Game Notes | Week 8: Falcons @ Eagles

I guess this one will be my main 1:00 game, since both teams are "contenders." I have a blowout feeling about this game, and the Falcons will be on the losing end.

Nice little play fake roll out by Ryan to Roddy White to make sure they get the ball in their best receiver's hands early in the game. Ryan overthrows Harry Douglas, and the Falcons will punt.

McNabb deep to DeSean Jackson in double coverage, and Jackson almost made a great play to go up and get that ball. Wow. McNabb finds Westbrook on 3-and-2, and I have no idea how Westbrook held onto that ball. Nice concentration.

Brian Finneran with his 2nd catch of the game, this one converting a third down. Oh, and by the way, I'm on record as saying Michael Turner won't be a good fantasy play today, since he feasts on awful defenses and gets held in check by quality defenses. I'm also on records as saying Matt Ryan will struggle mightily today against a good pass defense.

How about that? On cue, Ryan throws a bullet into heavy coverage, and Asante Samuel steps in front of Roddy White for the pick.

Bad luck for Burner. A nice 17-yard run but a blocking penalty on Roddy White. I guess it's still a first down, but he won't get all 17 yards.

Matt Ryan gets drilled by Trent Cole while in throwing motion, and Ryan is down. Wow! Horrible call by the refs. They basically called a penalty on Cole for having the audacity to sack a quarterback. Just an awful call. That was a clean, hard hit. There was no other way to hit him. Cheap first down for the Falcons, and Ryan looks to be just fine. I don't know how they want Trent Cole to make that play. Great play, horrendous call.

Big play to DeSean Jackson cutting across the middle for 30 yards. Reverse from DeSean to Westbrook for a fancy 13-yard gain. McNabb hit, and he fumbles. He didn't get hit that hard, but he had the football held out to the side, and he simply lost it. Falcons take over. Sack goes to rookie Curtis Lofton.

Chris Redman was warming up on the sidelines, but Matt Ryan comes back out for this drive. Looks like he's fine after that hit from Cole. Ryan throws a pretty bomb off his back foot, ball lands right on Roddy White's outstreched hands, but Asante Samuel makes a nice play to knock it out of White's hands.

McNabb getting up slowly after John Abraham and Keith Brooking hit him high and low. McNabb walked off under his own power.

Matt Ryan threads the needle with a dart between defenders to hit a streaking Roddy White, and White does the rest of the work to get into the end zone on a 55-yard catch-and-run TD. Ryan's third pass play of 50+ yards on the season.

McNabb is back in the game, and he just overthrew a wide open L.J. Smith. McNabb's third overthrew of the day. Next throw is off-target to Jason Avant, and Avant can't pull it in. McNabb has been off today.

Awesome play by Greg Lewis on the punt, diving into the endzone and flipping between his legs to the 1-yard line.

McNabb misses another deep ball to DeSean Jackson. He's just 5-of-14 to star the game, but he's been under constant pressure as well. Here's a completion to Jackson for about 20 yards. McNabb pressured again by Abraham, but scrambles for the first down. He definitely doesn't have the wheels he used to have. Next play, hits offset Westbrook streaking across the middle for a nice play down to the 5-yard line. First & goal, inside handoff to Westbrook to the 2. McNabb QB draw, and he's in for the TD.

Falcons run a 2-minute drill that stalls, and the Eagles will get the ball at their own 10-yard line with 0:45 left in the half. That seems like plenty of time for McNabb to get into field goal range. Nah. It's a handoff to Westbrook instead, but he breaks it off for about 20 yards . . . and Andy Reid will change his mind and use a timeout here. Screen pass to Westbrook for about 10 yards. McNabb to Kevin Curtis for his first catch of the season, and the Eagles have it at the 40-yard line. Uh, they better get a lot closer b/c Akers is useless over 45 yards. Great block Westbrook on that play. 15 seconds left, Eagles out of timeouts. Great sideline pass to the 18-yard line for DeSean Jackson. Perfect pass, 9 seconds left and the Eagles will take a shot into the end zone here. Incomplete pass, and they'll get a 36-yard attempt from Akers. It's good, and the Eagles take a 10-7 lead into halftime.

Key to the drive there: getting Westbrook involved.

Eagles with a nice drive to open the 3rd quarter, McNabb now over 3,000 yards rushing in his career. Here's Westbrook with a nice 16-yard TD run!

Jerious Norwood takes a run out of the Wildcat formation, but it doesn't go anywhere. Third & 8, and Ryan throws a beautiful pass beating the blitz to hit Norwood on the run for 21 yards.

DeSean Jackson just had one of the worst punt returns you'll ever see. Catches it at the 14-yard line and loses 13 yards, almost being tackled for a safety. I guess you'll get that with a playmaker from time-to-time, but the rookie just doesn't seem too bright.

John Abraham is giving Eagles OT Tra Thomas fits.

Michael Turner just trucked Asante Samuel on a 22-yard run. Matt Ryan goes deep to Roddy White, and Lito Shephard gets called for the pass interference at the 4-yard line. Poor pass from Ryan to White, this one picked off by Boz Scaggs' favorite player, Lito.

McNabb threads it into Buckhalter for a 28-yard gain between 2 linebackers. Westbrook with another nice gainer, and he's over 100 yards rushing again.

Westbrook to the 1-inch line, and it looked like he may have been in. Second & goal, and let's see if they go back to #36 here. Come on, Philly. Give it to Westbrook. Damn. Saw that one coming -- shovel pass to Westbrook stopped short. McNabb on the sneak, and he didn't make it. Fourth & goal inside the one. They're going to take the 3 points here.

Falcons driving, a couple of short gainers to Roddy White and then a beautiful catch by Jerious Norwood. He's down on both knees after a hit from Brian Dawkins. Norwood jogs off and appears to be alright.

Awesome throw by Ryan to find Roddy in the back of the end zone, and an even better catch by
White to bring the Falcons within six.