Philadelphia (AP) — Playoff berths are so routine for the Philadelphia Eagles they don't celebrate anymore.
Donovan
McNabb threw for one touchdown and ran for another, DeSean Jackson had
140 yards receiving and the Eagles beat the San Francisco 49ers 27-13
Sunday to clinch a playoff spot for the eighth time this decade.
None of the first seven trips produce a Super Bowl victory, however.
"It's
always good to clinch a spot early, but we're still going to put our
foot on the pedal," McNabb said. "It's an exciting time, but nothing to
get overly excited about. One of our goals is to have a bye week and
win the NFC East and the only chance for that to happen is to win the
last two games."
With San Francisco's loss, the Arizona Cardinals secured their second straight NFC West title.
The
Eagles (10-4) have won five straight games and have a one-game lead
over Dallas in the NFC East. Philadelphia visits the Cowboys in two
weeks.
The start of the game was pushed back three hours because
the city was still recovering from the second-largest snowfall it has
seen since records began in 1884. A total of 23.2 inches of snow fell
in Philadelphia on Saturday.
It didn't seem that bad inside
Lincoln Financial Field until some fans started throwing snow in the
fourth quarter. Once LeSean McCoy scored on a 2-yard TD run to put the
Eagles ahead 27-13, a few of the frozen die-hards celebrated by tossing
snow up in the air. Some fans mixed in snowballs aimed at 49ers fans,
but they quickly stopped when a warning was flashed on the video screen.
"We
don't need to throw snowballs," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "We're a
classy crew here in Philadelphia. Save that for the parking lots."
Frank
Gore ran for 107 yards, becoming the first player to surpass 100 yards
against the Eagles in 24 games. But the 49ers (6-8) couldn't overcome
three interceptions thrown by Alex Smith.
McNabb finished 21 of 36 for 306 yards. He threw two interceptions for just the second time this season.
"There were throws I definitely want back," McNabb said. "It was uncharacteristic of myself, tried to force the ball."
Down
20-3 at halftime, the 49ers scored 10 quick points to get close. Josh
Morgan returned the second-half kickoff 52 yards, but the offense
couldn't capitalize and Joe Nedney kicked a 25-yard field goal.
Then
Dre' Bly intercepted McNabb's cross-body pass into double coverage.
This time, the Niners took advantage. Smith connected with Morgan on a
12-yard pass to cut it to 20-13.
The Eagles later drove 89 yards
and went ahead 27-13 on McCoy's run early in the fourth period.
McNabb's 59-yard pass to Jackson on third-and-2 kept the drive going.
A
scrambling McNabb hit Jackson for a 19-yard TD pass to put Philadelphia
ahead 7-0 on the opening possession. It was the shortest of Jackson's
11 TDs this season. He already has tied the NFL record with eight
scores of at least 50 yards, including two punt returns and one rush.
"It's
a challenge for me to go out there and still have people focusing on me
the way they do," Jackson said. "It's a good challenge for myself and
the team to be able to still go out there and make things happen."
Nedney drilled a 51-yard field on San Francisco's first possession.
Coming
off an impressive victory over Arizona on Monday night, the 49ers were
sluggish following a short week and cross-country flight. But the
Eagles weren't too sharp, either.
"Obviously it was not our best
performance," 49ers coach Mike Singletary said. "We came out here to
play a different game and do all the things we had to do to get it done
and we didn't get it done."
Michael Vick limped off and didn't
return because of a quad contusion in the first quarter. Reid then made
a gutsy call to go on fourth-and-1 from Philadelphia's 29, but Leonard
Weaver was stuffed by Takeo Spikes and Michael Lewis, a pair of former
Eagles.
The 49ers wasted the excellent field position. Sheldon
Brown stripped Delanie Walker after an 8-yard catch and Asante Samuel
recovered at the 6. McNabb drove the Eagles 94 yards in nine plays,
running in from the 8 to make it 14-3.
Samuel intercepted Smith
on San Francisco's next possession and his 18-yard return to the Niners
28 set up a 22-yard field goal by David Akers.