Packers Player Of The Game
His fumbles were costly, but on a wet night when the Packers needed to rush the ball to succeed, Ahman Green set a Packers single-game record with 192 rushing yards on 29 carries. Green also had one of the Packers' two scores on a 45-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-1. But linebacker Na'il Diggs made at least as big of an impact on the defensive side of the ball, making a team-high 7 solo tacklers among his 8 total.
Eagles Player Of The Game
The numbers weren't pretty, but Donovan McNabb made just enough plays to get a win for the Eagles. Completing 15-of-31 attempts for 198 yards and a touchdown, McNabb also had 26 yards rushing, including a touchdown scamper.
Stat Of The Game
The Eagles forced three turnovers, while the Packers failed to force a turnover for the second straight game. The Packers had four additional fumbles that they recovered.
Play Of The Game
Key factors in the Packers' loss Monday night were three turnovers and a missed field goal and a late three-and-out. But the crushing blow came when Donovan McNabb found Todd Pinkston in the front-left corner of the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown.
THEY SAID IT
GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman --
On lost opportunity: "Well, we had a lot of opportunities on that field to take advantage of that we did not take advantage of. Anytime you don't win a game, whether it is this one or the next one or the one after that or the previous one, you miss an opportunity. You only have so many. You have sixteen of them, and you have to take advantage of the ones you can."
On why Bhawoh Jue played at the end of the game: "Al Harris had cramped up during the game. He cramped up one time when we were on the sideline but was able to get back out. And he cramped up after that long pass that he defended out of bounds and couldn't go back out, and that is were Bhawoh Jue had to step in for us."
On Brett Favre's problem holding onto the ball: "Well, the balls were very, very slick. It seemed to affect us more than it did them, however, which concerns me. But the ball was slick, and we did have a hard time gripping the ball. It didn't feel like it was a result of the thumb, but I am sure that would be na‹ve of us to say it wasn't. And talking to Darrell Bevell, he didn't seem to think it was. It was just that the balls were very slick."
On the mood in the locker room: "It's difficult. As I told the team, they made the plays they had to make to win the football game and to give them all the credit they deserve for winning the game. But two or three plays here or there and we have a winning locker room. We can't define ourselves by two or three plays. I thought the guys played extremely hard in the football game. I thought they played the way I asked them to play at a fevered pitch. I thought that they played physical football."
On the weather affecting the game plan: "The weather certainly affected our game plan, particularly early when we were having difficulty holding onto the football. It was a very slick ball. I asked the officials to keep a dry ball in there, and I am sure they did their best."
On the play of Grady Jackson: "Well, he demonstrated some pass-rush ability. (He) also solidified some things inside. I thought both he and Gilbert played fairly well."
On whose decision it was for Ahman Green to take off his arm protectors: "I went over there to him and he was in the process of removing those at that time. I felt that was maybe something we need to change and see if that helped him at all."
Na'il Diggs -
On reason behind lack of takeaways by defense: "We're just not making the plays. We're not getting it out. For whatever reason, it's not happening. In pressure times, really all we needed was one ... With all the three-and-outs we were having, I felt like that was enough - shutting their offense down. In the end it wasn't."
On what's happened to Packers' home-field edge: "I don't know. As far as us, we need to keep that in mind. I don't know what other teams are going to think going in, I really don't care. As long as we keep our heads on straight and still have that feeling that we have the home-field advantage - which we still do - then I don't think anything should change in our heads."
Donald Driver -
On if momentum of Minnesota win is gone: "It's never gone. We just didn't make the plays tonight. Philly, they did."
On game: "We expect ourselves to win every week. I don't think we come into our locker room and expect to lose a game. It's just this week it didn't work out for us."
On reason Packers were undefeated at home last year and have lost three at Lambeau in 2003: "There's no big difference. We're just not making the plays. Every team we play are making plays. That tells you right there."
Brett Favre -
On losing at Lambeau: "Lambeau Field has been almost a shoo-in for us. I think it shows that there are no guarantees. Philadelphia is a good football team, Kansas City is a good football team, Minnesota has been playing well, so we lost to three good teams, but those last three games we should have won, in my opinion. Every time you lose one of those, it's tough to rebound from, because we played hard and gave great effort and that alone won't win games, though it'll keep you in them and sometimes win them."
On offensive balance: "I don't think you ever go into a game with a goal of, 'hey we're going to rush it 35 times or throw it 45 times.' The game itself will kind of dictate that. We run the ball so well, keep doing it. On fourth-and-1, (Ahman Green) busted for (45 yards) a touchdown and that just kind of shows how our offensive line was blocking and, of course, we were running the football great and you just keep going with it."
