>> Welcome to Glendale, Arizona, and welcome to the NFC championship game on FOX. It's the Philadelphia Eagles and the Arizona Cardinals. David Akers will kick it away for Philadelphia. And, as Kurt Warner told us two days ago, "We've got to keep the pile moving forward." They'll get a chance to do it as they get the opening kickoff. [ Whistles blowing ] How can that happen? How can the football blow off the tee inside a dome? Akers is looking at that thing twice. Maybe the noise knocked it off. Akers put a little extra into that. And Arrington will take a knee. So, Kurt Warner, two-time league MVP, one-time Super Bowl MVP, all with the St. Louis Rams, now leads his offense and the Arizona Cardinals, the team that moved to the desert from St. Louis, in 1988, out to the field. And this offensive line, Troy, has played extremely well here in '08. >> Yeah, I think you could make a case that their best games have been here in the playoffs. They've done a good job of pass protection, for the most part, all season long. But the best thing has been opening up some holes for these running backs the last two weeks. >> Notably, Edgerrin James, who is back as the featured back for the Cardinals. And James gets it, picks up 2. Bunkley was in on the stop. And how often, Troy, do we talk about linebackers and Brian Dawkins and cornerbacks? But when you consider the job that Bunkley and Patterson did last week, at Giants Stadium, against probably the league's best, the interior offensive line of the Giants, they were a major reason why the Eagles are here today. >> Yeah, they've done a great job, and they're gonna be expected to do a good job again today. Of course, their role will change a little bit. They're gonna be predominantly asked to put a little bit more pressure on Kurt Warner. >> That was Arrington in motion. Quick release. And a completion to Anquan Boldin. Gain of 7. Boldin, who missed last week, after scoring on that electrifying 71-yard touchdown against Atlanta in the wild-card playoff round. He strained his hamstring, was inactive at Carolina, and, yet, the offense didn't miss a beat. >> Didn't miss a beat. And he says he feels good. And, you know, with the hamstring, you never really know. And I think that as long as he works in small spaces and doesn't have to really open up, I think he'll be in good shape. But if he has to test it, I think that's when we'll find out just how healthy he really is. >> A blitz on third and 1. Warner over the middle. Hits Fitzgerald. First down across the 45! >> One of the things the Cardinals have done very well here in the postseason play is get to the third-and-manageable down and distances. The Eagles bring the blitz. The Cardinals are able to pick that up. Man-to-man coverage, you see, there. You got Asante Samuel on Fitzgerald, and he's trying to navigate the other receivers and defenders, and that's what created the separation for Larry Fitzgerald. A natural pick, if you will. >> A 19-yard completion on third and 1. From their own 48. Quick throw. Boldin. Urban was blocking. And Boldin gets 9. Clemons out there to make the stop for Philly. >> I'll tell you -- Todd Haley, the offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals, doing a good job. You get into a game like this, and, as we discussed, even though Kurt Warner, a veteran guy -- He's been in a number of big games, Super Bowl games, NFC championships, but you still want to allow your quarterback to settle in. He's had some easy throws, some short throws, and he's starting to get a feel, right now, for getting the ball to the key guys. >> Second down and 1. Edgerrin James keeps that pile moving forward for a first down. >> Ken Whisenhunt is the head coach here with the Cardinals, in his second year. 6-10 the year before he got here. 8-8 last year. 9-7, and the Cardinals have their first division title since '75, their playoff appearance since '98, their only winning season, when they beat Dallas and lost to the Vikings. And when they hosted Atlanta two weeks ago, their first home playoff game since 1947, when the franchise won it all as the Chicago Cardinals. That's Antrel Rolle in motion. And here's a hand-off to Edgerrin James. 