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Sportsbook Review Monday Night Football Betting
Philadelphia
Eagles @ St. Louis Rams
Eagles-----
7 0 0 0 - 7
Rams ----- 7 3 7 3
- 20
MNF Horse Trailer Players of the Game
- Steven Jackson - RAMS RB
SSCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER
TD Steven Jackson, 5 Yd run (Jeff Wilkins kick is
good), 9:03. Drive: 10 plays, 73 yards in 5:57.
TD Freddie Mitchell, 7 Yd pass from Donovan McNabb
(David Akers kick is good), 1:38. Drive: 12 plays,
63 yards in 7:25.
2ND QUARTER
FG Jeff Wilkins 28 Yd, 0:42. Drive: 14 plays, 70
yards in 5:05.
3RD QUARTER
TD Isaac Bruce, 7 Yd pass from Marc Bulger (Jeff
Wilkins kick is good), 7:38. Drive: 11 plays, 71
yards in 6:44.
4TH QUARTER
FG Jeff Wilkins 29 Yd, 5:24. Drive: 8 plays, 20
yards in 5:33.
Final Score: St. Louis 20, Philadelphia
7
ST. LOUIS (Dec. 27, 2004) -- The
Rams desperately needed a victory and played like
it. The Eagles desperately wanted to stay healthy
and played like it.
Rookie Steven Jackson's best NFL performance carried
St. Louis to a 20-7 victory against Philadelphia
that kept the Rams in the NFC playoff race. Jackson
rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown, but he also
limped off midway through the fourth quarter with
a bruised right knee.
With the Eagles (13-2) playing it safe -- running
back Brian Westbrook, their prime offensive threat
with star wideout Terrell Owens sidelined, was scratched,
along with starting tackle Tra Thomas -- their reserves
were no match for a Rams squad with its season on
the line.
Philadelphia gained a mere 155 yards against a
defense ranked 24th. With starting quarterback Donovan
McNabb in the game for one series, they gained 63
of those yards and got their only score.
With the victory, St. Louis ensured a meaningful
finale against the New York Jets. If the Rams (7-8)
beat the Jets on Jan. 2 and Seattle loses to Atlanta,
St. Louis will win the NFC West. If the Seahawks
win and take the division, St. Louis can make the
playoffs by winning and Minnesota losing at Washington,
or by Carolina and New Orleans tying.
The Jets (10-5) haven't yet clinched a berth in
the AFC playoffs.
Jackson, who missed one game with a bruised knee
and did not get on the field last week despite being
healthy, revitalized a rushing game that totaled
88 yards in the last two games, both losses that
dropped the Rams to the edge of elimination. The
overall offense was effective against Philadelphia's
second-string defense, gaining 419 yards.
Also returning was quarterback Marc Bulger, whose
right shoulder kept him out of those last two losses.
Bulger was sharp enough, going 20-for-27 for 233
yards, and hit Isaac Bruce for a 7-yard touchdown,
the only score of the third quarter.
In a stark departure from his passing persona,
Rams coach Mike Martz - perhaps sensing it would
be Jackson's night - called 10 running plays on
the opening drive that covered 73 yards. Jackson
ran for 46 yards and Marshall Faulk for 27 before
Jackson surged in from the 5.
The first-round pick, the first running back chosen,
also had a 43-yard run in the second period on a
drive that ended with Jeff Wilkins missing a 44-yard
field goal.
Wilkins made a 28-yarder for a 10-7 halftime lead.
He later added a 29-yarder.
Freddie Mitchell's first-quarter touchdown catch
was his first of the season, and the Eagles will
be looking for more of that with Owens sidelined.
He beat safety Antuan Edwards in the back of the
end zone, reaching up for McNabb's pass to tie it
at 7.
That was it for McNabb as the Eagles remained in
their protective mode with nothing to gain from
the game. They have a league-high nine Pro Bowlers,
and most of them barely played.
The Eagles got a scare in the first half when cornerbacks
Lito Sheppard, a Pro Bowler, and Dexter Wynn collided
chasing a pass by Wilkins on a fake punt. Both lay
on the ground for several minutes before walking
off, and Sheppard stayed out with a quadriceps contusion.
Rookie fullback Thomas Tapeh was carted off with
28 seconds remaining with an undisclosed injury.
In McNabb's stead, Koy Detmer was dismal, going
1-for-6 for 5 yards before third-stringer Jeff Blake
came on in the fourth quarter. That gave the night
the feel of an August preseason game for the Eagles,
even while the Rams were trying to get to a significant
January contest.
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