NFC Wild Card Playoff: Eggles 26, Vikings 14

PREGAME
Do the Vikings really deserve to win a playoff game they struggled so badly to sell out? (If they even did) Are we really going to see a team win a playoff game this postseason led by Tarvaris Jackson? Better cover Bernard Berrian, Eggles.

Joe Buck and Troy Boy to call the game for Fox.

Pat Williams inactive for the Vikings. That's a lot of missing beef.

FIRST QUARTER
Vikings win the coin toss and defer. Because it worked so well for Miami.
Tentative kick return by Quentin Demps, only out to the 10. Wonderful start.
Vikings blitz on first down and McNabb fires high and incomplete for DeSean Jackson.
Ben Leber drops Brian Westbrook for a two-yard loss. Great, I'm going 0-for-4 this weekend.
With plenty of time, McNabb hits Kevin Curtis out to the 24.
Westbrook up the middle for maybe 2.
Hit as he throws, McNabb's bomb for double-covered Greg Lewis is incomplete. 3rd-8.
McNabb gets plenty of time on 3rd down again but the out pass to Brent Celek appears to be a little short. Yep, and Philly will punt.
More great punting this weekend, as Sav Rocca's 58 yard blast is only returned by Berrian to the Viking 10.

They drop Jackson back on first down near his goal line; he gets whacked by blitzing LB Stewart Bradley and throws a duck that is luckily incomplete. Adrian Peterson loses a yard outside on 2nd down; 3rd-and-11 quickly.
Delay handoff to Chester Taylor, who shoots up the middle for the first down... UNFORGIVABLY bad defense by the Eggles. You can't give up a RUN on THIRD AND ELEVEN!
Akeem Jordan, who Buck identifies as Trent Cole, stuffs Peterson for a two-yard loss.
Swing pass to Taylor, who has some pep today and gains 10. 3rd-and-2.
Troy gives Peterson credit for the earlier third down run instead of Taylor. It's a big difference when your announcers have to weekend in Minnesota instead of Miami.
Vikes go with Taylor up the middle again but he is stopped short. Minnesota to punt.

INCREDIBLE 60-PLUS YARD PUNT RETURN by Jackson. Just a speed play, really. There weren't any big blocks thrown for him, nor did any Vikings ever get close enough to him to so much as blow a tackle. They failed to force him up the home sideline, he got to the middle of the field, and the rest was Jackson.

Eggles run for a couple, and McNabb barely avoids a couple of sack attempts on 2nd down with a short scramble. 3rd-and-8 at the Viking 26. McNabb dodges a couple more sack attempts on 3rd down - how is he doing that?!? but WIDE OPEN Jason Avant drops the pass. Eggles were holding anyway, and the Vikings should have taken that penalty to push David Akers out of FG range. His 44-yard attempt splits the uprights and Philly takes a 3-0 lead.

Maurice Hicks is stopped at the 22 on the kick return.
Peterson over the left side for 3. He comes off with an injury but it doesn't look like anything serious.
Taylor gains about 5 to set up a 3rd-and-3. Quick underneath to Berrian converts that.
Jackson fires for Visanthe Shiancoe on 1st down but Quintin Mikell nearly picks it off.
Brian Dawkins, who put Peterson out with a shot to the chin and throat, lowers the boom on Taylor, but after he's downfield 7 yards. On 3rd-and-3, Jackson finds Bobby Wade across midfield for 11.
Peterson returns. He gains two over the left side.
Eggles blow up then 2nd-8 screen pass, which is too bad because Peterson would have had some running room. 3rd-and-8.
Eggles blitz big and the out pass for Sidney Rice is overthrown. Chris Kluwe's punt is POOR, only 26 yards. Eggles take over at their 16.

It's even worse than it looked when we come back from commercial, as Tony Corrente's crew has re-spotted the ball at the 25. A SEVENTEEN YARD PUNT.

Minnesota's blitz doesn't buy play-action, but McNabb almost miraculously hits Hank Baskett at the sideline for 7. Gotta believe Westbrook's going to take a screen for a long gain soon.
Or maybe Correll Buckhalter will bounce a middle run outside for 26 across midfield. Looked like Todd Herremans downfield for a key block.
Buckhalter gets 1 up the middle, then McNabb hits Reggie Brown on the sideline for 8. Lots of different receivers hit by McNabb already.
On 3rd-and-1, the Vikings call timeout with just 6 seconds left in the quarter.
The Eggles try A SWING PASS to Westbrook. ANOTHER Viking blitz alters McNabb's throw and it clangs off Westbrook's hand.
David Akers hits from 51 to extend Philadelphia's lead to 6-0.