16 yards. >> Well, the Cardinals will work Antrel Rolle in from time to time. He went in motion. Then they run the draw off of that to Edgerrin James, back away from where the motion had gone. And right towards Trent Cole. Get him up the field. They know he's a pass rusher that likes to use his speed. And when he came up the field with the speed rush, that left a vacancy in which James was able to run through. >> Longest postseason carry by Edgerrin James, who gets it again. And picks up 11. Troy, the Cardinals did not have a rushing first down in that first Eagles game, on Thanksgiving night in Philadelphia. They have three on this opening drive. >> Well, this is an entirely different offense to try to defense when they get the running game going like they have it going here on this first possession. Edgerrin James, who, many people know, started the season as the starter. He was then benched for Tim Hightower, and during that time, he was a real professional, but he was also afforded a great deal of rest. And, so, now that he's in postseason play, he's got good legs, and we've seen it. >> Here's Tim Hightower, the rookie. Pretty good head of steam as he takes it down inside the 10. Picked up 4. You saw Jim Johnson, as his defense has been, I'm sure, surprised with the way the Cardinals have come flying out of the gates. >> Yeah, Jim Johnson -- here he is up in the booth with the bad back. He was in the booth last week. And Jim's a defensive coordinator who likes to call things from the sidelines, because he gets a feel and he can see the players and the emotion of the game. He says he has to call things much more systematically when he's up in the booth. >> Second and 6. Warner with time. Fitzgerald won't go down! Touchdown! Did he get in? Certainly looked like it. It was the fall on the field. And the Cardinals strike first. >> I'll tell you -- pretty casual once he got the ball and was able to break a few tackles, not just making sure and getting the ball, with some authority, across the goal line. But, as you said, it looked, from our vantage point, that he was able to clear the goal line. >> Now the Eagles get a chance to try an answer. A 9-play, 80-yard drive. Warner -- 4 for 4, and he went to his two big weapons. Two to Boldin, two to Fitzgerald. And for Fitzgerald, he gets the first touchdown reception against the Eagles' defense in the last five-plus games. Demps will watch this ball go out of bounds. And that means that the Eagles will start with it at their own 40. A good note for Eagles fans. Teams scoring first this postseason -- 2-6. Philadelphia starts at their own 40. Penalty flag on the play. The play continues. Donovan McNabb, big run to start his day. Down inside the 40. 22 yards for a guy who, for a couple of years now, has kind of left the running game behind. >> We go back to last time these two teams met. Donovan was able to make some plays with his legs in that game and really ever since then. He's still not the threat that he once was, but he can still get out and motor. >> ...number 24, defense. Penalty is declined. First down. >> You know, the Cardinals do a good job up front, in terms of getting pressure. They get a good jump off the snap. And Donovan's just able to find a crease. And then he gets out behind those linemen. Now, it looks like it was gonna be play-action pass, but, yet, the linemen were well down the field. So it was apparently going to be a screen, and Donovan just got pressure, had to take off and run with it. >> A season-long 22-yard run for McNabb. Now it's Westbrook. To the 35. Let's go back to that Larry Fitzgerald touchdown. >> Yeah, interesting here. You've got Sheldon Brown, who is on Larry Fitzgerald. And then he lets him go. He passes him off. The problem is -- the linebackers and everyone else is in man-to-man coverage. The only thing I can guess is that Brian Dawkins is the safety. When Larry Fitzgerald ran the crossing route, that he was responsible for driving on that route, as we saw, but, yet, he didn't get there in time to make the play. >> Second and 6. Fake the hand-off. And what a play made, on the completion to Celek, by Adrian Wilson. A gain of only 1. Third and 5 coming up. You look at the backs and receivers and an offensive line that has allowed three sacks during the postseason, all three coming in their win at the Vikings. >> Yeah, I think this offensive group is just gonna have to play better, really, than what they have the last two games. Because of their defensive dominance, you know, a lot of the struggles that the Eagles have had on the offensive side have been overlooked. McNabb has all day. And finally hits WALKER. What a beautiful throw by Donovan McNabb. And a good move out on the edge by Brian Westbrook. First down. >> Yeah, and, of course, if they don't get the protection that they got up front, then Donovan's not able to get this throw off. Great pocket. And Donovan comes back, and Westbrook just does a good job of recognizing that Donovan has nowhere to go with the ball. He runs a swing route and then he comes right