Sports

Post-Game Week 15: Philadelphia Eagles Clinch Playoff Berth With Victory Over 49ers

Thank God the San Francisco 49ers suck or Andy Reid’s stupidity would have cost the Philadelphia Eagles the game. I know it was cold, with almost two feet of snow in Philadelphia, but that’s no reason for Reid to have a brain freeze.

How the hell do you go for it on 4th and inches on your own 29 yard line in the first half when you have the lead against an inferior opponent? That’s just stupid. Forget the fact that the Eagles are historically a terrible short yardage team under Andy Reid. It just doesn’t make sense to go for it in that situation. Even if you get the first down, you still have to drive another 70 yards for a touchdown. But if (when) you don’t make it, you give the other team all of the momentum. The only thing that saved Andy Reid’s dumb ass was Sheldon Brown stripping the football from Delanie Walker at the Eagles 6 yard line and Asante Samuel recovering it in the 49er ensuing possession. You could say that Samuel not only covered the ball, but also covered Reid’s ass.

Reid even reverted to his passaholic ways, but got away with it because the 49ers are so bad. Reid called 40 passing plays and 29 running plays. While that doesn’t seem like a terrible ratio considering how bad the 49ers are against the pass, you need to consider the fact that the Eagles literally led for the entire game. The Eagles scored a TD on the first possession on the game and never trailed.

McNabb threw two bad interceptions and it should have been three, but the 49er cornerback dropped an easy one that would undoubtedly have been returned for a score. The most aggravating thing about that is that the Eagles were up by 14 points in the 4th quarter at that point. Why the hell were they throwing in that situation? The 49ers weren’t capable of driving the length of the field for one TD, let alone two, in under 10 minutes. Their only TD drive went a whole 35 yards. So, why not just run out the clock by running the football? Any sane coach would have done that. Not our Andy.

Again, Reid and the Eagles are lucky that the 49ers stink. Specifically, they’re lucky Alex Smith is on a very short list of the worst 1st round draft picks ever (don’t worry, Andy’s pick of Freddie Mitchell is also on that list). Smith was 20 for 37 with 177 yards, 1 TD and 3 INTs. The only 49er who wasn’t terrible in this game was Frank Gore (16 carries for 107 yards). Gore is the first runningback to rush for over 100 yards against the Eagles in 24 games. The last one to do it was… Frank Gore.

The Eagles defense does deserve some credit for holding the 49ers talent-deprived offense in check. After the Giants fiasco last week, where they gave up over 500 yards, this was a marked improvement. They got pressure on the quarterback, created turnovers and just generally never let the 49ers get into a flow offensively. They held Gore in check, except for his one 37 yard run. Asante Samuel even made two tackles that I saw. It was a Christmas Miracle.

DeSean Jackson once again helped McNabb (21/37 for 306 yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs) pad his stats with a big day. He had 6 catches for 140 yards and McNabb’s lone TD. He should have had another easy score, but McNabb overthrew Jackson when he had ten yards on the closest defender downfield. McNabb also refused to take easy yardage on scrambles on numerous occasions. He threw one of his INTs while scrambling, when he could have walked for the first down.

The only good thing that can be said about this game is that the Eagles found a way to win it. McNabb didn’t have a good game in spite of the yardage total and Andy Reid proved once again what a terrible game day coach he is. Did I mention that he wasted a timeout before the failed 4th and inches call that would have led to defeat against a good team? Poor clock management is a trademark of an Andy Reid coached team.

With the win, the Eagles clinched a playoff birth. That’s great, but it just means that the team will find new and excruciatingly painful ways to disappoint their fans again this season. I can’t believe that I have to endure five more years of this idiot running the team.

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