2008 Philadelphia Eagles season The 2008 Philadelphia Eagles season was the team ' s 76th season as a franchise in the National Football League . The Eagles improved upon their 8 – 8 record and fourth - place finish in the NFC East in the 2007 season by going 9 – 6 – 1 and earning the 6th seed in the NFC Playoffs . The team lost in the Conference Championship game . For head coach Andy Reid , this was his tenth season as the coach of the Eagles . Offseason . Though the Eagles finished the 2007 season strong , winning their final three games , they finished 8 – 8 and in last place in a tough division . In the off - season , the Eagles made noise by signing star cornerback Asante Samuel from the New England Patriots on February 29 , 2008 , the first day that he became available . Samuel , signed to a six - year , $ 57 million contract , was considered the top player available in free agency , and was Philadelphia ' s biggest signing since Terrell Owens in 2004 . The Eagles also signed defensive end Chris Clemons , and gave him a sizable signing bonus , but he struggled with injuries in the preseason , and barely made the team . Oft - injured defensive lineman Jevon Kearse returned to the Tennessee Titans and Takeo Spikes was released , with a young corps of linebackers ready to replace him . Tight end L . J . Smith , who has battled injury , was given a franchise tag to keep him in Philadelphia . In the draft , the Eagles traded down again , lining themselves up with two first - round picks in 2009 . Training camp and the preseason were mixed with good news and bad news . On the negative side , All - Pro guard Shawn Andrews had a late - start to the preseason because of a personal battle with depression . Cornerback Lito Sheppard now looked like a third wheel in the secondary behind Samuel and Sheldon Brown , and vented his frustration . A contract dispute with star running back Brian Westbrook also looked to be another distraction until the team signed him to a three - year , $ 21 million extension . Philadelphia ' s biggest issue was the weak receiving corps . In the spring , the team was unsuccessful in acquiring a big name receiver , and the situation was exascerbated when number one receiver Kevin Curtis went down with a sports hernia in the preseason , while number two receiver Reggie Brown nursed a sore hamstring . No moves were made to fix the problem , and many experts considered the Eagles too weak at the position to go deep into the playoffs . However , 5 ' 10 second round draft pick DeSean Jackson had a great preseason , and was named as a Week 1 starter for the Eagles at receiver . Quarterback Donovan McNabb also had a strong preseason , and finally looked fully recovered from his 2006 knee surgery . The rebuilt special teams unit impressed in the preseason , with draft picks Jackson and Quintin Demps returning a punt and a kick respectivelly for touchdowns in an exhibition win over the Patriots . The offense went into the season with Westbrook in his prime and a seemingly rejuvenated McNabb , but the receiving corps looked feeble , and the offensive line looked uncertain , with the aging tackles Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas anchoring the unit , and Shawn Andrews not playing until the middle of the preseason . The defense featured the deepest secondary in the NFL with Samuel , Brown , Sheppard , and veteran safety Brian Dawkins . The linebacking corps looked young and quick , and Trent Cole was the clear star on the defensive line . Possibly the most key improvement in the team over 2007 lies in the special teams , which was a consistent weakness the previous season . Schedule . Regular season . Game will be seen on 6ABC in Philadelphia area . Time is subject to change as per " flex scheduling " . Regular season . Week 1 : vs . St . Louis Rams . The Eagles raced out of the gates to dismantle the St . Louis Rams 38 – 3 , their largest opening week margin - of - victory ever . Rookie DeSean Jackson pulled down a 47 - yard reception on the second play , and the drive finished with a shovel pass touchdown to Brian Westbrook . Donovan McNabb marched the Eagles down the field again on their second possession , finding L . J . Smith in the back of the end zone to make it 14 – 0 . Late in the second quarter , receiver Hank Baskett beat the coverage and scored on a 90 - yard reception ( which was also McNabb ' s second longest career TD pass ) . Fullback Tony Hunt scored from a yard out in the third quarter . DeSean Jackson ' s 60 - yard punt return set up a short field goal for David Akers , and Philadelphia ' s lead grew to 31 – 0 . Westbrook added a 6 - yard rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter before St . Louis kicked a field goal to avoid the shutout . McNabb threw for 361 yards and