Eagles Hold Off 49ers for Crucial Win

The Philadelphia Eagles really needed this win against the 49ers. Donovan McNabb called out himself and his teammates to step up their game. While the defense definitely answered the bell, the offense still struggled and did not look that great at all.

Correll Buckhalter filled in magnificently for Brian Westbrook who was out of this game for broken ribs. Buckhalter rushed for 93 yards off of 18 carries and he scored a touchdown. He also caught seven passes for 85 yards in the Eagles 40-26 win Sunday afternoon. Donovan McNabb looked efficient going 23-36 for 280 yards with two touchdowns and one critical interception in 49ers territory. He continued to spread the ball around as seven different receivers caught passes and his top two targets were again absent from the lineup (Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown.) Desean Jackson picked up the slack though as he nearly had his third 100 yard game this season, but he settled for 98 yards off of 7 catches. The defense struggled again against the run this year as Frank Gore rushed for 101 yards off of 19 carries and scoring one touchdown. J.T. O’Sullivan looked rattled all day long even though the 49ers were in the game the entire time. O’Sullivan went 17-30 for 199 yards but he threw two critical interceptions, including one that sewed up the game as Juqua Parker took it 55 yards to the house with the 49ers trailing by seven points with under one minute to play. David Akers hit four of his five field goals in the game. He also had one blocked at the end of the half. The Eagles attempted a 54 yard field goal and Donald Strickland returned it 41 yards for a touchdown and the Eagles led 17-16 at half. Then on the opening possession of the second half, San Francisco took drove right down the field and capped the drive with a Frank Gore touchdown run to give them the lead 23-17 and the momentum in the game. In the fourth quarter though, the Birds came alive scoring 23 unanswered points to take the game. First McNabb hit L.J. Smith for a 3 yard strike, and then 3 David Akers’ field goals, then Juqua Parker returned O’Sullivan’s pass 55 yards for a score and the game.

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This was a must win for the Eagles and now they find themselves back in contention in the stacked NFC East with Dallas and Washington going down to Arizona and St. Louis respectively. The Eagles go into the bye week at 3-3 and they have an opportunity to get some players healthy like Westbrook, Curtis, Andrews, and Brown. Things could start getting better for the Birds now that they have survived six weeks.

By Andrew Nuscis
ProFootball-fans.com Philadelphia Eagles Correspondent