LATE RALLY PUSHES EAGLES PAST REDSKINS

For the second straight week Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb engineered a fourth quarter comeback, this time enabling his team to beat the Washington Redskins 27-24.  The Eagles trailed 24-16 heading into the final period, but tied the game on an Eldra Buckley touchdown and two point conversion.  David Akers nailed a 32 yard field goal with just over a minute to play to secure the victory.  The Eagles improved to 7-4 on the year, while the Redskins dropped to 3-8.

The Redskins did manage to cover the NFL pointspread as +10 underdogs, improving their ATS record to 4-7 on the year.  Washington has covered three straight games since opening the season 1-7 against the number.  Philadelphia dropped to 6-5 against the spread.  The 51 combined points scored went OVER the posted total of 40’. The Eagles have gone OVER in eight of eleven games this year, while the Redskins have exceeded the total in five of their eleven games.

After the game, McNabb described his motivational approach with the game on the line:

"We knew we can do it. We just had to get it done. You got to get your point across. There's nothing soft-spoken on the sideline. When you have a talented team, sometimes you need to bring the nasty attitude out of them."

Head coach Andy Reid was pleased at the way his quarterback took over the game:

"I was proud of him just stepping up and taking over. He was into it. He said, 'Hey, we're scoring.'"

It was the second consecutive tough loss for the Redskins, who fell to Dallas by a single point last week.  Head coach Jim Zorn said that ending up on the wrong side of close games takes a toll on the team:

"It's hard to come back after a loss like we had last week and this week. I hope that we talk sense and sanity into what we find ourselves in. And that's difficult."

Washington quarterback Jason Campbell echoed his coach’s sentiments:

"It's definitely frustrating in a lot of ways, just the way we lose. To see all the guys give a great effort, all the guys out there fighting, a lot of teams would have packed it in. But these guys fight to the end. There's no giving up."

The Eagles now play two straight games on the road, starting with a trip to Atlanta to face the Falcons this weekend.  That game is currently off the board due to multiple Atlanta injuries.  After that, they’ll head to the Meadowlands to face the New York Giants next Sunday before returning home to take on the San Francisco 49ers on January 20.  The Redskins face a tough test as they host the undefeated New Orleans Saints on Sunday.  The game is currently off the board due to injuries suffered by several Redskins, most significantly running back Clinton Portis.  Washington will head west next Sunday to play the Oakland Raiders before returning home to take on the New York Giants on Monday, December 21.