1/9/11

NFL Playoffs Recap: Packers Beat Eagles in Another Nailbiter

Once again, Packer fans, the aspirin and Prilosec OTC are on me.

Once again, Green Bay comes up with a critical defensive play to beat the Eagles in Philadelphia. In Week 1, the Packers won 27-20 after stopping Michael Vick on fourth-and-inches to thwart a drive that could've tied the game.

This time, with Green Bay leading 21-16, Tramon Williams intercepts a Vick pass in the end zone with less than a minute remaining to seal the win.

One person who can now breathe a huge sigh of relief is Aaron Rodgers. Kudos to him, as he takes the next step toward greatness with his first-ever playoff victory.

He completed 18-of-27 passes (about a 67-percent completion rate). Although he only accounted for 180 passing yards, he threw for three touchdowns to lead the Packers to their first road playoff victory since 1997, when they beat the San Francisco 49ers to win their second consecutive NFC title.

Running back James Starks provided a spark to Green Bay's offense, accounting for 123 yards on 23 carries to lead a heavily-criticized rushing attack.

But the game ball should go to the entire Packers defense. In addition to coming up big in the game's final moments, they yielded only 16 points to a usually-potent Eagles offense.

Although Vick passed for 292 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 33 yards and another score, he was unable to come up with any of the spectacular plays that made him an MVP candidate this season.

Meanwhile, running backs LeSean McCoy and Jerome Harrison were shut down, as they ran for only 46 and three yards, respectively.

Still, had David Akers been perfect this game and made all three of his field-goal attempts, the Eagles might have been able to win the game. Instead, Akers missed two crucial field goals, including one that could've given Philadelphia an early 3-0 lead off a Packer turnover.

As it is, the Packers will be traveling to Atlanta this weekend to play for a trip to the NFC Championship Game.

Breathe in, breathe out, Packer fans.

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