three scores . Jackson , Greg Lewis , and Baskett each had over 100 yards receiving . Westbrook ran for 91 yards and two touchdowns With the win , the Eagles began their season at 1 – 0 . Week 2 : at Dallas Cowboys . The Eagles went toe - to - toe with their hated rivals , the Dallas Cowboys , on MNF in the teams ' final meeting at Texas Stadium . The game would be high - scoring – filled with exciting plays and seven lead changes . On their opening drive , Philadelphia scored first with kicker David Akers nailing a 34 - yard field goal . The Cowboys struck right back with Tony Romo completing a 72 - yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens , who badly beat the Eagles ' secondary . Donovan McNabb drove the Eagles ' into Dallas territory again , but again settled for a field goal . Dallas immediately answered when rookie Felix Jones returned the kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and a 14 – 6 Cowboy advantage . Asante Samuel intercepted Romo on Dallas ' next drive , leading to a 6 - yard touchdown reception by Brian Westbrook early in the second quarter . Romo fumbled in his own end zone on the first play of the ensuing drive and linebacker Chris Gocong recovered for the touchdown and a 20 – 14 Eagle lead . However , the Cowboys would respond with Romo and Owens hooking up with each other again on a 4 - yard TD pass . The Eagles took over and McNabb connected with rookie DeSean Jackson on a 60 - yard play , but his premature celebration cost him a touchdown ( as well as a pass - for - touchdown by McNabb ) . Nevertheless , Westbrook scored on the resulting 1st and goal from the 1 - yard line , diving over the pile to put Philadelphia back on top . Akers nailed a 22 - yard field goal and Philadelphia had its biggest lead of the night , 30 – 21 . Dallas would end the explosive half with kicker Nick Folk making a 51 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , the Cowboys went ahead again as Romo completed a 17 - yard touchdown pass to running back Marion Barber . In the fourth quarter , the Eagles would once again retake the lead , at 37 – 31 , with Westbrook ' s 1 - yard touchdown run . Nick Folk ' s 47 - yard field goal made it 37 – 34 Philadelphia . The critical turnover occurred when McNabb botched a handoff to Westbrook at the Cowboy 33 - yard line that Dallas recovered . Romo led his team down the field and Barber rushed it in to the right side , giving Dallas the winning margin at 41 – 37 . Needing a touchdown , Philadelphia had two more possessions , but failed to score . McNabb threw for 281 yards and a score , while Romo had 312 passing yards and three touchdowns . Westbrook found the end zone three times while gaining 103 all - purpose yards . DeSean Jackson again had over 100 receiving yards . The game featured the second most first half points in MNF history ( 54 ) and most combined points in the rivalry ' s history ( 78 ) . With the loss , the Eagles fell to 1 – 1 . Week 3 : vs . Pittsburgh Steelers . After a turnover , the Steelers scored the first points on a Jeff Reed 37 - yard field goal . Brian Westbrook left the game with an ankle injury early in the second quarter , but Correll Buckhalter finished the drive with a 20 - yard touchdown catch . The touchdown was the 176th for Donovan McNabb , surpassing Ron Jaworski on the franchise list . The Philadelphia defense began to take over at this point , sacking Roethlisberger six times in the quarter . A fumble recovery by Brodrick Bunkley after a sack led to a David Akers field goal . Pittsburgh would end the half with Reed kicking a 53 - yard field goal to make it 10 – 6 . Without Westbrook , the Eagles ' offense struggled to score , but the defense continued to shut down the Steelers . An intentional grounding penalty on Roethlisberger from his own end zone resulted in a safety . A diving sack and fumble recovery by Brian Dawkins led to a field goal and sealed the win , giving the Eagles a 15 – 6 lead . The defense sacked Roethlisberger and Byron Leftwich nine times , forced two fumbles , and intercepted a pass . Punter Sav Rocca also contributed to the second - half shutout with his punts . The Eagles improved to 2 – 1 with the win . Week 4 : at Chicago Bears . Without Brian Westbrook , but coming off their dominate defensive performance over the Steelers , the Eagles flew to Soldier Field for a Week 4 Sunday night duel with the Chicago Bears . The Bears started quickly , forcing a three - and - out , then scoring on three passing plays . DeSean Jackson was responsible for gaining 66 of the 74 yards travelled on the next drive , including a 22 - yard touchdown reception from Donovan McNabb to tie the score . Kyle Orton passed to Marty Booker for a 23 - yard touchdown to make it 14 – 7 Chicago in the second quarter , but the