2003 Philadelphia Eagles season

2003 Philadelphia Eagles season

After two devastating losses to start the season, the Eagles used an early bye week to regroup and defeated the Buffalo Bills a 23-13. The Eagles methodically built a 16-0 lead through the first three quarters. Correll Buckhalter scored a short touchdown in the first quarter, and David Akers added three field goals. In the final period, Drew Bledsoe rallied Buffalo to two straight touchdowns, cutting the lead to 16-13. However, Brian Westbrook broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and charged through the middle for a 62-yard touchdown run to seal the deal. Donovan McNabb, nursing a sore thumb on his throwing hand, threw for 172 yards and rushed for 47, while the defense played a solid game, especially in the first half.

Week 5: vs Washington Redskins

Brian Westbrook delivered the play of the year for the Eagles, returning a punt with less than two minutes left to win the game 14-10 over the New York Giants. In the first quarter, Westbrook's five-yard touchdown run (his fourth in four games) gave Philadelphia a 7-0 lead. New York got a field goal in the second quarter and a Jeremy Shockey touchdown reception in the third to take a 10-7 lead. It could have been more, as they drove inside the Philadelphia 40-yard line seven times, but usually squandered their opportunities. Meanwhile, the Eagles' offense was virtually non-existent throughout the game. Donovan McNabb had his worst game as a professional, only completing 9-of-23 passes for a meager 64 yards. Inside the two-minute warning, the Giants forced the Eagles to burn their timeouts, then punted to give it back to the dormant Philadelphia offense and end the game. However, Westbrook fielded the Jeff Feagles punt on a bounce, broke through the first few defenders, and began to race down the left sideline and into the end zone, stealing the victory and saving the Eagles' season. The 84-yard punt return was a turning point for Philadelphia, saving them from falling to 2-4 and propelling them on a what would be a nine-game winning streak.

Week 8: vs New York Jets

Playing in a rainy Lambeau Field on Monday Night Football, Donovan McNabb led the Eagles to a last-minute victory over Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers. Both offenses struggled on a wet field in the first half. David Akers and Ryan Longwell each missed field goals, and the only points of the half would be a 24-yard touchdown reception by Packer halfback Ahman Green. The Eagles got on the board with a short Akers field goal after a long drive in the third quarter. Donovan McNabb then scored on a one-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to give Philadelphia a 10-7 lead. However, Ahman Green broke a 45-yard run to the end zone that put Green Bay back on top 14-10. The Philadelphia defense came up with a big stop to give McNabb and the offense one last chance with 2:43 left in the game. McNabb marshalled the team downfield and with less than thirty seconds remaining, he hit Todd Pinkston in the end zone with the game-winning touchdown pass. The Packers struggled to hold onto the ball (Favre especially), and turned it over three times compared to zero turnovers for the Eagles. Ahman Green rushed for 192 yards in defeat (Green Bay rushed for 241 as a team). The suddenly red-hot Eagles were now 6-3 on the season.

Week 11: vs New York Giants

The 8-3 Eagles and 8-3 Carolina Panthers squared off in a key battle for NFC supremacy and the Eagles emerged with the win. A rare Donovan McNabb interception allowed Carolina to score a quick field goal. But he rebounded, leading the Eagles on a 10-play drive capped by a touchdown plunge by Duce Staley. In the second quarter, David Akers connected for his first field goal. He was good from 48-yards out in the third quarter to put Philadelphia up 13-3. Carolina's offense then struck when Jake Delhomme found Steve Smith for a 24-yard touchdown pass to make it 13-10 going into the final quarter. A long drive by McNabb ended in a big Akers field goal. Then, the defense provided a big play when a blitz by linebacker Nate Wayne caused a fumble, recovered by Darwin Walker. This set up a McNabb 10-yard touchdown pass to James Thrash, who was pushed into the end zone by Carolina defenders trying to tackle him. The two point conversion by Philadelphia failed. Delhomme completed another touchdown, this one to Muhsin Muhammad, but kicker John Kasay missed the extra point, leaving the score 22-16. Trying to burn the clock, McNabb slowly marched the Eagles down the field and Akers came on to kick his fourth field goal, giving the Eagles a nine-point lead. While Akers was 4-for-4 on field goals and won NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, Kasay was 1-for-4 with a missed extra point. Staley, Correll Buckhalter, and Brian Westbrook combined for 118 rushing yards, while McNabb was efficient, completing 18-of-26 passes. The big win moved Philadelphia to 9-3, with the top record in their conference.