SECOND QUARTER
Hicks is again barely out to the 23 with the kickoff return.
Offsides, Trevor Laws gives Minnesota 5 yards.
Jackson throws away under pressure. Good pressure coming up the middle off a stunt and from Juqua Parker on the outside.
Taylor loses a couple after Mikell puts 315-pound guard Anthony Herrera ON HIS ASS. 3rd-and-6.
Eggles bring the dog but Rice gets behind Sheldon Brown for a first down. 12 yards.
Jackson to Shiancoe on a comeback for 7.
Nice play-action, but a TD bomb for Berrian is into double coverage, incomplete, and should have been intercepted. Dawkins appeared to lose sight of it late.
Brown breaks up a pass to Aundrae Allison but gets a very late flag for DPI. Looks like he did get a piece of the receiver early.
Peterson sweeps right for 6. That raises his total on the day to 8 yards.
Peterson up the middle for 2.
Assante Samuel goes off with an injury.
After the break, Peterson bursts up the middle for a 41-yard TD to make it 7-6, Minnesota. He got big blocks inside by Herrera and fullback Naufahu Tahi on a blitzing LB, and with all the Eggles in the box, once Peterson got by that, he only had to outrun Demps for the TD. Not the first or last time Peterson's gotten such a TD.

Joe Buck blabs about Peterson the home-run hitter going deep, AND WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT BASEBALL CLICHES DURING A FOOTBALL GAME?

Kickoff is very short but Demps only gets it out to the 28.
Nothing for Westbrook sweeping right. He's done nothing so far. Darren Sharper hurt on the play.
McNabb stands tall and spears Curtis for 11.
Vikings blitz and Winfield just misses a pick-six opportunity on the quick hitch to DeSean Jackson.
Vikings have to use another defensive timeout on 2nd down.
McNabb hits Avant on the sideline for 5.
Big play as DeSean Jackson beats Marcus McCauley up the sideline with ease and McNabb hits him perfectly for 34 yards down to the Viking 21.
Westbrook right for only 3.
Inside handoff to Westbrook for 5, nice misdirection play.
McNabb's THROWING FOR THE END ZONE on third and 2, incomplete with Curtis slipping on the play. Akers hits from 33 to put Philadelphia back ahead 9-7. But the Eggles are reliving all their red-zone horrors from last year. A team that can't, or won't, run on third-and-short isn't one that's built to win this time of year, Andy Reid.

Hicks is out to the 29 with the kick return.
Peterson up the middle for 6.
Bradley bats down a pass for Jim Kleinsasser to make it 3rd-and-4.
Just a 4-man rush on 3rd-and-4, but Cole stunts and gets to Jackson as he throws a MILE short of Rice and right to Assante Samuel, who brings it back 44 yards for an Eggle TD and a 16-7 lead. Jackson gets spinebustered by Chris Clemons at the goal line for his troubles. Eggles get an excessive celebration penalty after the TD.

Actually, a bigger factor than Cole getting in Jackson's face on that pick-six was Darren Howard driving the extremely well-paid Steve Hutchinson right back into the Minnesota QB.

Hicks gets to the 36 after fielding the kickoff at the 12. Nice kick considering Philly was kicking from their 15.
Eggles swamp a pitch right to Peterson for -1.
Boy, that Stewart really attacks the ball for Philly, but Peterson bounces away this time to the left for a 6 yard gain. 3rd-and-5.
Philly blitzes everyone but Rocky Balboa but it blows up in their face. Jackson hits Berrian with a short pass and he breaks away from Sheldon Brown for 27. Vikings at the Eggle 31.
Peterson stuffed again for nothing. Mikell actually started tackling him with his back to him.
Philly brings the dog but Jackson beats it and hits Wade for 10. Those dog blitzes are way too slow-developing to do anything today.
Taylor bursts up the middle for 8. Ball at the Eagle 12.
Taylor slashes through the middle again, for 6. First and goal at the 2:00 warning.
Taylor up the middle again, to the 3. Eggles actually use a timeout here.
Peterson goes off left tackle for a 3-yard TD behind another big block by Tahi. 16-14. Strong block by Kleinsasser on that run, too.

Eggles fake a reverse on the return but are at just their 25 with 1:46 left in the half.
WIDE OPEN in the flat, Avant gains 13.
NOW YOU HANDOFF TO WESTBROOK? No gain, blown timeout, STUPID BLOODY CALL.
McNabb beats a blitz and hits Celek just short of the first.
Then he tries to catch the Vikings confused on D and throws long up the sideline for Curtis, but not only does Sedrick Griffin have it defended all the way, he picks it off.
WTF are the Eggles THROWING DEEP ON THIRD AND ONE?

