| Eagles Defense Frustrates Falcons | |
Sunday, Jan. 11, 8:00 PM ET
At: Veterans Stadium
Saturday's contest between the Eagles and Falcons was supposed to be a showdown between Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick, but it was the Eagles defense that came up big, containing the dangerous QB, and holding Atlanta to just two field goals.
Vick completed 22-of-38 passes for 274 yards, but threw two interceptions and was sacked three times. He ran just six times for 30 yards, and was also kept out of the endzone all night.
Philadelphia's defense opened the scoring in the first quarter when Bobby Taylor picked off a first-down pass by Michael Vick and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown. A 34-yard field goal by David Akers later in the quarter gave the Eagles a 10-0 lead.
After stuffing T.J. Duckett for a loss on a third-and-one, the Eagles received the Chris Mohr punt at their own 14-yard line. A 42-yard McNabb pass to wide receiver James Thrash quickly got the Eagles into Falcons territory, and a couple first downs later, Akers kicked a 39-yard field goal for a 13-0 lead.
A couple long drives by the Falcons resulted in a pair of Jay Feely field goals, the second pulling Atlanta to within a touchdown as time expired in the first half.
The teams traded punts and missed field goals throughout the third quarter, though Vick appeared to tie the game with a 20-yard touchdown run, but the play was called back because of a holding penalty.
The Eagles closed out the scoring early in the fourth quarter when McNabb hit James Thrash across the middle for a 35-yard score, giving Philadelphia a 20-6 playoff win over the Falcons.