Eagles came right back with a quick drive ending in Correll Buckhalter scoring from a yard out . After a missed 50 - yard field goal by David Akers , the Bears used the short field to set up a 20 - yard touchdown pass to Devin Hester . Akers missed another field goal in the third quarter before making two short kicks that came after Kyle Orton fumbles . Robbie Gould booted a 41 - yard kick to make it 24 – 20 Bears in the fourth quarter . McNabb then took the Eagles down the field , and with 5 : 40 left to play , Philadelphia had 1st - and - goal from the 4 - yard line . Buckhalter got to the 1 - yard line on first down , but him and Tony Hunt failed to score on second and third down . Andy Reid went for it on fourth down and Buckhalter was stuffed for no gain . The Bears killed most of the clock on their next drive and the Eagles fell 24 – 20 . McNabb threw for 262 yards . Reggie Brown had 6 catches for 79 yards . The loss made the Eagles 2 – 2 . Week 5 : vs . Washington Redskins . The Eagles dropped a divisional matchup to a Washington Redskins team that was coming off an upset win over the Dallas Cowboys . Philadelphia enjoyed a fast start , with Donovan McNabb marching the Eagles on a 12 - play opening drive , ending with a 9 - yard touchdown by Brian Westbrook . After a Washington three - and - out , DeSean Jackson reversed the field and returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown to give Philadelphia a 14 – 0 advantage . After a 50 - yard field goal miss by David Akers on Philadelphia ' s next drive , the Redskins began their comeback . They chipped away at the lead with three second quarter field goals by Shaun Suisham . In the third quarter , Washington took the lead on a trick play , with receiver Antwaan Randle El completing an 18 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Chris Cooley . Clinton Portis scored on a 4 - yard run for Washington , making it 23 – 14 . Midway through the final quarter , the Eagles had 2nd and 1 from the Washington 2 - yard line , but were forced to settle for a field goal . A successful fourth down conversion by Portis ended the game . The Philadelphia running defense gave up 203 yards , 144 of them to Portis . Westbrook learned after the game that he had broken his ribs during the first quarter . With the loss , Philadelphia fell to 2 – 3 in the NFC East . Week 6 : at San Francisco 49ers . Playing without several offensive starters , the Eagles pulled out a 40 – 26 win with a gutsy fourth quarter comeback against the San Francisco 49ers . Following a 49ers field goal , the Eagles capitalized on a big kickoff return by Quintin Demps to eventually score on a Correll Buckhalter 1 - yard run . San Francisco kicked another field goal to close to 7 – 6 , but Donovan McNabb connected with Hank Baskett on a 2 - yard fade pass for a touchdown early in the second quarter . A chip shot field goal by David Akers gave Philadelphia a 17 – 6 lead , but 49ers kicker Joe Nedney made a 53 - yarder on the next drive to make it 17 – 9 . Just before halftime , Akers attempted a long 54 - yard attempt , but the kick was blocked and returned for a touchdown by San Francisco . On their first drive of the third quarter , the 49ers drove down the field and took the lead 23 – 17 on a 6 - yard run by Frank Gore . Nedney added another field goal and it was 26 – 17 49ers going into the fourth quarter . McNabb led the Eagles on a scoring drive , finding tight end L . J . Smith in the middle of the endzone for the touchdown . The Philadelphia defense began to smother the San Francisco attack , and the Eagles got the ball back and retook the lead on a 38 - yard Akers field goal . An interception by safety Quintin Mikell led to another Philadelphia field goal , making it 30 – 26 . A fumble recovery by defensive lineman Chris Clemons resulted in another Akers field goal . With Philadelphia up by seven points , Juqua Parker intercepted San Francisco ' s J . T . O ' Sullivan and returned it for a touchdown . McNabb threw for a pair of touchdowns and 279 yards . Buckhalter had a huge game , rushing for 97 yards and a touchdown , and catching seven passes for 89 yards . DeSean Jackson added 94 receiving yards . With the win , the Eagles entered their bye week at 3 – 3 . Week 8 : vs Atlanta Falcons . The Eagles improved to 10 – 0 after the bye under Andy Reid with a 27 – 14 victory over the 4 – 2 Atlanta Falcons . The Eagles offense struggled to get into a rhythm through the first quarter and a half , with Donovan McNabb misfiring on several passes . Atlanta scored first with a 55 - yard catch and run from Matt Ryan to Roddy White . The Eagles tied the score when McNabb capped off a long drive with a 3 - yard quarterback draw for a touchdown . Philadelphia drove down the field and scored on a 36 - yard David Akers