And now the Vikings are RUNNING from their own 12 and not stopping the clock. Jackson misses Wade badly on 2nd down. Handoff to Taylor for 3 and Philly uses their last timeout with 29 seconds left and should get the ball back.

Some lousy 2:00 offense by both teams.

53-yard bomb by Kluwe returned by DeSean Jackson across the 40.
Dumpoff to Westbrook for 10. 13 seconds left. Eggles at the MN 46.
Another screen for Westbrook incomplete with 8 seconds left.
Good pressure on McNabb again, and it's ANOTHER STUPID DUMPOFF TO WESTBROOK, stopped by a nice open-field tackle in bounds by Chad Greenway.

Eagles 16, Vikings 14 at halftime.

I can see why Andy Reid drives Eggles fans nuts. There has been a lot of questionable play-calling in this half. Reid absolutely refuses to run on third-and-short, which is maddening. McNabb's held up pretty well under pressure. Philadelphia's biggest problem right now is that Westbrook is doing NOTHING. They need to start getting him the ball in space and run Buckhalter more. Maybe if they'd RUN WHEN THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO, they wouldn't bog down repeatedly in the red zone. McNabb's got to get help from his RBs, especially from his coaches using them. Viking D is relying VERY heavily on the blitz, and it's surprising they haven't been burned by it (yet) like Philly has. Westbrook is overdue to do something big with a draw or a screen in the 2nd half.

You can't change a leopard's spots; the Eggles are going to blitz, and often. They've gotten to Jackson with it, and they've gotten burned by some big plays with it. I don't expect them to change a thing, though. The second half's really on Tarvaris Jackson as I see it. He's made some solid plays against the blitz. If he can avoid making the huge mistake in the second half, he'll be good enough to win the thing for Minnesota and make me 0-for-4 this weekend.

THIRD QUARTER
Great play by Kyle Eckel upends Hicks at the 15 on the kickoff return. Minnesota's special teams are pretty crappy.
Jackson rolls right and hits Kleinsasser short, and he gains 16.
Peterson gets nothing over the left side. Slowed early on by Cole.
Pitch right to Peterson for just a couple and a HUGE collision with Bradley.
3rd-and-8. Eggles rush just 4, and Jackson beats them with a screen to Kleinsasser for another big gain, good for 20-plus. Vikings are 7-for-11 on third down, the key statistic of this game.
I missed a penalty on Philly; possibly an offsides. 1st-and-5.
Peterson stuffed up the middle for no gain.
At the Eggle 44, it's Taylor who gets stuffed this time, for -1, by Cole and Chris Gocong.
Eggle blitz pays off on third-and-6. Dawkins rips the ball out of Jackson's hand. The QB falls on it but loses 12. Philly wins this possession with the blitz; we'll see how that holds up throughout the half.
DeSean Jackson can't get past the 14 with the punt return, and the Eggles were holding, too.

Eggles start at their 5. McNabb bounces off a Viking lineman in the end zone and chucks it incomplete. Aikman questions the holding call on the punt return.
Westbrook stuffed AGAIN, by Brian Robison, who I'm happy to hear is over his varicose veins.
3rd-and-11, McNabb finds Avant WIDE OPEN for 11. HOW CAN YOU LET THAT HAPPEN, MINNESOTA? They just left Avant free to run a 12-yard hook and turn around and catch the ball.
Two for Westbrook. Vikings deserve to win, as well as they have shut him down.
Blitz is coming but McNabb finds Celek for 12.
And hits him deep again at midfield for 19. Not good coverage by Tyrell Johnson, who's in for Darren Sharper, who's questionable for this half. Sharper's injury may explain all the completions to TEs now.
Here's another one, to Matt Schobel for 7.
Quick pass for Curtis is knocked down to set up 3rd-and-3.
3rd-short, so the Eggles naturally empty the backfield. McNabb completes to Avant for 5.
From the MN 38, an end-around left to Jackson out of trips right formation gains 2.
NOTHING FOR WESTBROOK AGAIN, around left end. 3rd-and-7.
Vikings blitz and get to McNabb, and it's called a sack back at the 43. Looked like McNabb dumped the pass in time to me, but it's also true that his forward progress was stopped. Big play; it took Philly out of FG position, forcing a punt. Fox shot this play from the worst possible angle, so it's hard for me to break it down. Looked like big fat Nick Cole failed to pick up the blitzer.

