2006 Philadelphia Eagles season | |
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Head coach | Andy Reid |
Owner | Jeffrey Lurie |
Home field | Lincoln Financial Field |
Results | |
Record | 10–6 |
Division place | 1st NFC East |
Playoff finish |
Won Wild Card Playoffs (Giants) 23–20 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Saints) 24–27 |
Uniform | |
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Scoring summary | ||||
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Q1 |
11:37
|
PHI | Westbrook 5 yard run (Akers kick) | PHI 7–0 |
Q1 |
9:59
|
PHI | Akers 27 yard field goal | PHI 10–0 |
Q1 |
4:11
|
DAL | Barber 2 yard run (Vanderjagt kick) | PHI 10–7 |
Q2 |
10:30
|
DAL | Ware 69 yard fumble return (Vanderjagt kick) | DAL 14–10 |
Q2 |
9:13
|
PHI | McNabb 1 yard run (Akers kick) | PHI 17–14 |
Q2 |
3:23
|
DAL | Bledsoe 7 yard run (Vanderjagt kick) | DAL 21–17 |
Q3 |
7:28
|
PHI | Baskett 87 yard pass from McNabb (Akers kick) | PHI 24–21 |
Q4 |
11:14
|
DAL | Vanderjagt 39 yard field goal | Tie 24–24 |
Q4 |
8:23
|
PHI | Brown 40 yard pass from McNabb (Akers kick) | PHI 31–24 |
Q4 |
0:16
|
PHI | Sheppard 102 yard interception return (Akers kick) | PHI 38–24 |
The 2006 Philadelphia Eagles season ended in the Eagles finishing 10–6, reclaiming the NFC East, and winning a playoff game at home. The season ended in a Divisional Round playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints, but was seen as a success in the face of the adversity of losing starting quarterback Donovan McNabb to injury in Week 11.
The Eagles had been to the playoffs from 2000 to 2004, but in 2005, the team was torn apart by injuries and the Terrell Owens saga and finished 6–10 a year after appearing in Super Bowl XXXIX. Retooled and refocused in 2006, the Eagles won four of their first five games, but they underwent a mid-season downturn that left them 5–6 and without McNabb. Backup quarterback Jeff Garcia stepped in and running back Brian Westbrook stepped up as the season turned around for Philadelphia. The team came back from the dead in late-November to win their last five regular season games, surprisingly winning the NFC East division title after a three-game December road sweep of all of its division rivals. They beat the New York Giants 23–20 in a home playoff game before finally losing to the Saints.
McNabb started the season with MVP-caliber numbers before his November injury, while Garcia was efficient, running the "West Coast offense" perfectly and completing eleven touchdown passes with only two interceptions. Westbrook became the focal point of the team's offense after the loss of McNabb, and responded by rushing for 1,217 yards and racking up 699 receiving yards. Trade acquisition Donte Stallworth combined with second-year wideout Reggie Brown to catch 15 touchdown passes and amass 1,541 receiving yards. Meanwhile, the offensive line was a quiet strength of the team, featuring emerging star Shawn Andrews and a group that started all 16 games together. The offense managed to morph from a quick-strike team under McNabb to a methodical balanced attack under Garcia while finishing No. 2 in yards in the league.