Eagles, Patriots Headed to Superbowl 2005!
The
Philadelphia Eagles and the
New England Patriots will meet in the Super Bowl.
The Patriots topped the Pittsburgh Steelers, owners of the NFL's best record at 15-1, to
win the AFC championship 41-27 last night. Earlier in the day,
the Eagles beat the Atlanta Falcons
27-10 for the NFC title.
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick were an unstoppable combination again for the Patriots, exposing all of the Steelers' weaknesses to end their 15-game winning streak.
Brady gave the inexperienced Ben Roethlisberger a lesson in quarterbacking a championship game, throwing two touchdown passes - one to Deion Branch that gave New England a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.
Belichick upstaged can't-win-the-big-one Steelers coach Bill Cowher, improving to 9-1 as a playoffs coach and matching Vince Lombardi for the best postseason record in NFL playoff history.
Brady has a record of his own: 8-0 as a postseason quarterback, bettering Troy Aikman's 7-0 record at the start of his playoffs career.
"I'm just so proud of these players. Our team has played well in big games and this was a huge one," Belichick said.
Now, the defending champions will play the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl on Feb. 6 in Jacksonville, Fla. New England was installed as an early 6-to-6 1/2-point favorite.
The Eagles ended their three-game losing streak in the NFC championship game by beating Atlanta.
Donovan McNabb & Co. ignored the burden of three straight losses in the NFC championship game and warmed a frozen city's heart, stuffing Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons 27-10 on Sunday.
Philadelphia moves on to its first Super Bowl in 24 years - the only acceptable outcome for the Eagles and their rabid fans after so many close calls.
"We've got one more game to play," McNabb told the crowd. "The reason we set out to play this game ... is to win the Super Bowl.
"Enjoy it now, and we'll bring something else home."
The fourth consecutive appearance in the NFC title game proved to be the charm for the Eagles, even though they didn't have top receiver Terrell Owens - reduced to the role of MVC (Most Valuable Cheerleader) on the sideline.
Nothing was going to stand in the way of this team, which entered the season with a Super Bowl or Bust mentality and met those enormous expectations.
McNabb threw a pair of touchdown passes to Chad Lewis, including the clinching score with 3:21 remaining. That turned the final minutes into a delirious coronation, the 67,717 fans - most of whom never sat in their seats on a 17-degree day - saluting a team that fulfilled its destiny.
"Super Bowl! Super Bowl!" they chanted when play was halted for the two-minute warning.
The only warm-weather team left in the playoffs went cold in its biggest game of the year. Vick was sacked four times by the fearsome Philly defense, which also came up with a crucial interception that set up David Akers' second field goal.
The significance of the day was evident on the field - the Eagles pranced and posed after every big play - and in the stands, where hugs and beer flowed freely at Lincoln Financial Field. Friends and strangers celebrated in unison, brought together by their beloved Eagles.
"This team has great personality," coach Andy Reid said. "Everybody here in Philadelphia loves 'em."
The Eagles are one victory away from bringing the city its first major sports championship since the 76ers won the NBA title in 1983. The football team hasn't won it all since 1960, which predates the Super Bowl by six seasons.
Philly's only previous Super Bowl appearance came in 1981, but the Eagles fell flat in a 27-10 loss to the Raiders. This time, that score worked in their favor.
McNabb completed 17-of-26 passes for 180 yards, a workmanlike performance that solidified his position as one of the game's best quarterbacks. He also ran 10 times for 32 yards.
Vick's debut on the Super Bowl stage will have to wait. He completed just 11-of-24 for 136 yards, while the Eagles' stifling defense kept him from pulling off one of his signature runs.
He ran it just four times for 26 yards, but gave up even more yards on the sacks. Derrick Burgess dropped the elusive quarterback twice, and Jevon Kearse kept Vick hemmed up on the other side.
"I didn't get outside the pocket," Vick said. "I think that was their first priority."
Philadelphia led only 14-10 at halftime, a bit too close for a team that had lost to St. Louis, Tampa Bay and Carolina in the last three NFC title games. Even more galling - the two more recent defeats were at home.
But, as the sun gave way to a nearly full moon over "The Linc," the Eagles dominated the final two quarters. Akers connected from 31 and 34 yards, then McNabb and Lewis teamed up to finish off the Falcons with their 2-yard touchdown play.
Owens, who didn't play because of a severe ankle injury, played a prominent role nonetheless. He led the Eagles on the field and drew plenty of attention with his sideline antics, flapping his arms and waving a towel to urge on a crowd that didn't need any encouragement.
Meanwhile, his teammates filled in admirably. McNabb worked his passes around to eight players, led by Brian Westbrook with five catches for 39 yards. Westbrook also handled the bulk of the running load, carrying 16 times for 96 yards.
(full story Kansas City)
AFC Champions -- Again New England Patriots
New England knocked off the No. 1 seed Steelers and did it convincingly, 41-27. Next stop, Jacksonville.
Defensive struggle? Really, what does anyone really know?
The Patriots broke out to a 24-3 halftime lead and although the Steelers made it interesting in the second half, rookie Ben Roethlisberger made too many mistakes and the Patriots made too many plays for Pittsburgh to really have a chance as New England piled on the points to the tune of 41-27.
The Patriots are AFC Champs -- again.