Vikings at their 10 after the punt. Taylor cuts back left for 6.
Two for Peterson off right tackle. 3rd and a long 1.
Gocong and Bradley stuff the same play with Peterson trying to cut it back up the middle on 3rd down. Big defensive play.
DeSean Jackson fields the punt at the 30, sidesteps one Viking and goes clean up the home sideline for 30 yards. Golden opportunity for the Eggles to actually put this game a little out of reach with 1:31 left in the 3rd. Proving he's the kind of idiot I wouldn't have wanted on the Rams, Jackson decides to jaw-jack in Vikings HC Brad Childress' face after the play.

Westbrook for 2. Has he cracked 20 yards yet today?
Here's a little karma for ya, DeSean. Jared Allen, silent today till now, takes a wide split on Tra, er, William, Thomas, beats him clean around the corner and bats the ball out of McNabb's hand, with Fred Evans recovering the loose ball for Minnesota. Another BIG defensive play.

From the Viking 46, Jackson fires in the dirt for a double-covered Wade. Shiancoe's hurt on the play and we go to a break.
Peterson cuts back and powers left for 5. 3rd-and-5 at midfield as the 3rd quarter expires.

FOURTH QUARTER
Jackson gets FOREVER to throw with the Eggles just bringing 4 and eventually chucks it deep for Berrian. Looks like Jackson's arm may have been hit. Also looks like Mikell got away with a hold on Berrian, who hasn't been much of a factor today. Berrian can't come up with a circus catch on the underthrown pass and the Vikings punt.
Wow, I don't know how they can say McCauley didn't establish himself across the goal line on the punt, but they do, and it's a touchback as a result instead of Minnesota pinning Philadelphia inside the 5 again.

Good for Childress - he's challenging that call. It should be overturned.
Eggles ball at their 4.
Westbrook sweeps right for 1 as Philly gets away with a false start.
McNabb beats a blitz with an 11-yard completion to the quietly-effective Avant.
Nine-plus to Reggie Brown.
Westbrook up the middle for 3 and a first. One of his better runs today, actually.
Minnesota blitzes a DB, and McNabb hits Curtis on the opposite side for 14.
Draw to Westbrook. For nothing. Unbelievably, the tackle is made by JIMMY KENNEDY.
False start on Cole, THE CENTER, makes it 2nd-15.
Vikings fake-blitz and McNabb hits Curtis for 8. Horse-collar tackle not called. Penalty on Curtis for having a brutal pornstache also not called.
McNabb holds the ball FAR TOO LONG, gets drilled by Robison when he finally does throw, and Hank Baskett then can't come up with the knuckleball for the first down.
Funny how right after I mention a pornstache (a word that should NOT pass the spell checker), the guy who's hitting Hugh Hefner's sloppy seconds blows a catch.

Vikings take over at their 19 after the punt.
Peterson bounces outside for 5. I'm feeling him breaking one big any minute now.
Play-action rollout good to Rice for 14 after Samuel misses out on jumping the route for an INT.
Peterson cuts back a draw but only gets 1.
Berrian false starts with a blitz coming. 2nd-14. That was Minnesota's FIRST penalty? Really?
Another blitz results in an easy INT opportunity for Sheldon Brown. I have to say opportunity because he dropped a ball that was RIGHT IN HIS HANDS. Who does he think he is, Eddie Kennison? Tye Hill? Antonio Pittman? Drew Bennett?
Eggles flush Jackson right on third down and he pitches another risky incompletion. Tarvaris really walked the tightrope that whole possession.
Another poor punt from Kluwe, only 36 yards.

Eagles at their 29, and you know, there's only 7 minutes left? A TD would win it for Philly.
BOY DID I BLOODY CALL THIS. Philly finally calls a screen pass to Westbrook, and he scoots off with it for a back-breaking 71-yard TD. Big blocks by Nick Cole and Jamaal Jackson. Westbrook wasn't touched till Antoine Winfield blew a tackle at the 45, AND HOW ABOUT THE PANCAKE BLOCK DOWNFIELD BY KEVIN CURTIS! 23-14, Eggles.

Hicks is mauled at the 24. 6:30 left, and now Jackson has to throw.
Wade can't make a 1-handed grab of a high ball on first down.
Huge blitz by Clemons nearly gets Philly another TD. Dawkins swats the throwaway attempt after Clemons wallops Jackson but can't catch his own deflection.
Jackson rushes a 3rd-down bomb off his back foot for a triple-covered Wade, well incomplete. Where's Bernard Berrian been today?

