2002: Dawkins Stars as Eagles Defeat Texans

On September 29, 2002 the Houston Texans made their first visit to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles in a Week 4 contest. While the result yielded no surprises, Philadelphia’s star free safety Brian Dawkins distinguished himself in multiple ways, one of which was unique in his outstanding career.

The Eagles, coached by Andy Reid, had a pass-oriented offense directed by QB Donovan McNabb with a running game that had been only fair thus far in the young season. The defense was good at pressuring opposing passers as well as in coverage. In addition to Dawkins, key players included DE Hugh Douglas, LB Shawn Barber, and cornerbacks Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor. Philadelphia reached the NFC Championship game in 2001 and was 2-1 thus far in ’02, having won decisively in the previous two games after losing to Tennessee in the season opener.

Houston was a first-year team under Head Coach Dom Capers and carried the usual expansion club problems into the season. QB David Carr, a rookie who was the first overall selection in the NFL draft, was placed directly into the starting lineup behind a makeshift line. The Texans upset the Dallas Cowboys in their first regular season contest but had scored a total of six points in losing their next two games to come into Philadelphia at 1-2.

There were 64,867 fans in attendance at Veterans Stadium. The teams traded punts to start the game before the Texans drove 69 yards in six plays that was helped along by a pass interference call on Troy Vincent in a third-and-six situation. David Carr completed passes to WR Corey Bradford for 26 yards to ignite the series and 23 yards to conclude it with a touchdown. Kris Brown added the extra point.

Houston got the ball back on the next play from scrimmage when SS Eric Brown intercepted a Donovan McNabb pass, thus giving the visitors excellent field position at the Philadelphia 34. However, DE Brandon Whiting sacked Carr for an eight-yard loss and two incompletions forced the Texans to punt. The Eagles moved methodically down the field in response as McNabb completed six passes and WR James Thrash ran for 19 yards on a reverse. The drive finally stalled at the Houston seven and David Akers kicked a 25-yard field goal to make it a 7-3 contest.

On the next series, Carr fumbled after running for nine yards on a third down play. Brian Dawkins recovered and, in a series that extended into the second quarter, the Eagles advanced 58 yards in nine plays. McNabb threw to FB Cecil Martin for 16 yards to the Houston 26 and a sack was nullified by a face mask penalty. RB Duce Staley ran for a one-yard TD and, with Akers kicking the point after, the home team was in front by 10-7.

The Texans were forced to punt following their next series that included two sacks of Carr and the Eagles, taking over from their own 36, advanced to another score. McNabb connected with Staley and Martin for completions of 13 and eight yards, respectively, and a sack was followed by a defensive holding penalty on Houston. A short run was followed by a McNabb pass to WR Todd Pinkston that picked up five yards and another throw to Pinkston gained 34 yards to the Houston six. Two plays later, Staley scored his second touchdown from a yard out. Akers converted and Philadelphia extended its lead to 17-7.

The Eagles got the ball back on the next series when Dawkins intercepted a Carr throw and returned it 27 yards to the Houston 30. It resulted in a short possession that ended with Akers kicking a 41-yard field goal and the score remained 20-7 at halftime.

The Eagles had the first possession in the third quarter and reached their 43 before lining up to punt. However, RB Brian Mitchell tossed a shovel pass to Dawkins instead, and the safety-now-receiver raced 57 yards for a touchdown (pictured at top). McNabb threw to TE Chad Lewis for a two-point conversion and big 28-7 lead.

Houston put together a series that ended with Carr throwing to Bradford for a 29-yard TD and Brown added the PAT to cut Philadelphia’s lead in half, but other than a 48-yard field goal by Brown later in the period, the Texans were finished with scoring for the day. McNabb threw to Thrash for a 38-yard TD in the fourth quarter to cap the 35-17 win for the Eagles.

