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Monday January 27th, 2005 - Page Updated At 11:10AM
2005 Road To The Superbowl
By: Q. Smyth
Senior Editor For WagerOnFootball.com - Your Source For Reviewed Sportsbooks

 

Other SuperBowl Week Articles - Jan24 | Jan25 | Eagles Road | Patriots Road | Super Bowl XXXIX Promotions | INDEPTH Preview | 04-05 Super Bowl XXXIX Picks & Preview | Pregame - Halftime Shows | Jacksonville Facts



Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles Road To The Superbowl

Compared to the thrill-a-minute journey that was the New England Patriots' 2004 season, the Philadelphia Eagles' path to Super Bowl XXXIX was generally smooth and stress-free. The major hill on the Eagles' rollercoaster ride came near the end, when a major injury to the team's most dynamic offensive player threatened to derail the club's championship aspirations.

But early-on in the 2004 campaign, there was little doubt that Andy Reid's squad was the premier outfit in the NFC. The arch rival New York Giants were the first to incur Philly's wrath, enduring a 31-17 Week 1 defeat that was scarcely close beyond the first quarter. The offensive excitement promised when the team signed All-Pro receiver Terrell Owens in the offseason was delivered in the form of three Owens' touchdown catches. Owens' presence seemed to open up the Philadelphia attack in ways previously unimagined, as quarterback Donovan McNabb threw for 330 yards and four touchdowns, and running back Brian Westbrook rumbled for 119 yards on 17 carries.

The NFL-viewing public would get an eyeful of the new-look Eagles in Week 2, when Philadelphia knocked out Minnesota, 27-16, in a Monday night showdown. McNabb threw two more touchdown passes, including one to Owens, also running for a 20-yard score to electrify the Lincoln Financial Field crowd and move the Eagles to 2-0.

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Philadelphia would streak its way right through October, starting 7-0 for the first time in franchise history. The run included a momentous 30-8 smackdown of the Panthers in Week 6, one that avenged Carolina's shocking NFC Championship victory of nine months earlier. Road decisions over NFC North foes Detroit (30-13) and Chicago (19-9), and a 34-31 overtime thriller in Cleveland were other prominent first-half features. The last chapter of the 7-0 start would be told with a 15-10 triumph over Baltimore on Halloween, with a delirious home crowd looking on as Owens' 11-yard fourth-quarter touchdown grab provided the decisive score against a Raven team that had briefly laid claim to the receiver in March.

The era of good feelings would end, however, with a thud suffered across the state in Pittsburgh the following week. The Steelers manhandled Philadelphia, 27-3, rolling up 252 ground yards and limiting the Eagles to seven first downs all day. The defeat would prompt a major change in coordinator Jim Johnson's defense, as Jeremiah Trotter was moved into the starting middle linebacker slot to replace the undersized Mark Simoneau. The move would pay off for an Eagle team that had seen its final defensive meltdown of the regular season.

Anyone questioning the Birds' place among the NFC elite was silenced when the Eagles went to Dallas and routed the Cowboys, 49-21, the following Monday night. McNabb threw for 353 yards and four touchdowns against the team's NFC East rival, with three of the scores going to Owens. The win began another dominating run for Philadelphia, which humiliated the Redskins (28-6), Giants (27-6) and Packers (47-17) on consecutive weeks. The victory over Green Bay was followed by a contentious 17-14 primetime triumph in Washington, a win that would see Eagle fans celebrate without concern for perhaps the last time in 2004.

When the Cowboys took a 7-6 lead into halftime the following Sunday, the crowd at the Linc grumbled. Little did they know the worst was yet to come. Early in the third quarter, Owens was dragged down by safety Roy Williams after making a catch, and limped off the field as the Delaware Valley held its collective breath. The Eagles would rally to win, 12-7, clinching homefield advantage throughout the NFC in the process, but on Monday the team announced that Owens would be sidelined for at least six weeks with a fractured right fibula and a severe ankle sprain. Suddenly, the doubters were back out in force.

With Owens' injury sending a loud, clear signal to Reid, Philadelphia held many of its starters out in season-ending losses to St. Louis (20-7) and Cincinnati (38-10). The Eagles' first-round playoff bye meant that the team would go nearly a month without playing together as a unit, and an NFC Divisional Playoff tilt with Minnesota would serve as the first real chance for the public to see what an Owens-less Philly offense would look like.

The 27-14 triumph over the Vikings calmed more than a few nerves, as McNabb (21-33 passing, 286 yards, 2 TD) and running back Brian Westbrook (117 total yards, 1 TD) thrived, former reserve receiver Freddie Mitchell (5 receptions, 65 yards, 2 TD) had the game of his life, and the defense intercepted Daunte Culpepper twice and sacked him three times.

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The Eagles followed a similar script in the subsequent NFC Championship win over the Falcons. Reid and company notched a 27-10 victory in wintry conditions at the Linc, getting two more TD passes from McNabb, 135 total yards from Westbrook, and holding Atlanta QB Michael Vick (136 passing yards, 26 rushing yards) firmly in check.

The win snapped a well-publicized three-year losing streak for the franchise in NFC title games, and sent Philadelphia back to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1980 season. Only Green Bay, which suffered for 28 years between Super Bowl appearances (1968, 1996), went longer without making a return engagement to the game's biggest stage.

PatriotsThe Patriots Road To the SuperBowl

 

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