2006 Philadelphia Eagles season

The 2006 Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's 74th season in the National Football League (NFL), and the eighth under head coach Andy Reid. the Eagles improved on their 6–10 record from 2005 and finishing 10–6, reclaiming the NFC East, and winning a playoff game at home. The season ended in a Divisional Round playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints, but was seen as a success in the face of the adversity of losing starting quarterback Donovan McNabb to injury in Week 11.

The Eagles won four of their first five games, but they underwent a mid-season downturn that left them 5–6 and without McNabb. Backup quarterback Jeff Garcia stepped in and running back Brian Westbrook stepped up as the season turned around for Philadelphia. The team came back from the dead in late November to win their last five regular season games, surprisingly winning the NFC East division title after a three-game December road sweep of all of its division rivals. They beat the New York Giants 23–20 in a home playoff game before finally losing to the Saints.

McNabb started the season with MVP-caliber numbers before his November injury, while Garcia was efficient, running the "West Coast offense" perfectly and completing eleven touchdown passes with only two interceptions. Westbrook became the focal point of the team's offense after the loss of McNabb, and responded by rushing for 1,217 yards and racking up 699 receiving yards. Trade acquisition Donté Stallworth combined with second-year wideout Reggie Brown to catch 15 touchdown passes and amass 1,541 receiving yards. Meanwhile, the offensive line was a quiet strength of the team, featuring emerging star Shawn Andrews and a group that started all 16 games together. The offense managed to morph from a quick-strike team under McNabb to a methodical balanced attack under Garcia while finishing No. 2 in yards in the league.

The defense was much improved from the previous season. The early season pass rush was savage, and the team appeared to be on the way to a sacks record, but a season-ending injury to Jevon Kearse and attrition weakened the defensive line. During the team's mid-season slump, the run defense was porous, but an elevation in play, spearheaded by defensive leader and All-Pro Brian Dawkins, helped the team turnaround. Trent Cole had eight of the team's 40 sacks and Lito Sheppard and his six interceptions made the Pro Bowl. The defense snagged 19 picks, returning four of them for touchdowns.

Offseason

In the

Correll Buckhalter returned after two years on injured reserve and the team added depth to the offensive and defensive lines. At the end of training camp, the Eagles cut two long-standing players from the team. They let maligned wide receiver Todd Pinkston go, due to his lingering Achilles tendon injury from the previous season. The team also released backup quarterback Koy Detmer, with former Pro Bowler Jeff Garcia and former Eagle A. J. Feeley becoming the team's new backups.

There was criticism based around the Eagles' failure to adequately replace departed wide receiver Terrell Owens. However, with about a week left until the regular season began, the Eagles made a trade to get Donté Stallworth from the New Orleans Saints for linebacker Mark Simoneau and a conditional fourth-round draft pick in 2007.

Staff

Philadelphia Eagles Draft

Roster

Schedule

Preseason

Regular season

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Playoffs

Standings

Regular season

Week 1: at Houston Texans

at

The Eagles opened the regular season on the road against the

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia |weather= 81 °F (27 °C) (Sunny) The Eagles Week 2 home opener began similar to the game against the Houston Texans, the Giants marched downfield on their first drive with a touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Amani Toomer. Similar to the Houston game, the Eagles would proceed to destroy the Giants offense with 8 sacks and amass over 400 yards on the Giants defense going a 24-point scoring run. However, in the 4th quarter, the Eagles completely collapsed on offense with a Brian Westbrook fumble, dropped passes and the inability to convert key 3rd downs to run out the clock. The defense failed to capitalize on a Plaxico Burress fumble in the redzone which turned into a touchdown for the Giants. The Eagles also began giving Eli Manning time to connect with his receivers downfield. Towards the end of regulation, Eagles defensive end Trent Cole was flagged for a personal foul which allowed Giants kicker Jay Feely to tie the game with a field goal.

The game proceeded to overtime with the Eagles offensive woes continuing and the defense allowing the Giants to score a miraculous touchdown on 3rd a long from Manning to Burress. To add to the loss, the Eagles lost Jevon Kearse for the remainder of the season with a knee injury.

