Adrian Fedkiw
Each Friday I while take a blast into the past and recap an “Old School” Eagles game from an opponent they will play during the week.
At 5-0 the 2004 Philadelphia Eagles were on a roll and untested.
Then a trip to the Dawg Pound gave them all they could handle.
Donovan McNabb threw two of his four touchdown passes to Terrell Owens and David Akers kicked a game-winning, 50-yard field goal in overtime as the Eagles squeaked past the Cleveland Browns 34-31 in Week 7.
McNabb was 28-of-43 for 376 yards and also threw an interception and Owens hauled in four passes for 110 yards for Philadelphia, which won each of its first five games by at least double digits.
This, of course, was the Eagles’ Super Bowl year when they went 13-3 before losing to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX. Their only “true” loss that season came against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9. Philadelphia lost its final two games to the St. Louis Rams and Cincinnati Bengals playing with backups after already wrapping up the NFC East in Week 15.
This is how much of a difference Owens made to the receiving core, which was lackluster until T.O. came into town. The Eagles receivers averaged 11.2 yards per catch in 2003 through their first five games with no touchdowns, but with Owens’ presence, they tallied 15.3 yards per reception during that same time frame in 2004.
The Browns hung tough due to the prowess of Jeff Garcia, who threw for 236 yards with a touchdown and a pick on 21-of-32 efficiency, and a strong running attack with an offensive line that was opening up gaping holes for William Green and Lee Suggs. Suggs carried the ball 15 times for 78 yards and a score, while Green added 64 yards and a touchdown on 14 totes.
The Browns used 11 plays to move the ball 54 yards for the tying score with 30-seconds left in regulation. Jeff Garcia scrambled in from four yards out to knot the game at 31-31.
Neither team scored on their opening possessions in overtime. Akers’ 50-yarder came on Philly’s second drive. McNabb took off for a 28-yard run along the left boundary and put the ball at midfield. A Chad Lewis holding penalty gave the Eagles a 1st-and-20 at the 50 a bit later, but Reno Mahe got some of that yardage back after fighting for 12 yards on a screen pass.
The Eagles didn’t waste any time getting on the scoreboard, needing just two plays to find paydirt.
In typical Reid fashion, he began the game with a shot down the field off of play action. Todd Pinkston showed some good body control to come back to the ball and haul in the underthrow. Who would’ve thought Pinkston would make a play like that, even the play-by-play broadcaster Sam Rosen was shocked. He thought it was T.O.! Rosen also screwed up the touchdown call, that was a wide-open Chad Lewis in the end zone. The pump fake from McNabb froze the linebacker in coverage.
The Browns answered with an easy touchdown of their own, with their running game gashing the Eagles defense. Green scored from 11 yards out to cap the nine-play drive. Jeez, remember Green? You may not have, the former first-rounder didn’t last long.
A 39-yard Owens touchdown, his seventh of the season at that point, finished off another brisk Eagles trek on their ensuing touch. They needed just four plays to find the end zone. A 38-yard Phil Dawson field goal trimmed the gap to 14-10 at the 10:39 mark of the second before the quick-strike Eagles offense used another lightning-fast drive to put up another touchdown. McNabb connected with a wide open Owens along the right sideline for 40 yards to make it 21-10.
The Eagles regained possession after James Jackson fumbled the ensuing kickoff, but an interception by Andra Davis off a tipped pass gave the ball to Cleveland. Garcia then found Dennis Northcutt for a huge 42-yard gain down the right sideline before Suggs cut back off the right side of the line and scampered in from 14 yards out.
McNabb was 15-of-19 for 264 yards with three scores and a pick in the first half.
The Browns took their first lead of the game with 7:31 left in the third when Steve Heiden was wide open in the left flat after a pair of Eagles ran into each other and scored from 21 yards out for a 24-21 advantage.
Philly went back in front early in the fourth. McNabb flipped a 28-yard completion to Freddie Mitchell over the middle and L.J. Smith plunged in from two yards out on a 3rd-and-goal following Reid’s patented shovel pass.
The Eagles added three more points after recovering Frisman Jackson’s ensuing kickoff return and David Akers split the uprights from 38 yards out to give the Birds a 31-24 margin with 10:47 to go in regulation.