Philadelphia easily held the lead in total yards (391 to 242) and first downs (21 to 12) while running sixteen more plays than the Texans (76 to 60). The Eagles also accumulated seven sacks to three by the Texans. Each team turned the ball over three times while Houston was penalized 11 times, to four flags thrown on Philadelphia.

Brian Dawkins had a noteworthy day as he recovered a fumble, intercepted a pass, recorded a sack, and caught a pass for a 57-yard touchdown. Donovan McNabb completed 24 of 42 throws for 259 yards and a TD while giving up one interception, and also ran the ball seven times for 23 yards. Duce Staley rushed for 33 yards on 12 carries that included two short touchdowns and had three pass receptions for another 39 yards. Todd Pinkston led Philadelphia’s receivers with 6 catches for 70 yards.

For the Texans, David Carr (pictured at right) completed 16 of 29 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions. Corey Bradford had 7 receptions for 97 yards and both TDs. RB James Allen was the leading rusher with 41 yards on 14 attempts.

The Eagles lost their next game but only twice more the rest of the way in compiling a 12-4 record to once again top the NFC East, and despite the loss of Donovan McNabb to a broken ankle in the tenth game, although he returned for the postseason. Philadelphia again advanced to the conference title game and again came up short, losing to Tampa Bay.

Houston lost its next two contests and ended up at 4-12 to place fourth in the AFC South. David Carr was sacked a record 76 times through the course of the year but the rookie took every snap.

Brian Dawkins went on to achieve consensus first-team All-NFL honors for the second straight year as well as a third Pro Bowl selection. He intercepted two passes, recovered four fumbles, and was credited with three sacks. The touchdown catch against the Texans remained the only pass reception of his 16-season career.

2005: Steelers Beat Jets in Divisional Playoff with FG in Overtime

The AFC Divisional Playoff game at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field on January 15, 2005 appeared to be a mismatch. The Pittsburgh Steelers were perennial contenders under Head Coach Bill Cowher and had gone 15-1 during the 2004 regular season. Rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger took over as the starting quarterback three games into the schedule when veteran Tommy Maddox was injured and was nothing short of sensational – the team won all 13 of his starts and he set rookie records by completing 66.4 % of his passes and compiling a 98.1 passer rating. He was helped by an outstanding ground game that featured the aging Jerome Bettis (pictured above) and newcomer Duce Staley, signed away from the Eagles. Pro Bowl WR Hines Ward was the most productive passing target. Most of all, the defense was the league’s best and contained Pro Bowlers in DE Aaron Smith, ILB James Farrior, OLB Joey Porter, and SS Troy Polamalu.

The visiting New York Jets placed second in the AFC East with a 10-6 record and had just gotten past the Chargers in overtime in the Wild Card Playoff round to advance to the Divisional level. Under Head Coach Herman Edwards, the backfield contained the NFL’s leading rusher in RB Curtis Martin (1697 yards) and the Jets utilized a West Coast passing offense that was directed by QB Chad Pennington, who made up for a weak arm with accuracy and toughness (he was battling a sore shoulder that would require rotator cuff surgery in the offseason). The defense was not on a par with Pittsburgh’s but was aggressive and tough against the run. However, the Jets had scored just six points in each of their prior two games against the Steelers, including a few weeks earlier during the regular season, and were clear underdogs.

Neither offense was able to get out of its own side of the field until midway through the first quarter when the Steelers drove 36 yards in seven plays. Jerome Bettis gained 17 yards in three carries and Ben Roethlisberger completed a pass to Hines Ward for 14 yards. Jeff Reed kicked a 49-yard field goal to give Pittsburgh the early 3-0 advantage.

On the second play of New York’s next series, Chad Pennington was intercepted by Troy Polamalu, who returned it 15 yards to give the Steelers excellent field position at the Jets’ 25. Five plays later, Bettis ran three yards up the middle for a touchdown and, with the successful extra point, it was a 10-0 game.

