 |
Rams RB Marshall Faulk
rushed for 159 yards in
the Rams' 29-24 win
|
It’s got to be satisfying for St. Louis
head coach Mike Martz and his staff to lead the Rams to the franchise’s second Super
Bowl in three years. Especially considering that the Rams were the overwhelming favorites
to do just that since early in the season. And especially considering that they’ve
done it with a revamped defense featuring eight new starters.
Martz and his team overcame a game Philadelphia team and held on for a 29-24 victory on
their home field Sunday. It took a superhuman effort from RB Marshall Faulk (31 carries,
159 yards) and it took a strong performance by nicked-up QB Kurt Warner (22-of-33 for 212
yards, 1 TD) as the Rams beat a rugged Philadelphia defense and won the NFC title.
The Eagles (13-6) overcame a shaky start to take a halftime lead, but the Rams (16-2)
dominated the second half, in time of possession and yardage but most importantly on the
scoreboard, as they built a 29-17 lead and held on late.
Ultimately, the Rams’ defense proved to be the equal of St. Louis’
much-heralded offense and deserves as much credit for the Rams’ win as anything. This
is a well-balanced team that is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. I expect it
to be a big favorite over New England, its opponent in Super Bowl XXXVI next Sunday.
First quarter
This has got to be a joke, right? Would you believe that the Rams’ home field has
been given its third, yes THIRD, name of the season. It started out simply enough as the
TWA Dome and then was changed to the Dome at America’s Center. Now, it’s
apparently to be called the Edward Jones Dome via a multi-million-dollar naming
rights agreement. Interestingly, the exterior of the dome hasn’t been able to keep
up. It still reads TWA.
Uh-oh. Eagles QB Donovan McNabb fumbles on the opening possession of the game and DE
Brian Young recovers at the Philadelphia 21. DE Leonard Little made a great pass rush to
put pressure on McNabb. That is a bad sign for the Eagles, who can’t afford to give
the Rams any kind of gifts, either directly for points through great field position.
It’s the ninth turnover created by the Rams’ defense.
Now we’ll see how the Eagles’ blitz packages do against the high-flying Rams
offense. The Eagles are hoping to get pressure on QB Kurt Warner to force turnovers and
they need one right away to try to hold off a sure Rams score. The fact that Warner has
sore ribs makes it even more important for his offensive line to protect him.
Eagles CB Troy Vincent starts despite being hampered with an injured groin and the Rams
go after him. Warner rolls right and finds WR Isaac Bruce for a five-yard TD pass. PK Jeff
Wilkins’ PAT makes it 7-0 and they’ve played a little more than a minute. Ouch!
The Eagles have got to settle down and try to get something going offensively. They
can’t fall behind by more than one score in this game and expect to win. Great fake
by McNabb as he scrambles for a first down. RB Duce Staley bursts ahead for a first down
and the Eagles have something going.
Ohhh! McNabb looks to have a little too much adrenaline flowing as he throws a dart to
WR Na Brown at the Rams five, but throws it into the ground in front of Brown and
it’s incomplete. That would’ve been a huge play if they had connected.
PK David Akers comes on and boots a 46-yard field goal. Fox play-by-play man Pat
Summerall says he saw Akers boot a 68-yarder in practice yesterday. Akers was consistently
netting 57- and 58-yard FGs in pregame. He even made 3-of-5 from 60 yards out.
Akers shows his versatility as he makes a big tackle on the ensuing kickoff, bringing
down Yo Murphy at the Rams 44.
Boy, the Rams’ offense has a way of making things look SOOOO easy. Warner connects
with WR Az-Zahir Hakim for a first down over the middle, then RB Marshall Faulk breaks
through the line up the middle and gets a big rushing gain.
Hmmm… I can’t help but start to think about what the point spread will be if
the Rams play the Patriots in the Super Bowl. … I’m thinking the Rams will be
favored by 17 or 18 points — whaddaya think? If it’s the Eagles against the
Pats, it might be a Pick ‘em game.