field goal in just 45 seconds before halftime . The Eagles continued to roll on their opening possession of the third quarter , scoring on a 16 - yard run by Brian Westbrook to open up a 17 – 7 lead . Atlanta drove to the Philadelphia 1 - yard line in te third quarter , but Lito Sheppard intercepted a fade to the end zone . In the fourth quarter , Philadelphia ' s offense failed to capitalize on yet another goal line situation , and instead settled for a field goal , giving Atlanta hope . The Falcons responded with an impressive drive that ended in a touchdown pass to Roddy White , making it 20 – 14 . The Eagles went three and out and punted , but the officials ruled the punt was muffed by Adam Jennings and recovered by the Eagles . Atlanta , out of timeouts , could not challenge the controversial call , and two plays later Westbrook broke a 39 - yard touchdown to the left side to put the game away . Westbrook rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns and had 42 receiving yards . McNabb had 253 passing yards and also ran for 25 yards . The win was the 100th of Reid ' s career and the 500th in the history of the franchise . With the win , the Eagles improved to 4 – 3 . Week 9 : at Seattle Seahawks . Philadelphia shook off a shaky start and cruised to a 26 – 7 victory over a banged - up Seattle Seahawks team . Seattle scored on their first play from scrimmage on a 90 - yard reception by Koren Robinson , but did not threaten the rest of the game . Robinson beat Lito Sheppard and Brian Dawkins missed the tackle as the Seahawks jumped out to a 7 – 0 lead . Donovan McNabb had another ugly start , firing incompletions on his first seven pass attempts . However , in the second quarter , the Eagles began to move the ball and McNabb found Reggie Brown for a 22 - yard touchdown . On the next drive , with first and goal , the Eagles ran a play - action fake and McNabb threw it to offensive guard Todd Herremans for a 1 - yard touchdown and a 14 – 7 lead . Philadelphia ' s next four drives led to David Akers field goals as they sailed to a 26 – 7 win . The Eagles ' defense forced Seattle to punt on their final ten possessions and Darren Howard had two sacks . McNabb finished with 349 yards passing , two touchdowns , and an interception . Backup tight end Brent Celek had the game of his life – finishing with six catches and 131 receiving yards . With their 3rd - straight win , the Eagles improved to 5 – 3 . Week 10 : vs . New York Giants . The Eagles , who had not won on prime time in two years , faced off against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants on a Sunday night game at Lincoln Financial Field . Mike Patterson batted up and intercepted Eli Manning , returning the ball inside the New York 10 - yard line . Two plays later DeSean Jackson took the direct snap and rushed 9 - yards , diving to the pylon for a touchdown less than two minutes into the game . Manning then led the Giants up the field and he found Plaxico Burress for a 17 - yard touchdown . The Eagles fumbled the kickoff , and New York cashed in for a field goal . On New York ' s next drive , Manning capped off another another long drive with a short touchdown pass to Kevin Boss to take a 17 – 7 lead early in the second quarter . A fumble by Giant rusher Brandon Jacobs gave Philadelphia the ball in New York territory . Six plays later , Donovan McNabb completed a 10 - yard pass to Jason Avant for an Eagle touchdown . Sam Madison picked off McNabb deep in Eagle territory on the next drive , but the Giants settled for a field goal to make it 20 – 14 . McNabb ran the two - minute drill before the half to get the Eagles a 29 - yard field goal before halftime , narrowing the score to 20 – 17 . After a good kickoff return by rookie Quintin Demps , the Eagles navigated the short field for another touchdown , this one a fade to Hank Baskett and a 24 – 20 Philadelphia lead . The Giants , continuing to have success with their ground game , drove down the field . On a critical 3rd - and - 10 from the Eagle 20 - yard line , Manning completed a 17 - yard pass to Boss , but was flagged for crossing the line of scrimmage . Giants ' coach Tom Coughlin challenged the call , and it was reversed , giving New York 1st - and - goal . They scored when Jacobs powered forward on a 3 - yard run . Another long Giant drive led to a field goal early in the fourth quarter making it 30 – 24 Giants . The Giants scored again on their next drive , a 3 - yard rush by Jacobs . Andy Reid challenged consecutive plays at the end of the drive , but lost both of them , leaving the Eagles with only one timeout , 9 : 30 left to play , and a 36 – 24 deficit ( after New York missed on the two - point conversion ) . A 32 - yard completion to DeSean Jackson jump - started the offense , and McNabb hit