The Jets responded with a drive that extended into the second quarter and went 39 yards in 11 plays. Doug Brien’s 42-yard field goal attempt was successful and narrowed the score to 10-3. The Steelers went three-and-out in their next possession but, following a penalty on the punt return, New York started its next series at its own ten yard line. Pennington threw to WR Justin McCareins for a 30-yard gain but the promising drive finally stalled at the Pittsburgh 34 and the Jets punted. The Steelers also punted following a drive that netted 15 yards and WR Santana Moss (pictured below) returned it 75 yards for a touchdown that, combined with the successful PAT, tied the score at 10-10. That was still the tally at halftime.

The teams traded punts to start the third quarter but the Steelers drove into New York territory in their second possession. Roethlisberger completed passes to Ward for 12 yards, WR Plaxico Burress for 17, and WR Lee Mays for eight yards in a third-and-three situation. But after reaching the New York 34, a pass by Roethlisberger was picked off by SS Reggie Tongue, who returned it 86 yards for a TD. Thanks to the big plays on the punt and interception returns, the Jets were ahead by 17-10 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Steelers again advanced into New York territory but another turnover blunted a promising drive as Bettis uncharacteristically fumbled and FS Erik Coleman recovered at the 23. The Jets failed to get a first down and kicked the ball back to the Steelers, who started off from their 34 with 12:41 left in regulation. Pittsburgh put together another good drive, going 66 yards in 12 plays, and this time there were no turnovers. Roethlisberger took off for a 20-yard run to start the series which, with the exception of three short passes, stayed on the ground. Bettis and Duce Staley both carried the ball and the third of the passes was to Ward for a four-yard TD. Reed’s extra point tied the score at 17-17.

The Jets now moved the ball effectively as Pennington connected with McCareins for a 22-yard gain and Curtis Martin for 17. However, after reaching the Pittsburgh 28 the resulting 47-yard field goal try by Brien struck the goal post and was unsuccessful. But the Jets got the ball back right away when a Roethlisberger pass was intercepted by CB David Barrett and returned 25 yards to the Pittsburgh 36. It seemed as though the Jets had the game in hand as they chipped away to the 24 and, with time running out in regulation, lined up for another field goal attempt by Brien. The 43-yard kick, sailing far off the mark, was no good and the contest proceeded into overtime.

The Jets had the first possession in overtime and had to punt from their 41. Following WR Antwaan Randle El’s eight-yard return, the Steelers started off from their 13 yard line and went 72 yards in 14 plays. Along the way, Roethlisberger threw to Ward for a 17-yard gain on a third-and-six play and Pittsburgh converted a third-and-five situation thanks to a nine-yard run by RB Verron Haynes. Staley followed up with three carries for 17 yards to get the ball to the New York 24 and, after advancing further to the 15, Reed booted a 33-yard field goal – his 19^th straight successful three-pointer – to give the Steelers a 20-17 win.

Pittsburgh accumulated more total yards (364 to 275) and first downs (23 to 17). 193 of those yards came on the ground. However, the Steelers also turned the ball over three times, to one by the Jets, which nearly proved fatal.

Ben Roethlisberger (pictured above) completed 17 of 30 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown but with two interceptions. Jerome Bettis led the running game with 101 yards and a TD on 27 carries while Duce Staley added 54 yards on 11 attempts. Hines Ward caught 10 passes for 105 yards and a score.

For the Jets, Chad Pennington was successful on 21 of 33 throws for 182 yards with none for TDs and one intercepted. Curtis Martin rushed for 77 yards on 19 carries and caught four passes for 29 more yards. Justin McCareins led the club with 5 pass receptions for 82 yards. Thanks to the long return for a score, Santana Moss had 83 yards on punt returns to go along with his four catches for 31 yards.

Doug Brien (pictured at right) achieved the dubious distinction of being the first placekicker in NFL history to miss two field goal attempts in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter of a playoff game; just the week before he had booted a field goal in overtime to beat the Chargers.

“I had confidence in him,” said Herman Edwards of the kicker. “He made the one last week and I thought he could make it…He’s been a good kicker for us. It was just a tough day.”