Rams OLT Orlando Pace goes down when an Eagles’ defender falls on his legs from
the blind side. Pace stays down and is helped off the field. That is NOT a good sign for
the Rams since Pace is considered to be one of the top couple left tackles in the NFL. He
goes to the sideline with 1:57 left in the opening quarter and the initial diagnosis is a
sprained medial collateral ligament in his knee. We’ll see if he comes back. That
would be a HUGE loss if he doesn’t since the Eagles blitz so much and Warner is
suffering with sore ribs.
Warner misfires on a pass into the endzone, he’s 7-of-9 for 50 yards on the first
two drives, and Wilkins comes on to kick a 27-yard field goal. It’s 10-3 Rams.
Second quarter
On a third-down play, McNabb fires a nice pass downfield to WR James Thrash but Thrash
can’t make the catch, bobbling the pass before dropping it. That’s the kind of
play that the Eagles can’t afford to let fall by the wayside. They MUST make those
plays to stay in the game. A bad drop by Thrash.
Warner keeps firing, and looks good doing it, showing no affects from his sore ribs or
sore back. Faulk also looks great early, bursting upfield for a 21-yard gain.
The drive stalls and Wilkins tries a 53-yard field goal that is long enough but hits
the right upright and falls away no good. I’ve got to question that call because the
miss gives the Eagles their best field position of the game (starting at their own 43). It
would’ve been smarter to try to pin them deep and let the crowd and an opportunistic
defense take over, right?
Philly takes advantage of the short field and marches right back impressively. McNabb
calls an audible and RB Correll Buckhalter sprints through the line for a 31-yard gain to
the St. Louis 26. McNabb then hits Staley with a first-down pass. You know, Buckhalter and
Staley make a great RB tandem. Staley is strong catching the ball out of the backfield and
is a good runner and blocker, while Buckhalter is an explosive runner. They seem to
complement each other well and are a great change of pace.
McNabb guns a pass to TE Chad Lewis at the Rams one. I fully believe that the
Eagles’ offensive resurgence has coincided with Lewis taking a more active role in
the offense. Lewis went to the Pro Bowl last year when McNabb often passed the ball to him
in the middle of the field. For some reason, the Eagles got away from using Lewis and the
offense struggled for much of the season. Now, they’ve been using him as a weapon
again and it’s paid off tremendously. He’s got great hands and opens up the
field for the wideouts and the running game.
Staley powers in from the one for an easy touchdown and Akers boots the PAT kick to
make it 10-10. That’s an impressive drive for the Eagles. I thought they were on the
ropes but they showed the heart of a champion by coming back to tie.
What a brilliant run by Faulk! He is something special, isn’t he? He runs on a
sweep to the left, sees nothing is there, breaks a tackle and runs back to the right where
he runs down the sideline to the Philly 25. That’s a game-breaking kind of play and
that’s why the Rams are so dangerous.
The Eagles’ defense stiffens (bend but don’t break is a great accomplishment
against this Rams offense) and Wilkins boots a 39-yard field goal. It’s 13-10 with
3:53 left in the quarter.
McNabb completes his first pass to a wide receiver as WR James Thrash goes over the
middle to catch a pass for a first down at the Rams’ 42.
Buckhalter gains a couple and boosts his first-half rushing stats to 43 yards on seven
carries. Not bad at all, and he’s limping on a sore ankle.
McNabb fires a bullet in a crowd to Lewis for a first down. The Philly offensive line
is doing a tremendous job protecting McNabb, giving him all kinds of time to throw. The
only time they struggled was on the first series and McNabb fumbled. Since that time, the
Eagles’ O-line has dominated the Rams’ D-line.
The line has allowed Philly to display great balance too as they’ve run and passed
well. They’ve really settled down and put the rough start behind them. Got to give
credit to head coach Andy Reid for that.
On 3rd-and-1, McNabb throws a perfect out pass to Thrash for first down at
the St. Louis seven. Thrash turned CB Aeneas Williams around as he got open to make the
catch.