Kevin Curtis for a 2 - yard touchdown on fourth down to keep Philadelphia alive . The Eagles got the ball back with 3 : 14 left , but could not convert on a 4th - and - 1 near midfield to lose the game 36 – 31 . McNabb had three touchdown passes , but Brian Westbrook was limited to just 26 yards on 13 carries . Jacobs rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns for the Giants . The Eagles fell to 5 – 4 , 0 – 3 in their division . Week 11 : at Cincinnati Bengals . The Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals played to a 13 – 13 tie . Donovan McNabb turned the ball over on a sack at the end of the first quarter , leading to a Bengal field goal . A 44 - yard catch and run by Correll Buckhalter set up a 42 - yard David Akers field goal to tie the score early in the second quarter . McNabb was picked off in Bengal territory with less than two minutes left in the half , and Cincinnati scored four plays later on a 26 - yard touchdown reception by T . J . Houshmandzadeh . The Bengals added another field goal early in the third quarter to take a 13 – 3 lead . Hank Baskett came up with a 57 - yard completion , followed by a 4 - yard touchdown reception by L . J . Smith to make it 13 – 10 . In the fourth quarter , Philadelphia tied the game on a field goal after a 13 - play drive . The offenses struggled throughout the rest of regulation and the game went to overtime . The Eagles won the toss , but the Bengals had the field position advantage throughout most of overtime . Nevertheless , neither team could score . The Bengals had a chance to win on 47 - yard field goal attempt by Shayne Graham , but the kick went wide right and the game ended in a tie . McNabb passed for 338 yards and a touchdown , but had three interceptions ( all in Cincinnati territory ) and a lost fumble . The defense registered eight sacks . This was the first game in the NFL to end in a tie since the 2002 Falcons - Steelers game . It was also played 11 years to the day since the Eagles ' last tie game . After the game , several Philadelphia players , including Donovan McNabb , explained that they did not realize a game could end in a tie , causing controversy because this could have changed the strategy in the overtime period . ( This was a regular season game , so there was a limit of one overtime period . ) With the tie , the Eagles fell to 5 – 4 – 1 , putting them back into last place in the NFC East . Week 12 : at Baltimore Ravens . The Eagles faced off with the Baltimore Ravens in an interconference matchup . Both defenses dominated the first quarter , and in the second quarter , Baltimore forced three turnovers ( two interceptions and a fumble ) from Donovan McNabb . Ravens kicker Matt Stover booted a 44 - yard field goal , while quarterback Joe Flacco completed a 1 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Daniel Wilcox . However , rookie Quintin Demps returned the following kickoff 100 yards for a Philadelphia touchdown to make it 10 – 7 Ravens at halftime . Andy Reid decided to bench McNabb ( who was 8 - for - 18 for 59 yards and two interceptions ) and put backup quarterback Kevin Kolb into the game . Kolb also struggled with the Baltimore defense , and the Eagles fell behind 12 – 7 when linebacker Jameel McClain blocked Sav Rocca ' s punt into the back of the endzone for a safety . In the fourth , the Ravens kicked another field goal after a Kolb interception , then Mark Clayton took a short slant 53 - yards for a touchdown to make it 22 – 7 . Kolb drove Philadelphia to the Raven 1 - yard line , but was intercepted in the end zone by Ed Reed , who returned the ball an NFL - record 108 yards for the touchdown . Le ' Ron McClain added a 1 - yard touchdown run as Baltimore won 36 – 7 . Kolb was 10 - for - 23 for 73 yards and two interceptions , and Brian Westbrook had 39 yards rushing on 14 carries . The Eagles dropped to 5 – 5 – 1 . Week 13 : vs . Arizona Cardinals . Andy Reid waited until Monday afternoon to name Donovan McNabb as his starter for a Thanksgiving Day matchup with the Arizona Cardinals . On the opening drive , the Eagles marched down the field and scored on 5 - yard touchdown pass up the middle to Brian Westbrook After Joselio Hanson intercepted Kurt Warner , the Eagles scored again on four runs to Westbrook , the final one being a 1 - yard burst up the middle . In the second quarter , the Eagles increased their lead to 21 – 0 when McNabb hooked up with Westbrook again on a 2 - yard touchdown pass . The Cardinals would get on the board with a 1 - yard TD pass to Larry Fitzgerald , but Philadelphia closed out the half with kicker David Akers getting a 42 - yard field goal . Westbrook scored his fourth touchdown on a 9 - yard run in third quarter as Philadelphia made it 31 – 7 . Arizona capitalized on a muffed punt