Brien was let go by the Jets during the offseason, after they drafted PK Mike Nugent in the second round out of Ohio State. He was signed by the Bears but appeared in just three games before being dropped to thus end his 12-year NFL career.

The Steelers advanced to the AFC Championship game, which they lost to the New England Patriots. They came back in 2005 with a lesser record, finishing the regular season as a Wild Card team, but went all the way to win the Super Bowl. The Jets dropped to 4-12 in an injury-plagued year before bouncing back to the postseason in ’06.

2001: Dawkins Stars on Defense as Eagles Overcome Chargers

The Philadelphia Eagles had a 7-4 record and were leading the NFC East as they hosted the San Diego Chargers on December 9, 2001. Under third-year Head Coach Andy Reid the team ran a pass-heavy West Coast offense directed by QB Donovan McNabb. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson’s aggressive, blitz-heavy unit tended to give up rushing yards but had an outstanding defensive backfield anchored by FS Brian Dawkins (pictured at right).

The Chargers, under Head Coach Mike Riley, had gotten off to a surprising 5-2 start but then lost five straight and were 5-7 coming into the game at Philadelphia. 39-year-old QB Doug Flutie was beginning to fade down the stretch, but rookie RB LaDainian Tomlinson was proving worthy of his first-round draft selection. The defense was tough against the run but had difficulty holding onto leads.

On their first possession of the game, which was set up by a 32-yard punt return by RB Brian Mitchell, the Eagles drove 63 yards in six plays. Highlights were Donovan McNabb passes to RB Duce Staley for 28 yards and 31 yards to WR James Thrash that set up a one-yard toss to TE Chad Lewis for a touchdown.

The Chargers made a big play on their next series when Doug Flutie threw a pass that WR Jeff Graham caught by reaching around CB Troy Vincent, who had his back to the throw, and tipping the ball to himself - he then took it all the way to the end zone for a 61-yard TD. With the addition of the extra point, the score was tied at 7-7.

Following a punt by the Eagles on their next possession, it seemed as though San Diego might be on the way to another score. Flutie connected with WR Tim Dwight for a 29-yard gain into Philadelphia territory and a nine-yard completion to LaDainian Tomlinson had the Chargers at the 38 yard line. But on the next play, Tomlinson was unable to maintain control of a pitchout behind the line of scrimmage and Brian Dawkins proceeded to scoop up the ball at the San Diego 49 and return it for a touchdown. Rather than potentially giving up more points, the Eagles were ahead by 14-7.

Once again the tenacious Chargers advanced into Philadelphia territory, but this time CB Bobby Taylor picked off Flutie’s pass at the 24. The Eagles didn’t capitalize this time, but San Diego still had come up empty.

In the second quarter, the Chargers put together another promising drive. In eleven plays, they moved from their 24 to the Philadelphia 16 with Tomlinson running for 16 yards in four carries and Flutie completing a 17-yard pass to WR Curtis Conway in a third-and-14 situation.  But again they failed to put points on the board when Steve Christie’s 34-yard field goal attempt was unsuccessful when it hit the upright.

 

After the teams traded punts, it was time for the Eagles to put together a scoring series. With the ball at their 19 yard line to start, McNabb tossed a screen pass to Staley on first down for a 37-yard gain. Facing fourth-and-one at the San Diego 35, McNabb completed a throw to Thrash for 24 yards to the 11 and three plays later Staley caught an eight-yard touchdown toss. 

The first half scoring wasn’t over, however. The Chargers, now down by 14 points, responded by going 71 yards in seven plays, six of them Flutie passes and one of them an 11-yard carry by the diminutive quarterback. The big completion along the way was for 29 yards to Conway and the series ended with Flutie tossing a 10-yard TD pass to Graham. The score was 21-14 in favor of the home team at the half despite Flutie’s 229 passing yards.