After a false start penalty, McNabb sees the blitz coming, takes a quick drop and
throws to WR Todd Pinkston in the endzone for a touchdown. Great play by McNabb to
recognize the blitz and make the throw to Pinkston who was in man coverage against CB
Dexter McCleon. Akers boots the PAT to make it 17-13 with 46 seconds left. That score
stuns the Rams’ crowd.
What an impressive comeback by the Eagles! They have now outscored their opponents
144-72 in the second quarter this year but they have surprised me by rallying to take the
lead. I thought they were in deep trouble, but they kept their composure and stuck to
their game plan. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, they ARE 8-1 on the road this
season.
Philly has got to be feeling great about their first half, especially considering that
they held St. Louis to six points for 29 of the 30 minutes of the half. Did anyone think
that would happen?
Third quarter
The halftime stats are almost identical. Philly has 12 first downs, 174 total yards (84
rushing, 90 passing), 15:21 time of possession, and they ran 31 plays. St. Louis has 11
first downs, 193 total yards (87 rushing, 106 passing), 14:39 time of possession and they
ran 30 plays.
Murphy fumbles opening kickoff but it flies into air and special-teamer Nick Sorensen
made the recovery before stepping out of bounds — a heads-up play, and a crucial play
since it would’ve given the Eagles the ball deep in Rams territory.
The first seven plays of the second half are Faulk runs. Is head coach Mike Martz
trying to send a message? Or is he frustrated by the Eagles’ defense? Faulk
single-handedly puts the Rams into Eagles territory and boosts his rushing total for the
game to 111 yards on 16 carries. The "finesse" Rams are playing a little
smash-mouth football and the Eagles are taking notice.
Warner finds WR Torry Holt over the middle on 3rd-and-7 for 21 yards and a
first down to the Eagles 19.
CB Bobby Taylor makes nice play to deflect pass into air and teammate Vincent does well
to knock Rams receiver to the ground. The ball was there to be caught, but Vincent’s
hit makes sure it won’t be. Vincent then makes a great open-field tackle on a screen
pass to Faulk, but reinjures his groin and may miss the rest of the game.
Wilkins boots a 41-yard field goal to make it 17-16 with 8:01 left.
The Rams’ defense holds on the Eagles’ first possession. Score one for Rams
defensive coordinator Lovie Smith early in this half.
A booming punt by ageless P Sean Landeta and a great diving tackle by Dameane Douglas
puts the Rams at their own 29. That’s got to be a disappointment to the Rams who had
to be envisioning great field position before the punt.
DT Paul Grasmanis comes up with a second big stop on Faulk. He’s doing well in
place of DT Hollis Thomas, who is out with a foot injury.
Again, the Rams make it look so easy as Warner riddles the Eagles’ secondary with
three first-down passes to Bruce, giving Bruce eight catches on the game. That’s the
most catches Bruce has had in one game since Week 10.
Warner hits Holt with a pass to the Eagles’ nine. Warner looks sharp and has
looked sharp all game long. He certainly doesn’t look like he’s playing hurt in
any way. The Eagles certainly haven’t been able to hit him or put him down to the
turf as much as they wanted.
Faulk runs in for a one-yard touchdown to make it 22-17 with 1:18 left. Would you
believe that was St. Louis’ 21st play of the quarter? Philly only has run
three plays.
Martz elects to go for two points and I totally disagree with his decision. It’s
still too early in the game to give up a sure point. Heck, a two-point conversion would
give them a seven-point lead, but if they miss, the Eagles will only need two field goals
to take the lead. Poor decision. Warner hits TE Ernie Conwell in the endzone but he drops
the pass and it remains 22-17. See, that’s what I mean. The Rams had the right play
called, but didn’t get it done and it may cost them. This is Martz’s second poor
decision in my mind — the first was when he elected to try a 53-yard field goal
instead of punting.
Fourth quarter
McNabb misses Lewis on a short third-down pass and the Eagles have to punt. The
Eagles’ offense sure didn’t give the Philly defense much of a rest. We’ll
see if the Rams exploit a fatigued Eagles defense and go in for a backbreaking score.