Bubba Franks -
On game: "I don't really know what to tell you. We went out there and fought hard. They just beat us. We kept them in the game all the way up into the fourth quarter and all it takes is one play."
Ahman Green -
On losing despite individual performance: "This game is played by guys that want to win on both sides, so regardless of what I did on the football field, even if I broke a new NFL record out there, it matters who makes the plays when they need to make them. They needed to make certain plays and they did that."
On outlook for remainder of season: "I don't think we're digging a hole. I just thought it was rough on us out there. We have 53 players on each side of the ball giving their bodies, blood, sweat to win games out there. Nothing's over until the season over. We don't know where we're going to end up at until the end of December. That's where we're at right now. Right now it's a one-game season for most teams in the NFL. You just have to take it one game at a time. Some games are going to go great for you, some games are not, but what you have to do is correct the mistakes and never look back."
Grady Jackson -
On playing next to Gilbert Brown and with Cletidus Hunt: "It was pretty nice. It was nice playing beside Gilbert and Cletidus. I feel like we've got a good chemistry working right here. It's going to get better. We've got better days ahead of us."
Aaron Kampman -
On Grady Jackson: "He did a great job. He's just a great addition to our team and defensive line. He'll continue to improve and get more and more snaps. I think it's going to be a real good ingredient to our success the rest of the way."
Ryan Longwell -
On 45-yard field goal attempt that came up just short: "We felt we were in range and then obviously we lost 5 or 6 yards on the third down play and that made it a tougher field goal. We thought we had a shot and we did all we could. Obviously that 5 yards hurt in the end."
Marco Rivera -
On offense: "One play and we win that game. If we would have won that game, everything would be a lot easier to answer. Obviously we want to pass the ball. Every time we go into a game, we want to have balance. That's the name of the game."
Mike Wahle -
On what happened to Packers' home-field edge: "You'd have to ask the other teams, but we've lost three here now? That doesn't sit well with us. We have to get that back. We've lost two really close ones here. And usually we're used to coming away with victories like that: this game and the Chiefs game. It's tough to swallow."
On effect of rain: "We love when it rains. We feel like we're a better team when it rains. As offensive linemen, I know we love it. Obviously it's more difficult to hold on to the ball, but we don't have to worry about that. It slows the other guys down and it gives us an opportunity to get on them a little bit better. Those guys are obviously better athletes than we are on the defensive side of the football."
GAME NOTES
Ahman Green's 192 rushing yards set a team single game rushing record. It marked his 20th 100-yard rushing game as a Packer and the 21st of his career. He needs seven more 100-yard rushing games to move past Jim Taylor (26) on the Packers all-time list.
Green's ground total tonight pushed him over 1,000 yards on the season (1,063). He becomes only the second Packer player with four 1,000-yard rushing seasons, joining Hall of Former Jim Taylor (five, 1960-64).
Green has now caught a TD pass in four consecutive games, becoming the first Packers running back to do so.
Green is now No. 4 on the Packers' all-time carries list with 1,054 rushes. He needed only one carry tonight to pass Tony Canadeo (1,025).
Green has six 100-yard rushing games on the season, tying him for second place on the Packers' all-time list with Dorsey Levens (1997). Green and Jim Taylor (1962) are tied for first place with seven.
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Brett Favre has thrown a TD pass in 18 consecutive games tying his own Green Bay record for second place. The only Packers field general to pass for a TD in more consecutive games is Cecil Isbell, who authored a scoring pass in 22 consecutive games over the 1941-42 seasons.
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Defensive captain Darren Sharper played his 100th career game Monday night.
IN-GAME NOTES
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End of 4th quarter. Game over.
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Brett Favre's fumble while attempting to pass was recovered by the Eagles to end the Packers' final drive (0:01, 4th quarter). Prior to the turnover, Wesley Walls had a 12-yard reception. Javon Walker had an 8-yard catch.
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Donovan McNabb's 6-yard pass touchdown to Todd Pinkston put the Eagles ahead, 17-14 (0:27, 4th quarter). Duce Staley had an 11-yard run and 11-yard reception on the drive. Chad Lewis had a 20-yard reception. The Eagles scoring drive was 8 plays, 65 yards. Time of the drive was 2:16.
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After being stopped on fourth down, the Eagles responded by forcing the Packers into a three-and-out. Ahman Green had a pair of rushes for 5 yards. Brett Favre's pass to William Henderson on third-and-5 was stopped for no gain. After 34-yard punt and a 6-yard return, the Eagles take over at their own 35-yard line (2:43, 4th quarter).
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With the Eagles facing fourth-and-5 at the Green Bay 32-yard line, Hannibal Navies and Antuan Edwards put pressure on Donovan McNabb, who threw incomplete for James Thrash (4:35, 4th quarter).