return by DeSean Jackson with a touchdown pass to Steve Breaston ( with a failed 2 - point conversion ) . After a Philadelphia field goal , the Cardinals closed to 34 – 20 when Fitzgerald caught his second touchdown . However , the Eagles pulled away for good with McNabb completing short touchdown passes to DeSean Jackson and Jason Avant . With the win , Philadelphia improved to 6 – 5 – 1 and returned to the playoff hunt . McNabb was 27 - for - 39 for 260 yards and four touchdowns , and Westbrook gained 110 yards rushing , scored two touchdowns on the ground , and two more in the air . McNabb and Westbrook were both given NFL Network ' s 2008 Pudding Pie Award for their efforts . Week 14 : at New York Giants . After the win over Arizona on Thanksgiving , the Eagles dealt the 11 – 1 New York Giants a 20 – 14 loss in a rematch against the defending Super Bowl champions . Philadelphia would close out the first quarter with kicker David Akers getting a 51 - yard field goal , then they blocked an attempt by John Carney early in the next quarter . Brian Westbrook broke a 30 - yard touchdown run to make it 10 – 0 . Before halftime , Kevin Dockery returned a blocked Akers field goal attempt 71 yards for a New York touchdown . In the scoreless third quarter , the Eagles held the Giants ' offense to six plays . Philadelphia scored in the fourth when Donovan McNabb found Westbrook , who had beaten the coverage of linebacker Antonio Pierce , for a 40 - yard touchdown pass . Westbrook carried the ball 11 times on the next drive , which was capped with Akers making a 34 - yard field goal to make it 20 – 7 . Eli Manning completed a 1 - yard touchdown to tight end Darcy Johnson for New York to close the scoring . Westbrook had 131 rushing yards on 33 carries and a touchdown , as well as six catches for 72 yards and another touchdown . With the win , Philadelphia improved to 7 – 5 – 1 . Week 15 : vs . Cleveland Browns . Trying to continue their two - game winning streak and keep their playoff hopes alive , the Eagles hosted the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football . The Eagles scored a touchdown on their opening drive – a 14 - yard pass from Donovan McNabb to Kevin Curtis . After trading field goals later in the first quarter , the Eagles took a 17 – 3 lead when Asante Samuel returned an interception 50 yards for a touchdown . On the final play of the half , McNabb was intercepted on a fade pass by Brandon McDonald , who returned the ball all the way to inside the Eagle 5 - yard line before being forced out of bounds . David Akers converted a 34 - yard field goal in the third quarter to make it 20 – 3 Eagles . Following another Akers field goal , McNabb found Greg Lewis on a 10 - yard touchdown pass , increasing the lead to 30 – 10 . Cleveland ' s sole touchdown came on an interception return by Brandon McDonald off of Eagle second - string quarterback Kevin Kolb . With the win , the Eagle ' s winning streak increased to three games , and hopes of a playoff berth continued . Their record went to 8 – 5 – 1 . Week 16 : at Washington Redskins . The Eagles came out flat and lost 10 – 3 to the Washington Redskins in a game that was almost a must - win for them . After a scoreless first quarter , Redskins kicker Shaun Suisham kicked a 33 - yard field goal to send Eagles to halftime with a 3 – 0 deficit . In the third quarter , Washington cashed in on a fumble recovery deep in Philadelphia territory when running back Clinton Portis scored on a 1 - yard touchdown run . The Eagles answered with kicker David Akers nailing a 22 - yard field goal to make it 10 – 3 Washington . With 3 : 48 to play , Philadelphia ' s offense mustered up a late - game drive . After a couple of incomplete passes in the direction of DeSean Jackson , a pair of receptions by Brian Westbrook got the Eagles inside the Washington red zone . However , the rally fell short when a pass to wide receiver Reggie Brown only got to the 1 - yard line , as Redskins cornerback Fred Smoot and safety LaRon Landry tackled Brown shy of the goal line , allowing time to run out . The Eagles dropped to 8 – 6 – 1 . Week 17 : vs . Dallas Cowboys . Losses by the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier in the day gave the Eagles the help they needed and created a situation where the winner between the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys would earn a playoff berth . In the first quarter , the Eagles scored first with a 40 - yard field goal from kicker David Akers . The game would soon be tied by Cowboys kicker Nick Folk ' s 37 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Eagles took control when quarterback Donovan McNabb found Correll Buckhalter for a 59 - yard catch - and - run , then snuck the ball up the middle himself for touchdown . McNabb