It began like almost any other Birds game in 2011 -- with a hilarious mistake.
The Eagles' opening drive fizzled out around midfield, forcing a punt. Chas Henry took the snap, then stepped forward into his kick, only to have a white jersey crash into his leg for the block. Until Nate Allen was able to fall on the pigskin, it was all the way back at the Philadelphia 15-yard line. Three plays later, Matt Moore connected with Brandon Marshall in the corner of the end zone, with Nnamdi Asomugha showcasing his increasingly unimpressive ball skills nearby.
And just like that, the threat was over. Despite an underwhelming performance by the Eagles' offense, which managed to rack up 239 total yards, a 24-point burst in the second quarter provided more than enough cushion to get past the Miami Dolphins, who remarkably were even more inefficient. A safety in the fourth quarter sealed the 26-10 victory, moving Philadelphia up to 5-8, and lurking in the shadows of the NFC East.
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Despite holding the Miami offense to 204 yards and forcing three turnovers, we don't want to give the defense too much credit. The Dolphins lost two offensive lineman during the course of the game, including former first overall pick and Pro Bowl left tackle Jake Long. Protection breakdowns became commonplace, and before long, Moore was knocked out of the game as well.
Any fourth-quarter comebacks were going to be led by J.P. Losman, who did not prove to be up for the task.
The Eagles wound up finishing the game with nine sacks. Jason Babin had three, bumping him up to 15 on the season, surpassing his personal best. Trent Cole added two, putting him at nine -- one away from his fourth double-digit total in five seasons. Rookies Brian Rolle, Casey Matthews, and Philip Hunt all had the first sacks of their professional careers, Hunt's responsible for adding two points to the scoreboard.
Babin also stripped Moore, his third forced fumble of the season. Asante Samuel also knocked a ball free from Davone Bess, and dove on it for his own recovery as well. Kurt Coleman added an interception on an errant pass by Moore, which the safety returned to the two yard-line.
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The turnovers were the difference. The Eagles posted 17 points off of the possession changes, swinging the momentum once and for all in the second quarter. Little more than a minute and a half after punching in his first score, LeSean McCoy carried the rock across the goal line for his second TD of the game following Coleman's INT. Shady now stands one rushing touchdown from tying Steve Van Buren's franchise record 16, as well as one TD behind the total mark.
McCoy otherwise did not have a very strong game though. He wound up carrying a whopping 27 times, but somehow only gained 38 yards. The Dolphins D was successful at clogging running lanes, but far too often McCoy danced and ran backwards, apparently taking those Barry Sanders comparisons to heart. Seriously, roughly half of his attempts seemed to result in a loss of yards.
Michael Vick wasn't much better in his return to action. Number seven went 15-for-30 for 208 yards, a TD, and a pick. He only ran twice for nine yards, but as usual, he took a ton of shots. He didn't quite seem 100-percent, slow to get up on a few, but remained in the huddle for the entire game.
In other words, if you were looking for an afternoon that would inspire confidence in a miracle post-season run, this probably won't do it. After all their injuries, Miami was working at a major disadvantage, and after all, they are just the Dolphins. It's not like the Eagles went out and beat a great team this afternoon.
But a win is a win at this point. Unless you're rooting for draft positioning. In that case, sort of a bummer, eh?