The Eagles defense dominated the anticlimactic second half as the Chargers, who had moved the ball effectively but had difficulty scoring in the first half, were unable to penetrate Philadelphia territory again until late in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia started off the third quarter with a long drive that stalled at the San Diego 36 and resulted in Sean Landeta’s punt pinning the Chargers down at their five, and from there the battle for field position worked against the visitors (Landeta punted 10 times during the contest).

In the fourth quarter, Dawkins made another big defensive play for the Eagles when his tackle of Flutie forced a fumble that was recovered by DT Hollis Thomas at the San Diego 26. It set up a David Akers field goal from 37 yards that proved to be the last score of the game.

San Diego’s last-gasp effort began with 5:29 left on the clock. Starting at his four yard line, Flutie hit TE Freddie Jones on passes that covered 34 and 20 yards and then followed up with a throw to Dwight for 13 yards to the Philadelphia 29. However, after reaching the 19 the Chargers were forced to try for a field goal and once again Christie missed, this time from 37 yards. That ended any comeback hopes and the Eagles won by a final score of 24-14.

The Chargers actually outgained the Eagles (393 yards to 273) and had more first downs (18 to 14). However, San Diego also turned the ball over four times, to two by Philadelphia, and was penalized seven times, at a cost of 67 yards, to four flags thrown on the home team.

Donovan McNabb completed 22 of 44 passes for 221 yards with two touchdowns and an interception and, tellingly, was also the club’s leading rusher with 39 yards on 7 carries. Duce Staley had difficulty against San Diego’s tough run defense and gained just 21 yards on 15 attempts, but was more effective as a pass receiver with 5 catches for 88 yards and a TD. James Thrash and WR Todd Pinkston also had 5 receptions, for 74 and 17 yards, respectively. Brian Dawkins had a noteworthy defensive performance as he recorded eight tackles, forced a key fumble, and returned another fumble for a touchdown.

For the Chargers, Doug Flutie (pictured below) went to the air 44 times and completed 20 of those passes for 307 yards and two TDs with two picked off. He also ran 8 times for 45 yards. LaDainian Tomlinson gained just 51 yards on 19 carries and had the fumble that led directly to an Eagles score. Jeff Graham led the receivers with 5 catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns.

“A lot of times when you play good teams they cause you to make mistakes,” said Mike Riley. “Their defense is darn good, the best we’ve seen.”

“We fought our tails off, but they have a good defense,” echoed Doug Flutie.

The Eagles went on to win the NFC East with an 11-5 record, advancing to the conference title game before succumbing to the Rams. San Diego failed to win another contest and ended up at the bottom of the AFC West at 5-11.

Brian Dawkins, in his sixth year out of Clemson, gained first-team All-NFL recognition for the first of an eventual four times and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the second of eight career occurrences. He intercepted two passes, recovered two fumbles, and was credited with 58 tackles.

Duce Staley’s rushing and receiving totals against the Chargers proved to be typical of his performances throughout the season. He ended up rushing for 604 yards on 166 carries (3.6 avg.) and two touchdowns and gained another 626 yards with 63 pass receptions (co-leading the club along with James Thrash) for a 9.9 average gain and two more TDs.

In his last full season as a starting quarterback, Doug Flutie passed for 3464 yards and 15 touchdowns along with a NFL-career high 18 interceptions. Still nimble late in his career, he also rushed for 192 yards. The ex-Boston College star continued as a reserve for four more years, three of them backing up Drew Brees, a rookie in ’01, before finishing out his career behind Tom Brady in New England.

2000: Duce Staley – and Pickle Juice – Help Eagles Defeat Cowboys

It was a hot day at Texas Stadium for the season-opening game between the host Dallas Cowboys and visiting Philadelphia Eagles on September 3, 2000. The temperature at game time was 109 degrees, with readings on the artificial surface of 150.

Second-year Head Coach Andy Reid pulled the Eagles off the field early from pre-game warmups. Trainer Rick Burkholder also had the players drink pickle juice, a practice the club had begun during training camp as a means to combat both dehydration and cramping.