completed a 4 - yard touchdown pass to Buckhalter later in the quarter , then hit tight end Brent Celek for a 1 - yard touchdown pass as Philadelphia took a 24 – 3 lead . A kick return fumble by Pacman Jones with five seconds left in the half allowed the Eagles to close out the half with a David Akers 50 - yard field goal . A gadget play where Jason Witten passed 42 yards to Terrell Owens took Dallas into Philadelphia territory , but Brian Dawkins sacked Tony Romo , causing a fumble which was recovered and returned for a touchdown by Chris Clemons . On the Cowboys ' next drive , Marion Barber fumbled ( Also caused by Dawkins ) inside the Eagle 5 - yard line , and Joselio Hanson returned the ball 96 yards for a touchdown and it was now 41 – 3 Eagles . A Chris Clemons sack of Romo caused another fumble , which led to a field goal and 44 – 3 lead . The Eagles forced five turnovers , Buckhalter had 122 yards from scrimmage , and McNabb had a pair of touchdown passes and one rushing score . Philadelphia ended the regular season at 9 – 6 – 1 , but more importantly , they had improbably clinched the NFC ' s # 6 seed . Playoffs . NFC Wild Card : at Minnesota Vikings . Entering the postseason as the NFC ' s sixth seed , the Eagles began their playoff run at the Hubert H . Humphrey Metrodome against the # 3 seeded Minnesota Vikings . The Vikings , coached by Andy Reid protege Brad Childress , finished the season at 10 – 6 with an NFC North title . Minnesota ' s defense was ranked # 1 in the league against the rush . The offense featured emerging superstar running back Adrian Peterson , but inexperienced Tarvaris Jackson had taken over at quarterback late in the year and would start in the playoffs . In the opening quarter , a 62 - yard punt return by DeSean Jackson led to a 43 - yard field goal by kicker David Akers . Akers converted from 51 yards at the end of the quarter and the Eagles led 6 – 0 . The Vikings struck in the second quarter when running back Adrian Peterson broke a 40 - yard touchdown run to the left , giving Minnesota a 7 – 6 lead . A 34 yard completion by Donovan McNabb to DeSean Jackson set up another field goal for the Eagles . One minute later , cornerback Asante Samuel returned an interception of Tarvaris Jackson 44 yards return for a touchdown ( the 4th of his career , which is the most career postseason TD interception returns in NFL history ) . Peterson carried it in 3 yards for a touchdown late in the half to make the score 16 – 14 Eagles . The defenses stiffened in a scoreless third quarter , but the game remained tight . Then , with 6 : 37 left in the fourth quarter , Brian Westbrook took a screen pass 71 yards for a touchdown to extend Philadelphia ' s lead to 23 – 14 . Westbrook ' s play was greatly aided by excellent downfield blocking by the rest of the Eagle offense . The Eagles ' recovery of a low shotgun snap to Tarvaris Jackson led to Akers ' fourth field goal of the day and a 26 – 14 lead . Westbrook had 121 yards from scrimmage , as well as a key touchdown . Tight end Brent Celek chipped in with 6 catches for 56 yards , while McNabb threw for 300 yards a touchdown and an interception . With the win , the Eagles improved their overall record to 10 – 6 – 1 . Also , Philadelphia improved their Wild Card record under head coach Andy Reid to 4 – 0 . NFC Divisional Round : at New York Giants . Coming off their Wild Card road win over the Vikings , the Eagles took a bus up the NJ Turnpike to Giants Stadium for their NFC Divisional duel with their NFC East rival , the top - seeded / defending champion New York Giants . The Giants had defeated the Eagles 36 – 31 in Week 10 , but the Eagles won 20 – 14 four weeks later in the Meadowlands . It was the start of a skid for New York where they lost three of their final four games after the loss of receiver Plaxico Burress . Ahmad Bradshaw returned the opening kickoff to the Eagle 35 - yard line and the Giants finished the drive with a 22 - yard John Carney field goal . On the first play of New York ' s next drive , Asante Samuel came up with another big playoff interception for the Eagles , returning the ball inside the New York 5 - yard line . Donovan McNabb stretched the ball over the plane for a touchdown on a quarterback sneak as Philadelphia took a 7 – 3 lead . New York punter Jeff Feagles pinned the Eagles deep in their own territory early in the second quarter , and the Giants defense forced McNabb into committing an intentional grounding penalty from his own endzone , giving the Giants a safety . Carney missed from 46 yards on the ensuing New York possession , but he was good from 34 yard on the next possession as New York went ahead 8 – 7 . The Eagles ' offense finally got on track on their last possession of the half , driving down the field and getting a 25 - yard