Eagles catch a break when a holding penalty negates a big Faulk run. Warner then gets
hit hard on a pass attempt on the next play. That’s the kind of hit the Eagles need
to put on Warner and haven’t been able to do much today.
Holt drops a pass that would’ve been good for a first down when S Brian Dawkins
puts a big hit on him. That leads to the Rams’ first punt of the game.
There’s the first time DE Grant Wistrom has come up big as he sacks McNabb to the
Eagles’ five. Philly is in deep trouble now.
Wistrom again! He tracks down McNabb as the Philly QB is scrambling on third down and
makes a great ankle tackle. Two great plays in a row by Wistrom, who had a great season
for this much-improved Rams defense.
The Rams’ defense has just been dominant in this second half and is stifling the
Eagles’ attack. McNabb and Staley haven’t had any room to run, Lewis hasn’t
been open and the receivers haven’t been open. Lovie Smith is clearly winning this
second-half battle with Philly offensive coordinator Rod Dowhower and head coach Andy
Reid.
Faulk comes up big again as he busts through the line for 25 yards. That gives him 144
yards on 25 carries. He is SOOOO impressive, isn’t he?
Faulk runs off-tackle for a couple more yards, then catches a pass from Warner for a
first down to the Philly nine. Faulk again runs to the one. Give Martz credit for coming
out this half and giving the ball to his go-to guy. Faulk has taken control of this game
in the second half and looks unstoppable.
Touchdown Faulk! He’s stopped at the goal line, but his second effort gets the
ball into the endzone for a one-yard score. Wilkins’ PAT makes it 29-17 with 6:55
left.
Brian Mitchell gives the Eagles great field position as he returns the kickoff to the
Rams’ 48. That could be big since they need two scores and one has to be pretty
quick.
What a huge play by DE Leonard Little, who breaks through and sacks McNabb for a big
loss.
Boy, McNabb won’t give up, will he? He connects with Lewis with a bullet pass to
get the first down. Philly was 9-for-13 on fourth-down attempts in the regular season.
McNabb’s the main reason for that success.
The crowd noise in St. Louis is unbelievably LOUD!!! Wow, that’s why the
home-field advantage is SOOO big for the Rams or any team in a dome.
The first downs are 11-1 in the second half in favor of the Rams. The Eagles have just
40 yards of offense in the second half. It’s been all Rams.
McNabb guns a pass to Thrash for a big catch at the six, then powers into the endzone
on his own for a clutch three-yard touchdown. Akers’ PAT makes it 29-24 with 2:56
left. Philly’s making the Rams work for this one, aren’t they?
The Eagles’ defense rises up to the occasion and stuffs the Rams on three downs. S
Rashard Cook makes a great tackle behind the line on Faulk to force a punt. The
never-say-die Eagles have life!
P John Baker BARELY gets his punt away. I don’t know HOW N.D. Kalu of the Eagles
didn’t block it! He got into the backfield, dove and somehow didn’t get the
ball. Wow, that would’ve been a HUGE play. Mitchell does make a good return and gives
the Eagles the ball at their own 45.
St. Louis blitzes and forces McNabb to throw the ball high. Fourth down.
Aeneas Williams comes up with the interception on a fourth-down pass and St. Louis will
hold on with 1:47 left. Williams got position on Freddie Mitchell and made a great play.
The Eagles get time for one play. I’m going to predict that they try the same play
the Giants attempted against Philly late in the season where Tiki Barber caught a pass
over the middle then pitched the ball to Ron Dixon and he ran down the sideline before he
was tackled inside the Eagles’ five. Yep. The Eagles try the same thing. McNabb
throws to Staley, who flips the ball to Thrash but Thrash is tackled almost immediately
and the Rams win.
St. Louis vs. New England. … The Rams are going to be overwhelming favorites, but
don’t count out Bill Belichick and his overachieving Patriots. |