back underneath. And that's the problem. Adrian Wilson was in good coverage. But once you allow, then, Westbrook to ad-lib, you're gonna have a hard time keeping up with him. >> They toss to Westbrook. And a gain of only 1. Antrel Rolle is out there to make the stop. Now playing safety these days for the Arizona Cardinals. And you cannot say enough for the job done by this Arizona defense so far this postseason. >> You know, and they haven't been bad, really, all season long. I mean, I know there have been games -- Minnesota, New England, Philadelphia -- where they've struggled, but, for the most part, the defense has been pretty decent and they've been pretty decent against the run. Now, yes, the last two weeks, when you look at them, they've been downright dominant. >> Second and 9. McNabb. L.J. Smith. Good move by Smith to stay up on his feet and take it to the 22. A gain of 5. >> Well, Clancy Pendergast, the defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals, wants to bring a lot of pressure. We saw, on that play there, he's got the linebackers up inside. He's gonna move the defensive front. He's gonna give a lot of different looks and try to bring people and get them in Donovan's face. I thought it was interesting, in talking with him, that he really feels the key to this ballgame is Donovan McNabb, whereas almost everyone else that we've talked to, in preparations against the Eagles, they would tell you the key has been Brian Westbrook. [ Whistles blowing ] >> Third down and 4. And now penalty flags. A false start. >> False start -- number 28, offense. 5-yard penalty. It's still third down. >> Andy Reid has taken his Eagles team to the fifth NFC championship game in the last eight years. The 49ers the last team to do it within that stretch of time. Went to five in eight years back in the '90s. But he's 1-3. The '04 season is the year the Eagles went to the Super Bowl and lost to New England. Cardinals are coming. McNabb has it batted away. Dansby got his hand up. >> Third and long. The Cardinals bring pressure again. They got Aaron Francisco, the safety, coming. Dansby is, as well. He recognizes that he can't get to Donovan. And then he goes up and knocks the ball down. Good job, defensively by the Arizona Cardinals. >> David Akers will try to add to his record 18 straight in the postseason. 7 for 7 this year. From 45. Absolutely thumped. 8-play drive, 33 yards. McNabb had the big run to start it. And now David Akers will kick it away... [ Whistle blows ] ...with J.J. Arrington waiting deep. From inside the end zone, Arrington. Hand-off is to James. Takes it outside and is dragged down by Will Demps, the rookie safety. We go down to the field and to Chris Myers. >> Joe, on that initial offensive series by the Cardinals, Andy Reid had a look of concern. But on the Eagle bench, the Eagle coaches saying, "No free releases for the Cardinal receivers," emphasizing to the linebackers, "You must jam the receivers so they cannot roam free." So, the Eagle linebackers here on this series have a chance to respond. >> All right, Chris, thanks. Second and 9. Quintin Demps on that tackle, as the Cardinals have second and long. A blitz from Philadelphia. The pass out of the reach of the tight end, Leonard Pope. >> You know, you think back to that possession that the Eagles just had and, you know, Rackers knocking the ball out of bounds on the kickoff and really setting the Eagles up in great field position for that first possession. And, knowing that, the Cardinals, defensively, did a nice job making a stop and forcing them to settle for the field goal. And that's been a little bit of a problem for Philadelphia. They've been very inconsistent in the red zone. They didn't get into the red zone here, but in terms of scoring touchdowns and not having to settle for field goals. >> Another blitz. They're all coming. Warner over the middle. Hits Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald bounces off Asante Samuel. And he's brought down a yard short of a first down. An 8-yard gain. They needed 9. It's fourth and 1. >> I tell you -- right now, that's the area of the field that Arizona has been working with Larry Fitzgerald, right around there, the linebacker level on the crossing routes. Get the ball out of Kurt's hands quickly, knowing that there's gonna be pressure in his face. Nice tackle there, holding Fitzgerald short of the first down. >> Todd Haley said he likes to normally give Kurt Warner a little cooling-off period when he gets back to the bench. Those two went right toward each other. Warner was upset about something. As the punt will sail out of bounds off the foot of Ben Graham. Second drive for Philadelphia, second time they're starting with decent field position. 