and Vick, respectively. The 13-2 Chargers ended up with LaDainian Tomlinson instead of Vick and Philip Rivers instead of Manning.
Out with a whimper
After the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers were eliminated 31-7 by Baltimore, owner Dan Rooney said he was not prepared to address the future of coach Bill Cowher “at this time.”
Doesn’t look good.
Small giants
At least one Giants player, sounding like he was speaking for the rest of his teammates, doesn’t want much to do with the playoffs after the team lost its sixth game in seven weeks.
“We don’t win the game, we don’t need to be in the playoffs,” linebacker Carlos Emmons told the New York Post. “I don’t want to talk about mathematics. If we don’t win the game, we don’t need to be in there.
“We keep talking about scenarios, `You guys are still in it.’ Forget that! We’re not playing well enough to be in it now.”
A thankless job
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There are Packers fans who hope Sunday’s game will be the last for one of their veteran offensive skill players.
After Thursday night’s 9-7 victory over Minnesota, plenty of fans are wishing tight end Bubba Franks would retire.
With the Packers trailing 7-6 midway through the fourth quarter, Franks fumbled a pass at the 1-yard line while trying to score. The Vikings recovered.
With two minutes left Ahman Green ran a screen pass 30 yards to the 4-yard line, only to have the play erased by a holding penalty on Franks. Dave Rayner’s third field goal later in the drive saved Franks and won the game.
Earlier, Franks dropped two passes and fumbled another catch but was saved when Vikings linebacker E.J. Henderson recovered with a foot on the sideline.
Franks, once one of Brett Favre’s favorite red-zone targets, caught nine touchdown passes in 2001 and seven in ’02 and ’04. But he caught one in 2005 and has yet to score this season.
Chasing Hearst
The 49ers’ Frank Gore and the Cardinals’ Edgerrin James were both chasing Garrison Hearst on the same field Sunday.
Gore got 51 yards and fell 29 yards short of Hearst’s San Francisco franchise record of 1,570 yards rushing in a season, a total Hearst reached in 1998. James got 105 yards and topped Hearst’s 1995 total of 1,070 yards, the best rushing season by a Cardinal since the franchise moved to Arizona. James now has 1,093 after a disastrous start since moving from Indianapolis.
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