Bears upset the Eagles with a 97-yard touchdown drive that left just nine seconds to play in the game. Final score: Bears 19, Eagles 16.
During the coming week, we are going to hear a lot of discussion about how with four plus minutes left in the game, possession of the ball and a four point lead, the Eagles should have run the ball more to waste clock. After all, the Bears had just one time out remaining. [After the game was over, my brother and I joked that perhaps the Eagles should have used one of their time outs during the Bears' drive to "ice" Brian Griese.]
Running would have made sense on the Eagles next to last possession, but there is a case to be made for aggressive passing as well. If the Eagles had scored again it would have insured either a tie or a win. Second, with the field position they had, it was quite possible for the Eagles to pin the Bears near the end zone if they had to punt. The latter is what actually happened.
Here are the more pertinent points to consider:
- The obvious: How can you allow one of the worst offenses in football to drive 97 yards with just one time out and only 1:53 remaining?
- Even with the final touchdown, the Eagles allowed 19 points. That should be enough to win.
- It's Week 7 in the NFL and it still doesn't look like the Eagles are ready to play every week. At what point will a well-prepared team take the field with a well-thought-out game plan?
Each Eagles game makes one more and more ready for pitchers and catchers to report.
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