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On fourth-and-1, Ahman Green went up the middle for a 45-yard touchdown run to put the Packers ahead, 14-10 (7:03, 4th quarter). Robert Ferguson made a diving catch for 8 yards on the previous play. Donald Driver had a 12-yard reception on the drive. The Packers scoring drive was 5 plays, 66 yards. Time of the drive was 2:19.
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On third-and-goal at the 1-yard line, Donovan McNabb rolled left and forced his way into the end zone for a go-ahead Eagles touchdown, 10-7 (9:22, 4th quarter). James Thrash had a 51-yard catch-and-run that brought the Eagles to the 3-yard line. The Eagles scoring drive was 4 plays, 54 yards. Time of the drive was 1:40.
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End of 3rd quarter.
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Donovan McNabb's pass for L.J. Smith on third-and-2 fell incomplete. Nick Barnett was on the coverage. After an Eagles punt bounced into the end zone, the Packers will take over at the Green Bay 20-yard line (0:02, 3rd quarter).
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Ryan Longwell's 45-yard field goal attempt missed just short (2:21, 3rd quarter). Ahman Green had six carries for a net of 13 yards, but was stopped for a loss of 5 yards on the previous play. Najeh Davenport had three carries for 22 yards. Davenport also had a fumble that was recovered by Robert Ferguson. Earlier on the drive, Brett Favre had a 7 yard scramble for a first down on third-and-4. The Eagles take over at the Philadelphia 35-yard line.
Longwell's missed field goal was his first failed attempt this season.
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David Akers' 21-yard field goal put the Eagles on the scoreboard, 7-3 (9:29, 3rd quarter). The Eagles had two third-down conversions on the drive, a 34-yard catch-and-run by Duce Staley on third-and-6 and a 3-yard run by Brian Westbrook on third-and-2. Philadelphia had first-and-goal at the 7-yard line when Na'il Diggs dropped Westbrook for a loss of 6. The Eagles scoring drive was 10 plays, 52 yards. Time of the drive was 5:31.
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End of 2nd quarter. Halftime.
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Ahman Green took Brett Favre's pass near the line of scrimmage and followed his blockers for a 24-yard touchdown to put the Packers ahead, 7-0 (0:40, 2nd quarter). Green had a 12-yard run on the previous play, which was set up by a 15-yard catch by Antonio Freeman on third-and-7. The Packers scoring drive was 5 plays, 54 yards. Time of the drive was 1:07.
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On third-and-2 at the Philadelphia 30-yard line, Na'il Diggs stopped Correll Buckhalter for a loss of 1. After a 25-yard punt by Dirk Johnson, the Packers take over at their own 46-yard line (1:47, 2nd quarter).
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David Akers' 47-yard field goal attempt missed wide right (5:04, 2nd quarter). The Packers take over at their own 38-yard line.
The Eagles drive started in Packers territory courtesy of Nate Wayne's interception return. Hannibal Navies stopped Correll Buckhalter for a loss of 6 that helped for the Eagles back.
Darren Sharper was injured on the drive. Sharper is probable to return with a twisted knee.
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One play after sacking the Packers quarterback, Nate Wayne made a one-handed interception of Brett Favre. After a 33-yard return, Wayne was brought down by Favre at the Green Bay 34-yard line (6:34, 2nd quarter).
The Packers had driven to the Philadelphia 26-yard line prior to the sack.
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For the second time of the game, Brett Favre fumbled when the ball slipped out of his hand while attempting a forward pass. Mark Tauscher recovered, but the Packers were forced to punt. The Eagles take over at their own 28-yard line (12:35, 2nd quarter).
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End of 1st quarter.
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The Packers' second drive ended in an Ahman Green fumble, which was recovered by Michael Lewis at the end of Green's 9-yard run. Green also had a 32-yard run on the drive. The Eagles take over at their own 27-yard line (6:35, 1st quarter).
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The Eagles opening drive ended in a punt. Larry Smith and Grady Jackson combined for a sack of Donovan McNabb on the drive. The Packers take over at their own 17-yard line (7:17, 1st quarter).
The Packers ended the game's opening possession with a punt. Ahman Green had 19 yards rushing on the drive and Robert Ferguson had an 8-yard reception, but the a fumble by Brett Favre brought a loss of 18-yards that stalled the drive.
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Temperature at kickoff is 39 degrees. Forecast calls for rain showers throughout the night.
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The following Packers players are inactive for tonight's game: Brennan Curtin, Curtis Fuller, Craig Nall (third quarterback), Kenny Peterson, Jamal Reynolds, Terdell Sands, Marcus Spriggs, Marcus Wilkins. |
