Just like a broken record the Eagles failed to gain a yard, committed too many penalties and ran out of time as the Chargers won 31-23 Sunday.
The Eagles seemed afraid to actually gain a yard on the ground as they failed again and again in short-yardage situations. They even settled for a David Akers field goal instead of going for it on fourth down after failing three times from the San Diego one-yard line.
"You can't get in teh red zone early three times early and not be able to punch it in," said Head Coach Andy Reid.
It didn’t help the Birds that they lost starting running back Brian Westbrook early in the second half to another concussion. He had already missed the previous two games with a concussion.
Without a potent running attack the Eagles (5-4) spent most of the afternoon trading field goals for touchdowns spotting the Chargers a 28-9 lead to start the fourth quarter.
The passing game tried to pick up the slack.
Donovan McNabb lead the Eagles on two frantic fourth-quarter scoring drives to cut the score to 28-23 with 7:12 left. But, the defense allowed one last Chargers drive that resulted in a field goal and essentially put the game out of reach leaving McNabb just 30 seconds to try and tie it up.
Sports
In partnership with NBC Sports Philadelphia
McNabb did his part passing for a season-high 450 yards on 35-for-55 passing and passed for two scores. But, in the end he came up short, again, as he tossed an interception in the end zone as the Eagles’ last-minute drive ended short of a score.
The key for the Bolts against the Birds was the combination of LaDanian Tomlinson on the ground and the Bolts receivers over the top.
The Chargers (6-3) used the size of their receivers against the Birds all day as Phillip Rivers efficiently went 20-for-25 passing for 231 yards and two TDs. His favorite targets were 6-foot-4 tight end Antonio Gates who caught seven passes for 78 yards and 6-foot-5 receiver Malcolm Floyd who caught three balls for 45 yards.
L.T. looked like the mid-2000s version of himself as he scampered for 96 yards and two scores on 24 rushes.
The Eagles didn’t help their cause by committing nine penalties for 70 yards. Penalties had plagued the Birds for most of the season.
Big contributors for the Eagles included Akers who booted three field goals (18, 25 and 25 yards) and Jason Avant who set a career-high with 156-yards receiving on eight grabs.
Things don’t get any easier for Philly next week as the Birds land in Chicago for a Sunday Night Football showdown with the Bears.