Tom Brady was a humble 14 of 21 passing for 207 yards and two touchdowns. Deion Branch came up big with 4 catches for 116 yards and a score while David Givens had five catches -- all of them seemingly at key times -- for 59 yards and a score.
Corey Dillon's mere presence was a difference from the earlier meeting of the two teams. While he only gained 73 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown, he was his usual clock killer as the game wound down.
Call it rookie jitters, playoff pressure or just a plain overthrow, but it was Eugene Wilson picking off Roethlisberger right off the bat. On the Steelers first series of the game, Big Ben ( 14 of 24 for 226 yards, 2 touchdowns, 3 interceptions) faced a third and three and was high on his attempt to Antwaan Randle El. Wilson came up with the ball as it was tipped into the air off Randle El's fingers.
(
more)
Fred Kirsch
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Patriots play like champions in 41-27 win
The New England Patriots played like the defending Super Bowl champions they are in a 41-27 win over the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game.
The New England Patriots arrived in Pittsburgh wearing the mantel of defending Super Bowl champions, and then last Sunday night they played up to that standard. The Patriots took control of the AFC Championship Game early by building a 24-3 halftime lead, and they withstood every Steelers challenge in the second half along the way to a 41-27 win and a berth in Super Bowl XXXIX on Feb. 6 in Jacksonville.
In an eerie bit of irony, the Patriots’ first half lead was identical to the first-half lead the Steelers built in the Oct. 31 game between the teams that they won, 34-20.
One week after throwing two interceptions against the New York Jets, Ben Roethlisberger had another difficult outing against the Patriots. This time he threw three interceptions, one of which was returned 87 yards for a touchdown by Rodney Harrison, and that gave the Patriots that 24-3 halftime lead.
"That was at least a 10-point swing, maybe more," said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. "Rodney undercut the tight end on the out-route, and he got a nice block from Mike Vrabel at the end (of the return). Rodney has been a big player for us all year, and he stepped up again in the big game and made another one."
Another player who came up big for the Patriots was quarterback Tom Brady. After throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble in the Steelers regular season win over the Patriots, Brady played more like the two-time Super Bowl MVP that he is.
Brady completed 14-of-21 for 207 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He was especially effective on his deep passes, with Deion Branch catching one for 45 yards and another for a 60-yard touchdown. Brady now is 8-0 as a starting quarterback in the playoffs.
"Tom, to me, is kind of the same guy every day and every game," said Belichick. "Not every play is perfect, but most of them are pretty good, and he’s very well prepared. He’s a smart and tough guy and a great competitor. He seems like he’s always ready to play. I don’t think the magnitude of the game or the crowd noise or the situation bothers him. He’s able to focus on what he has to do, and usually does a pretty good job on it."
Roethlisberger came into the conference championship game riding a 15-game winning streak as the starting quarterback, but it all fell apart quickly against the Patriots.
His first pass of the game was high and behind Antwaan Randle El, and Patriots safety Eugene Wilson made the interception that set up the Patriots on a field goal drive that gave them a 3-0 lead. Things didn’t get appreciably better for him during the rest of a first half in which he completed 5-of-10 for 77 yards, a first half that also included Harrison’s interception return for a touchdown.
(more)
BOB LABRIOLA
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Post-Game Quotes
Steelers Head Coach Bill Cowher
Steelers Players
Additional Steelers Players Quotes
Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick
Patriots Players Quotes
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Eagles top Falcons 27-10
PHILADELPHIA (Jan. 23, 2005) -- Fireworks soared above the roof of "The Linc." A blizzard of glitter swirled in the bitterly cold breeze. Fans toasted their team and each other with beers and hugs.
It was a Super-sized celebration four years in the making. And quite a relief, too. Yo, Philly, how's this sound? Your Eagles are going to the Super Bowl.
Donovan McNabb & Co. overcame the burden of three consecutive losses in the NFC championship game and warmed a frozen city's heart, stuffing Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons 27-10.
McNabb isn't satisfied yet. "There's no relief for me," he said. "We'll have relief after the Super Bowl. We set a goal of winning the Super Bowl, not just the NFC. So that's where I'm going. We're excited, but we're not done."
(Full story)
NFL.com wire reports
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Will Eagles Terrell Owens Play In Super Bowl?
January 24, 2005
Now comes the question everybody wants the answer to, the question that everyone claims to have "information" on, the question that could have a decided impact on Super Bowl XXXIX:. Will wide receiver Terrell Owens play when the Eagles square off against New England in Jacksonville? Head coach Andy Reid doesn't know. He is encouraged by Owens' progress from his December 22 surgery to repair a severely sprained right ankle, but the truth is that it's too early to tell.
It is fair to say that the next few days are critical in Owens' recovery.
"He's going to continue his rehab. Somewhere in the next few days here, he's going to try and run on that thing, jog on it, see what he can do and progress from there," said Reid. "He's coming in every day for treatment -- he's been working in the pool, running in the pool, but it's a matter of him getting out and trying it on land here without the water."
Owens is very anxious to get back in action. He reportedly met with his surgeon, Dr. Mark Myerson, last week and hoped to get clearance to play against Atlanta.
That hope was dashed.
But now, five weeks after his surgery, Owens is ready to proceed to the next phase of his recovery.
(more)
DAVE SPADARO
