It's been that kind of year, right? Crazy. Frustrating. Completely unpredictable. The Eagles were 75 yards and 17 plays into their most remarkable drive of the season when the call came in: Line Cooper up on the right side of the formation and have him run a slant route.
Huh?
The coverage, as the Eagles studied it on film, would likely be off the line of scrimmage. Check. The Giants wouldn't be paying any extra attention to Cooper, who entered the game with exactly zero catches this season. Check.
And Young had already had his troubles in the red zone, so maybe the Giants figured the ball would end up in the hands of running back LeSean McCoy, whom they had keyed on all night. Check.
A team that had turned the ball over a league-high 8 times in the red zone prior to that play had really no business throwing the ball into the end zone. Maybe they should play it safe and let McCoy make some magic. Maybe they would take the pressure away from Young, who had already thrown a pair of interceptions.
Maybe, as it turned out, this would be the kind of night that would turn a season around.
Cooper ran his slant route, making sure he "stuck it at the top" of the pattern to create some space and allow Young a clear lane to make this throw. It worked to perfection to cap an amazing 18-play, 80-yard drive that consumed 8 minutes, 51 seconds off the clock as the Eagles upended the division-leading Giants 17-10 on Sunday night.
"You have to stay aggressive," said offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. "That's just the way it is in this league. You play for three points, well, that guy over there (Giants quarterback Eli Manning) has been pretty hot."
It was a fascinating game, a slugfest that they used to play in the NFC East back when defenses ruled the day. Philadelphia's defense was outstanding, led by a relentless front four that pressured Manning all night and left him battered and bruised. Cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Asante Samuel, along with slot corner Joselio Hanson, played more press coverage than usual, bumping New York's receivers at the line of scrimmage to disrupt the timing of the New York passing offense.
Philadelphia's offense made its share of mistakes -- Young threw 3 interceptions and DeSean Jackson lost a 50-yard reception when he was penalized for taunting the Giants bench -- but the Eagles hung in there, stayed in the game, and finally broke a 10-10 tie with the marathon drive.
On that particular possession -- one of the most methodical and patient I have ever seen the Eagles execute -- the offense converted 6 third downs, the final one the touchdown pass to Cooper, his second in the NFL. They answered a Giants touchdown that tied the game at 10-10 with the scoring drive, and they showed incredible poise and balance along the way.
The Eagles had 9 runs on the drive, including a pair from Young. The longest gain was 18 yards, a catch by Cooper. There was a 13-yard catch by Avant, an insanely-great grab a half inch off the turf on a throw that was behind him (you have to see the reply, if you haven't already) and a 10-yard run by Young.
The rest of the drive was nickel-and-dime stuff, and it worked to wear out the Giants the whole way down the field.
"We just kept grinding away," said running back LeSean McCoy, who was bottled up with only 47 yards on the ground until two late carries, for 7 yards and then 60 yards, pushed him to 113 on 23 carries for the night. "You're out there and we knew we had to score. It was that time in the game. We had to put the ball in the end zone and we did."
After the Eagles went ahead 17-10, the defense had its turn, forcing a turnover on a Jason Babin sack of Manning that defensive tackle Derek Landri recovered. The Eagles sideline erupted and the team, now 4-6, had some life back in its season.
This NFC East is very much up for grabs with the Giants and Cowboys two games ahead of the Eagles at 6-4. It makes no sense to look ahead and think about the scenarios. The Eagles need to win out. They need to play with the emotion and the intensity and, yes, the desperation, that they played with on Sunday night.
"It's a great win and all of that, but we need to keep it going. We have New England next and we have to play with the same energy," said defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins.
Jackson, inactive last week against Arizona, was huge in this game. He set up one touchdown with a 51-yard punt return and stretch New York's defense with 6 catches for 88 yards. Tight end Brent Celek again was a great contributor, blocking well and catching 6 passes. Cooper was a target 12 times, catching 5 passes. And Steve Smith, maligned after his tough game against the Cardinals, had a sweet catch and run for a touchdown against his former team.
Young, despite his mistakes (a trio of interceptions and some missed opportunities in the passing game), kept his cool and his wits. Bolstered by an outstanding performance by the offensive line, tight ends and running backs -- McCoy was especially good in pass protection as the Giants blitzed his side all night -- Young hung in there. He made plays when he had to, notably the game-winning throw to Cooper.
The only thing that matters for Young is that he won a game the Eagles absolutely had to win. And if he has to go against New England on Sunday -- Vick is day to day recovering from his broken ribs -- Young will be tested by the Patriots' confounding looks on defense.
"He's the man," said Cooper of Young. "We all believed in him, of course. He's played in this league and won here. He has everybody's respect and you see why."
Said Mornhinweg when asked what he learned about Young from this game: "I don't think I learned anything, but it sort of re-affirmed some of the things we all, this whole football team, thought about him. He's way more accurate, apparently, that you would think. He's been real accurate for us and, in fact, he had some exceptional days for us in practice, accuracy-wise.
"Then, he's a winner. That's why we brought him in, for this exact situation. I was proud of him."
It was hard not to be proud of everyone for slaying the Giants. The Eagles showed it all -- leadership, confidence, and yes, heart, in a win they had to have. Maybe it is the spark the season needs. Who knows right now? At this moment, we celebrate the win and the effort and the tenacity the Eagles brought to the table, seizing the game in the fourth quarter with a drive for the ages and then coming up big on defense to seal the victory.