Week 14: vs Dallas Cowboys

An home overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers snapped the Eagles' nine-game winning streak. A bad snap led to an early field goal miss for San Francisco, but after an Eagles 3-and-out, the 49ers took back over and scored on a 15-yard screen pass to Kevan Barlow. The defense then tightened and creating a turnover that led to a short Duce Staley touchdown run. Todd Pinkston fumbled away a touchdown out of the endzone after catching a long pass from Donovan McNabb. The Eagles took a 14-7 lead on another short-yardage Staley touchdown. A 33-yard pass from Garcia to Brandon Lloyd tied the score at halftime. Before the half was over, 49ers star Terrell Owens had broken his collarbone, and Eagles starting linebacker Carlos Emmons had broken his leg - a big blow for the playoffs. Brian Westbrook returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter - bringing back recent memories of his big touchdown in the Meadowlands. San Francisco answered with two fields goals and a touchdown by Barlow (followed by a successful two-point conversion) to take a 28-21 lead. McNabb rallied the Eagles, driving them down the field (with Freddie Mitchell coming up with a big 4th down reception). McNabb beat the blitz and Pinkston made a backward diving catch to tie the game with a minute left. In overtime, Tony Parrish picked off McNabb and returned it inside the Eagles 5-yard line. Todd Peterson kicked the game winner and the Eagles' streak ended. McNabb had two interceptions and David Akers missed two field goals. Pinkston had 121 receiving yards and a touchdown, but Barlow rushed for 154 for San Francisco.

Week 17: at Washington Redskins

In a monumentally disappointing result for Philadelphia, the Eagles lost the NFC Championship 14-3 to the Carolina Panthers. It was their third straight championship game defeat, and second in a row at home. They had beaten the Panthers 25-16 in Week 13 in Carolina, but the Panthers' opportunistic defense disrupted the wounded Eagles offense, holding them to three points and dashing their hopes for a Super Bowl a week after the 4th and 26 miracle. The Panthers, just two years removed from a 1-15 season, went 11-5 in 2003, winning the NFC South. In the playoffs, they defeated Dallas 29-10 and beat the St. Louis Rams in double overtime on a 69-yard touchdown catch by Steve Smith.

Carolina drove into Philadelphia territory on their opening drive, but punted the ball away. Donovan McNabb marched the Eagles down the field, reaching the Carolina 32-yard line after a 23-yard catch and run by Correll Buckhalter. However, the drive stalled and the Eagles punted. The teams traded punts again, but early in the second quarter Jake Delhomme broke through and led the Panthers down the field, completing a 24-yard touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad on a badly thrown ball that somehow beat the Eagles' double coverage. McNabb responded with a long drive, but on 1st and 10 from the Carolina 23-yard line, he was knocked down by his own lineman being pushed back, and was hit by linebacker Greg Favors after he was down. The Eagles sideline pleaded for a late-hit call, but to no avail. McNabb returned after one play, and had a 10-yard completion to Freddie Mitchell (which was initially ruled a drop). This set up a 41-yard field goal by David Akers that made it 7-3. Philadelphia's final drive of the half was ended when rookie Ricky Manning Jr. picked off McNabb, who was visibly hurt. While the Eagles defense played well, the offense was stifled by four first half sacks.

With McNabb playing with torn cartilage in his ribs, the Eagles went to the ground, using Buckhalter and Duce Staley to drive into Carolina's red zone on their first drive of the third quarter. However, Ricky Manning Jr. stepped in front of a McNabb pass intended for Todd Pinkston and came away with his second interception, which proved to be tremendous blow. On Philadelphia's next possession, receiver James Thrash was hit as the ball arrived and Ricky Manning Jr. grabbed the deflection and returned it 13-yards to the Philadelphia 37-yard line, his third interception. DeShaun Foster helped power the ball to the Eagles' one-yard line, and on first and goal from there, he ran over linebacker Mark Simoneau as he pushed into the end zone. Now behind 14-3, Philadelphia's crippled offense was unable to pick up a first down the rest of the quarter. On the first drive of the fourth quarter, Koy Detmer finally came in to replace the injured McNabb. Detmer led the Eagles to the Panther 11-yard line, but he was then intercepted by Dan Morgan, ending the Eagles' final threat. Philadelphia got the ball back one final time, and as McNabb watched from the sidelines, could not get past midfield.

For the second year in a row, the Philadelphia fans were forced to watch another team celebrate on their field. The five sacks and four interceptions by Carolina's defense were devastating, while receivers Pinkston and Thrash were manhandled by the Panther secondary throughout the game. The injury to McNabb, on an offense already missing Brian Westbrook, left the offense punchless and made the 14-3 deficit insurmountable. In three quarters of action, McNabb was 10-for-22 for only 100 yards, while Buckhalter and Staley combined for 127 rushing yards. The Panthers rushed for 155 yards on the night. After what looked at times to be a blessed season, the Eagles' playoff campaign ended with an NFC Championship Game defeat, yet again.

Division standings


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