Reid took an aggressive approach once play began. Dallas having won the toss, the Eagles took them by surprise by executing an onsides kick that they successfully recovered (WR Dameane Douglas made the play for Philadelphia). The offense proceeded to drive 58 yards in eight plays, ending with QB Donovan McNabb tossing a one-yard TD pass to TE Jeff Thomason.

Philadelphia’s defense sacked star QB Troy Aikman three times during the first Dallas possession; rookie DT Corey Simon recorded one in his first regular season play. Before the first quarter ended, the Eagles took a 14-0 lead when a pass interference penalty put the ball on the Dallas one yard line and RB Duce Staley plowed into the end zone. Two minutes later, and now into the second quarter, LB Jeremiah Trotter intercepted an Aikman pass and returned it 27 yards for another Eagles TD and a 21-0 tally.

Aikman was sacked a fourth time and took a total of six hits by the Eagles defense before leaving the game during the second quarter with a concussion, to be replaced by former Philadelphia QB Randall Cunningham. The Eagles scored once more, on a 33-yard field goal by David Akers, before the Cowboys got on the board with field goals of 34 and 38 yards by Tim Seder, both following interceptions. The score at halftime stood at 24-6.

Philadelphia’s offense took control once again in the third quarter, with a time-consuming 14-play drive that covered 61 yards and culminated in another Akers field goal, this one from 37 yards. After the Cowboys went three-and-out, the Eagles put together another long possession of 72 yards in nine plays, with McNabb running the last three yards for a touchdown.

The Eagles scored once more in the fourth quarter as Staley ran 60 yards to set up a six-yard TD run by RB Brian Mitchell. Dallas scored a touchdown on a four-yard pass from Cunningham to WR Joey Galloway, which was followed by a successful two-point conversion, but the outcome had long since been decided. The final score was 41-14, making it the worst opening-day defeat for the Cowboys since 1963.

Staley (pictured at top) was the star for the Eagles, gaining 201 yards rushing on 26 carries (just missing the franchise single-game rushing record by four yards) with one TD and also leading the club with four pass receptions for another 61 yards and a total of 262 yards from scrimmage. Overall, the team accumulated 306 yards on the ground, its highest single-game total since 1951.

Donovan McNabb passed for 130 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions while completing 16 of 28 throws; he also ran for 29 yards on five carries with a TD.

It was a hard day for Dallas across the board. Troy Aikman failed to complete any passes and threw the one interception that was returned for a score before leaving the contest. Randall Cunningham was successful on 13 of 26 passes for 135 yards with one touchdown and one picked off. The Cowboys, playing catch-up from the beginning, only ran the ball 13 times for 67 yards – RB Emmitt Smith had just 29 yards on 7 carries while WR Raghib “Rocket” Ismael led the team with 33 yards on two rushes. Joey Galloway was the top receiver with four catches for 62 yards and the late touchdown, but suffered a knee injury late in the game that knocked him out of action for the remainder of the season.

The opening win over the Cowboys didn’t generate immediate momentum for the Eagles, who lost their next two games, but, coming off of three straight losing seasons, they improved to 11-5, placed second in the NFC East, and secured a wild card spot in the postseason. Philadelphia defeated Tampa Bay in the first round but lost to the Giants in the Divisional playoff.

Dallas, going in the opposite direction, went 5-11 to place fourth in the division. After making it to the playoffs in eight of the previous nine years and winning three championships, the Cowboys would not make it back to the postseason (or have a winning record) again until 2003.

Duce Staley, who was coming off back-to-back thousand-yard rushing seasons in 1998 and ’99, was lost for the year due to a foot injury in Week 5 and gained just 344 yards on the ground in 2000. The running game suffered without him (he still ended up with the highest yardage total of any running back on the team), but the second-year quarterback McNabb emerged to account for 76 percent of the team’s offense, rushing for 629 yards and passing for 3365.