Week 3: at San Francisco 49ers

at

Hoping to take out their frustration from the previous week's performance, where they gave up a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost to the Giants, the Eagles flew to the West Coast to take on the

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia |weather= 60 °F (16 °C) (Clear) Following their dominating road win over the 49ers, the Eagles returned home for a Monday Night match-up with the Green Bay Packers. Early in the game, the Eagles offense struggled with two goal-line fumbles being recovered by the Packers. In the first quarter, Packers kicker Dave Rayner nailed a 23-yard field goal for the only score of the period. In the second quarter, Philadelphia would score on QB Donovan McNabb's 6-yard TD run. However, Green Bay managed to get two more field goals, as Rayner got a 54-yarder and a 46-yarder to end the half. In the second half, it was all Eagles, as in the third quarter, kicker David Akers got a 40-yard field goal, while McNabb and WR Greg Lewis connected on two touchdown passes of 45 and 30 yards. In the fourth quarter, the Philly offense wrapped things up as McNabb got a 15-yard TD run, while the defense ended the game on a goal-line stand. With their victory, the Eagles managed to get their first home win of the season as the team improved to 3–1.

Week 5: vs. Dallas Cowboys

In a game that was hyped by

The Eagles, possibly suffering a letdown after their dramatic win over Dallas the previous week, came out sluggish and fell behind 10–0. They were about to get the ball with 1:56 left in the 2nd quarter, but Ryan Moats and Dexter Wynn muffed the punt return, turning it over to the Saints, who proceeded to score on a very short field to send the game into halftime with a commanding 17–3 lead.

The second half was a different story, however. The Eagles scored almost immediately on a 60-yard catch and run by

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

For the second straight week, a last-second field goal did in the Eagles. They started off poorly again, being held scoreless in the first half. Donovan McNabb tossed three interceptions in the first three quarters, with two of them being returned for touchdowns by Tampa Bay cornerback Ronde Barber. Trailing 17–0, McNabb found fullback Thomas Tapeh in the end zone. A short touchdown pass to Reggie Brown brought the Eagles to within three. The Bucs added a field goal, making it 20–14. With :33 left in the game, Brian Westbrook took a short pass and rumbled to a 52-yard touchdown. The point after gave the Eagles the lead, and it seemed as though they had pulled out a dramatic victory. However, a last-ditch 62-yard field goal attempt by Matt Bryant somehow made it through the uprights, robbing Philadelphia of the win. Westbrook had over 100 yards in both rushing and receiving in the defeat. Because of this loss, and a win by the New York Giants one night later against the Dallas Cowboys, the Eagles slid into second place in the NFC East.

Week 8: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia |weather= 54 °F (12 °C) (Sunny) Facing a battered Jacksonville Jaguar team missing starting quarterback Byron Leftwich, the Eagles turned in their worst performance of the season to this point. Philadelphia's high-powered offense was held scoreless in the first half (they failed to record a first down until the middle of the second quarter). Running backs Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew combined with quarterback David Garrard to rush for 216 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles managed two David Akers field goals in the second half, but their attempts at a rally fell short. The Eagles had considered the game a borderline must-win, but instead headed into their bye week at 4–4.

Week 10: vs. Washington Redskins

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia |weather= 61 °F (16 °C) (Rain) The Eagles got their season back on track with a 27–3 rout of the division-rival

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia |weather= 47 °F (8 °C) (Cloudy) A matchup that pitted the Eagles' No. 1 offense against the league's worst defense turned into a disaster for the Eagles, as they lost to the heavy underdog

Week 12: at Indianapolis Colts

at the

The

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia |weather= 32 °F (0 °C) (Clear) Behind a gutsy performance by

• 
  Philadelphia fumbles against Washington in week 14
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  Reggie Brown down after a passing play
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  Jaqua Parker and Michael Lewis celebrate a touchdown
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  The Redskins on offense
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  Washington tackles Brian Westbrook

Week 15: at New York Giants

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

The Eagles met the

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia |weather= 45 °F (7 °C) (Sunny) When it was announced that the

NFC Wild Card Round: vs. New York Giants

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia weather= 43 °F (6 °C) (Rain) The red-hot Eagles hosted the 8–8 New York Giants in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. The teams played twice during the season, splitting two games that were mostly dominated by the Eagles.