field goal by David Akers to take a 10 – 8 lead to the locker room . New York defensive lineman Fred Robbins came up with an interception of McNabb early in the third quarter , and New York retook the lead on a field goal . Philadelphia responded with an impressive drive highlighted by McNabb finding slot receiver Jason Avant for a 21 - yard gain on 3rd - and - 20 and running back Correll Buckhalter for 19 yards on 3rd - and - 10 . The drive ended in a short field goal and the Eagles led 13 – 11 . Carney missed a 47 - yarder on the next drive , and the Eagles capitalized with a 10 - play drive capped with a 1 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Brent Celek . Early in the fourth quarter , on 4th - and - 1 from the Giant 44 - yard line , Eli Manning was stuffed on a quarterback sneak . On the next drive , the Eagles defensive line stopped Derrick Ward and Brandon Jacobs on third and fourth down . After the ball turned over on downs , McNabb laced a 48 - yard bomb to DeSean Jackson . A field goal followed and the Eagles took a 23 – 11 lead . Quintin Mikell ' s interception of Manning essentially ended the game . The Eagles had delivered a big upset and now advanced to the NFC Championship against the Arizona Cardinals . McNabb threw for 217 yards , a touchdown and two interceptions in windy conditions . Brian Westbrook was held to 36 rushing yards , but DeSean Jackson caught four passes for 84 yards . While Jacobs and Ward combined for 138 yards , Manning struggled in the passing game , throwing two interceptions . NFC Championship : at Arizona Cardinals . Coming off their divisional road win over the top - seeded Giants , the Eagles flew to the University of Phoenix Stadium for their fifth appearance in eight years in the NFC Championship Game against the Arizona Cardinals . On Thanksgiving Night , the Eagles had crushed Arizona 48 – 20 . The Cardinals , who finished 9 – 7 with losses in four of their last six games , were considered by some experts to be one of the worst playoff teams ever . However , they put together wins over the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers behind strong performances by veteran quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald . The Cardinals marched down the field after the game ' s opening kickoff and ended the drive with Kurt Warner ' s 9 - yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald . Donovan McNabb scrambled for 21 yards on Philadelphia ' s first play , and the drive ended in a 45 - yard field goal by David Akers ( improving his NFL record for consecutive postseason field goals to 19 ) . Akers missed on the next Eagles ' drive , and on Arizona ' s first play after taking over , Fitzgerald scored on a 62 - yard touchdown pass on a trick play to give Arizona a 14 – 3 second quarter lead . A 47 - yard catch and run by Kevin Curtis helped Philadelphia answer with a 33 - yard field goal , but the Cardinals would end the half with Warner ' s 1 - yard touchdown pass to Fitzgerald and kicker Neil Rackers ' 49 - yard field goal to take a commanding 24 – 6 lead . The third quarter began with safety Adrian Wilson sacking McNabb on a blitz and Arizona recovering . However , the Eagles ' defense held and McNabb began to rally Philadelphia . A 50 - yard completion to Curtis jump - started a drive that ended in a 6 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Brent Celek to make it 24 – 13 . The Eagles got the ball right back and scored again on a 31 - yard touchdown pass from McNabb to Celek , narrowing the score to 24 – 19 after a failed PAT by Akers . The Cardinals punted again , and with 10 : 45 left in the fourth quarter , McNabb launched a bomb to DeSean Jackson that he bobbled and then hauled in despite the coverage of Dominique Rodgers - Cromartie . The 62 - yard play put Philadelphia ahead 25 – 24 ( after a failed 2 - point conversion ) . The Cardinals began an eight minute drive ( that included a 4th - and - 1 conversion ) that was capped by an 8 - yard touchdown pass to running back Tim Hightower . The successful 2 - point conversion by Ben Patrick put Arizona back on top 32 – 25 . The Eagles drove in Arizona territory , but four straight incompletions ended Philadelphia ' s hopes of a Super Bowl XLIII appearance . With the loss , Philadelphia ' s season ended with an overall record of 11 – 7 – 1 . McNabb threw for 375 yards , three touchdowns , and one interception . Curtis had 122 receiving yards , Jackson had 92 receiving yards , and Celek had 10 catches and two touchdowns . However , Brian Westbrook ( 71 yards from scrimmage ) was a non - factor and the defense forced zero turnovers . Larry Fitzgerald , who eventually set a record for receiving yards in a playoff season , had 152 yards , three touchdowns , and dominated the first half .