DeSean Jackson steps out of bounds at the 25 with the punt. Philly should want to run out some clock here, but they can't, and they won't want to anyway.
Westbrook runs left, though, for 2.
The ENTIRE VIKING DEFENSE sees the screen pass coming, and Madieu Williams blows up Celek for a 4-yard loss. 3rd-12.
Draw to Westbrook, who nearly squirts through for the 1st down, getting 11. Under 4:00 when they punt. Eggles kept the clock running, which is good. They down the punt at the 15.

Brown breaks up a short pass for Rice.
I have no idea who Jackson was looking for on 2nd down. Wild pass, nearly intercepted. Jackson is 10-for-28.
Third down pass falls short under pressure but Jordan STUPIDLY roughs Jackson. Vikes get a first down at the 30.
3 to Wade.
Jackson steps out of double trouble from a blitz and scrambles out to midfield. 17-18 yards.
No-huddle; we're under three minutes.
AND THE GAME IS OVER. Terrible snap bounces off Jackson's foot and Juqua Thomas pounces on the loose ball for Philadelphia.

Hey, I'm going to get a game right this weekend!

Westbrook for 3 as Minnesota uses their first timeout.
Eggles are THROWING and McNabb hits Celek for 17-18 with a sweet pass out into the far flat.
Vikings are forced to use another timeout.
No gain for Westbrook and one last timeout for Minnesota with 2:30 left.
Eggles hold on the next run, stopping the clock at 2:22. Dummies! Westbrook lost a yard and Minnesota declines the penalty. Westbrook gets about 5 off the left side as the 2:00 warning arrives.
A FG attempt seems unnecessarily risky here, but Akers drills it from 45 to put the Eagles ahead 26-14.

So, both six-seeds are going to win games this weekend. Huh.

Hicks idiotically returns the kick from the end zone and doesn't even cross the 15.
3 in the flat to Taylor.
False start, Ryan Cook.
Screen to Taylor for 9 as the Vikings continue to go nowhere fast. 5 more or so to Taylor. Vikings spent a minute just getting that initial first down.
Jackson scramble called back by a hold.
Dawkins crashes into Berrian, pass incomplete.
Another false start on Cook.
Jackson scrambles and wings it out of bounds as the clock expires. As the soccer announcers say, Philadelphia are through. Actually, Minnesota is through.

I want to watch the 24 movie when it comes on after the game, so postgame analysis will be very delayed.

Jack Bauer is still the world's biggest badass! He broke a guy's neck with the crook of his knee!

He won't get MVP for today's game, though; I'm giving it to Assante Samuel, though Brian Dawkins is equally worthy. Their efforts played a big part in Berrian's near complete silence today, which really messed Jackson up, because that's his go-to guy. Dawkins was a dangerous blitzing weapon and Samuel's pick-six was the big turning point of the game as I see it.

I don't know that I'd pick the Eggles in New York next week. True, they won there in the last meeting, but their inability to establish the running game doesn't sit well with me going forward. And defensively, they'll face a QB nowhere near as outmatched as Jackson in Eli Manning. The Giants are not playing their best ball, and they can be run on, but I think they slip by Philly this time.

Carolina should romp over the Big Dead on the east coast factor alone. It will be interesting to see if the Cards stay with their newly-found running game more. Their run defense Saturday gives them hope of slowing DeAngelo Williams down. But I don't see who they have that can stay with Steve Smith, and how will they perform in a hostile environment? Kurt Warner had an uncharacteristically good outing in Carolina in the regular season, and the Big Dead still lost. If they can establish the run again, if they can protect Warner from Carolina's tough d-line, if they can blitz Jake Delhomme's head off, they've got a very good chance. I don't like their chances of pulling that off, though.

So I'm going Tennessee, San Diego, Giants and Carolina next weekend. Doesn't bode well for three of you guys.

The Vikings now enter a very tough offseason. I can't tell if it's time to give up on Jackson or not, but odds are that the Vikings will. They benched him early this season, and now he went very foul for them in the clutch. They could be crazy and go with an aging Gus Frerotte, but I expect QB to be the big focus for them in the offseason. They're pretty solid everywhere else. They could use a punter and a kick returner, though. They need one of the young WRs to step up and help Berrian out. And today proved Darren Sharper ain't getting any younger and the Vikes don't have anybody who can hold his, um, fill his shoes.

Good weekend of games; hope next week's a repeat. Except I predict a lot better, of course.

Will probably start breaking down the Rams' head coaching search tomorrow; I know I've fallen behind on that. Maybe not as far as they have, but more on that later.