The Giants attacked the outside with Tiki Barber on the opening drive, and Eli Manning laced a touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress to give New York a 7–0 lead. The Eagles offense could not get going the rest of the quarter, while the Philadelphia defense held the Giants from scoring again despite good field position for New York. With things looking bleak, Brian Westbrook read his blocks and took a handoff 49 yards for a touchdown. After cornerback Sheldon Brown intercepted Manning, the Eagles took the ball to the Giants' 1-yard line, but settled for a field goal to take a 10–7 lead.

A 41-yard Barber run set up a

Behind 20–10, an Eli Manning pass to Plaxico Burress drew a 47-yard pass interference penalty. New York got inside the Eagles' 5-yard line, but the defense held and the Giants settled for a field goal early in the fourth quarter. The Eagles continued to squander the lead, as the Giants put together an 80-yard, seven-minute drive on their next possession. The drive ended in an 11-yard touchdown to Burress, which tied the game at 20–20 with five minutes remaining. Westbrook and the Eagles then conducted a masterful "four-minute offense", getting into field goal range and burning the clock. As time expired, Akers booted a 38-yard game-winner. Westbrook had 141 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Barber had 137 yards for New York in his final game. Reggie Brown had seven catches for 73 yards, including several important catches for first downs. The negative for the Eagles was the loss of Pro Bowl cornerback Lito Sheppard to a dislocated elbow. It would be Andy Reid's last home playoff win as the Eagles head coach (and last home playoff win overall until 2018) and the team's final home playoff victory until 2017.

NFC Divisional Round: at New Orleans Saints

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Riding a six-game winning streak, the Eagles traveled to the

Cornerback Sheldon Brown set the tone early with a devastating hit on Saints' rookie star Reggie Bush on the first series. After trading punts on their opening drives, the No. 1 and No. 2 offenses in the league began to make some noise. A 28-yard run by Bush helped New Orleans take a 3–0 lead. In the second quarter, the Saints reached the Eagles' 5-yard line and added another field goal. The Eagles offense then awoke when Jeff Garcia heaved a 75-yard bomb to Donté Stallworth, the longest Philadelphia playoff touchdown play ever, giving the Eagles the lead. However, a 14-play Saints' drive ended in Bush racing around the right end for a 4-yard touchdown, and a 13–7 New Orleans lead. Garcia responded with big completions to Reggie Brown and Hank Baskett that got the Eagles in position for Brian Westbrook to dive over the pile from a yard out. A "Hail Mary pass" by Saints quarterback Drew Brees narrowly missed and the teams went to the locker room with Philadelphia leading 14–13.

On the Eagles' third play of their opening drive of the third quarter, Westbrook broke through and outran the New Orleans secondary, scoring a 62-yard touchdown, the longest playoff rushing touchdown in team history. The score was now 21–13 Philadelphia and visions of a fifth trip in six years to the NFC Championship Game became more real, but this was to be the Eagles' high-water mark. New Orleans running back Deuce McAllister scored short touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) on the Saints' next two possessions, putting New Orleans back on top 27–21. The Eagles drove to the Saints 4-yard line on their next series, but could not get into the end zone, settling instead for a short David Akers field goal that left them behind 27–24 early in the fourth quarter. After punts by both teams, New Orleans got the ball back and began a drive that looked like it would run out the clock. However, Reggie Bush fumbled a pitch from Brees to end the five-minute drive, giving Philadelphia another shot with 3:18 remaining in the game. After the two-minute warning, Andy Reid decided to go for it on 4th and 10 with the Eagles on their own 44-yard line. The result was a completion to Baskett that would have been good for a first down, but right guard Scott Young (replacing the injured All-Pro Shawn Andrews), was flagged for a false start penalty. Despite only 1:56 remaining in the game, Reid elected to punt the ball back to New Orleans on the resulting 4th and 15. The Saints ran the ball for a first down and killed the clock, ending the Eagles' playoff run.

Westbrook ran for 116 yards and two scores, while McAllister had 163 all-purpose yards and two scores of his own for the Saints. Garcia threw for 240 yards, Stallworth had 100 yards receiving and a touchdown against his old team, and Reggie Brown added 76 receiving yards. The defense sacked Brees three times, but it was not enough to slow down the New Orleans offense.

References

External links

• 2006 Philadelphia Eagles at Pro-Football-Reference.com