Adrian Fedkiw
So good he did it twice.
David Akers turned the onside kick into an art during his tenure in Philadelphia and the biggest splash on the canvas came in 2000. Not only the one in the season-opening win against the Dallas Cowboys to send a statement throughout the division, but then a pair against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11.
Akers knocked through a 42-yard, game-tying field goal with no time on the clock to send it into overtime, where he won it with another 42-yarder for a 26-23 triumph over the Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium.
So, those onside kicks. Akers was always one of the best during his generation of getting as much loft on his onside kicks as possible. We saw it on both of his attempts. Let’s also keep in mind how that ball can ping-pong on that rock-hard Astroturf. Philadelphia was called for an illegal touching on the first boot, but Tim Hauck secured possession on the second one following a wild scramble for the loose ball.
The Eagles overcame a 10-point deficit in the final 3:47 of regulation. Brian Mitchell had a nice kickoff return, Torrance Small hauled in an 18-yard laser from Donovan McNabb on a deep in and Stanley Pritchett gained 11 yards on a pass in the right flat before Mitchell’s 13-yard TD reception concluded the brisk drive.
Small’s 18-yard catch helped the Eagles trickle into field-goal range following the onside kick. Akers had to scramble to get that 42-yarder off, but calmly set himself and sent the ball through the uprights.
And here was the game-winner in OT.
McNabb completed 12 of his final 16 throws following an erratic start. He was 26-of-55 for 213 yards and a touchdown for the Eagles, who moved to 7-4 on the season. Philadelphia eventually finished the year 11-5 and beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round before losing to the New York Giants in the Divisional Playoffs. Small was the Eagles’ leading receiver with just 42 yards on three receptions, but the Birds did have eight different players make a catch.
On the Steelers side, Kordell Stewart threw for just 159 yards on 14-of-31 efficiency, while Jerome Bettis bulldozed his way to 134 yards and a score on 30 carries. Brian Dawkins, however, did get one nice shot in on the Bus.
Earlier, defensive Hugh Douglas beat tackle Wayne Gandy, and his pressure forced an errant throw, which Bobby Taylor intercepted and returned 39 yards. The Eagles then settled for a 26-yard field goal and the game’s first points with 2:07 remaining in the opening frame.
Philly went up 10-0 early in the second aided by three key Pittsburgh penalties. McNabb was 3-of-11 on the drive and misfired on his first five pass attempts, but flipped a two-yard score to Jeff Thomason on 3rd down to conclude the 13-play march at the 11:50 mark of the period. Chad Scott committed a pair of defensive pass interference penalties for 38 yards, including a 26-yarder that set the Eagles up at the two. DeShea Townsend was also whistled for a personal foul on a 3rd-and-10, which put the ball into Steelers territory. Pittsburgh had not surrendered a touchdown on 61 straight drives.
A pair of Brown field goals late in the half, 38 and 52 yards, respectively, helped the Steelers pull within 10-6 heading into the locker room.
The similarities between the current Eagles team and this one in 2000 are endless. Philly’s receivers might’ve actually been worse then with Charles Johnson and Torrance Small leading the way. Doug Pederson has gotten a lot out of his tight ends to hide the deficiencies at wide receiver, like Reid did back then with his running backs. Darnell Autry hauled in a 20-yard gain in the right flat and Cecil Martin added a 29-yarder on the opposite side, which led to an Akers 45-yard field goal and a 13-6 Eagles margin early in the third.
Pittsburgh answered with 17 straight points.
Bettis plunged in from seven yards out for the first score. Stewart hooked up with Courtney Hawkins for a 33-yard gain down the right sideline, and a huge hole opened up for the Bus off right tackle for 19.
Joey Porter’s 32-yard scoop-and-score following a Pritchett fumble gave the Steelers a 20-13 cushion early in the fourth.