3:03 left in the first. Philadelphia down by four. Extra men on the rush. Eagles pick it up. And left alone is DeSean Jackson. The pass behind him. Incomplete. And Donovan missed one there. Let's go back to what happened on the sideline between Kurt Warner and Todd Haley after that last possession. >> Well, you talked about Todd Haley giving Kurt Warner a little bit of a cooling-off period. Well, Kurt wanted to discuss some of the things that are happening right now in the game. You can see Todd Haley just trying to get Kurt to calm down a little bit. But, you know, Kurt's obviously a very competitive guy. He knows what has to take place in order for them to have a chance to win this ballgame. And I'll tell you what -- he's the right guy for this franchise. >> Westbrook, nowhere to go. Back to the line of scrimmage. Gerald Hayes the first one there, but he wasn't alone. >> I'll tell you -- on that first-down play, the offensive line doing a good job picking up the blitzes that Arizona is bringing. And Donovan was afforded a lot of time. And just a poor throw. I mean, he had a shot at DeSean Jackson, and DeSean Jackson would have run for a while had Donovan been able to put that ball on him. You know, Aaron Francisco was there in coverage, but a lot of space. >> Third down and 10. Just three men on the rush. And the pass in the air. Intercepted, Francisco. And now he coughs it up. And Philadelphia's back on top of it. And a fresh set of downs for the Eagles. Jon Runyan comes away with that loose football. And DeSean Jackson is the one that knocked it out of the arms of Aaron Francisco. >> You're gonna see, again, great protection for Donovan McNabb. And he just tries squeezing one in there. It's man coverage underneath. Roderick Hood underneath the route. It was gonna be impossible to try to squeeze that all in. And, off the deflection -- What a great job there by the rookie DeSean Jackson. A hustle play. Comes in, goes right for the ball, doesn't worry about making the tackle as much as trying to strip it, and he's able to. You know, good things happen around the football. Jon Runyan, the veteran player right there to recover it. >> A loss of 8 overall on the play, which featured two turnovers, but a first and 10 for the Eagles at their own 25. A little rollout by McNabb. And he's gonna air it out down the left side. Has Greg Lewis, who turns and cannot hang on. Former Eagle Roderick Hood in coverage. >> Well, they wanted to go after Roderick Hood. And Greg Lewis -- you're gonna see. He's gonna have about 3 yards. He comes off slow. He's by him. And if Donovan's able to get this ball out -- Now, that's an unbelievable adjustment to the throw, because he was expecting that over his inside shoulder, and Donovan threw it to his outside. And he had to turn with his back to the ball and then try to pick it up in the air. >> What a good job by Hood to get his hand in there and knock it out. Play clock at the top of your screen. It's second and 10. More time for McNabb, who throws low. But it's caught by Baskett. A penalty flag is thrown on the play. As it is, it's 14 yards and a first down, but we'll check the flag. And what a good catch by Hank Baskett. >> Prior to the pass, holding -- number 20, defense. That penalty is declined. First down. >> It was a great catch, Joe, but if Donovan is able to make a good throw -- You're gonna see this. Hank Baskett, 84 -- it looks like he's in protection, and then he releases. There's nobody in the middle of the field. There's no safety, nobody back there, and if you put that on him, where he can catch it and run, it's a touchdown. >> So, a good catch on another poor throw from McNabb, who has started 4 for 8. Delayed hand-off to Westbrook, who picks up a first down into Arizona territory. 14 yards on the run. That's his longest of the postseason. And for a guy who, except for one 71-yard catch-and-run, a screen at Minnesota, really hasn't been much of a factor, offensively, for Philadelphia. >> No, he has not. And Travis LaBoy coming out of the game. He had missed three games. He came back in last week's playoff win over Carolina. >> So, he takes a seat. And now Correll Buckhalter takes it and picks up 9. Brought down by Ralph Brown. >> I'll tell you what, Joe -- there's a lot of football, obviously, left to be played, but I think that regardless of whatever the outcome is in this game, we're gonna look back on the interception and the strip by DeSean Jackson as a major, pivotal point in the outcome, because at 7-3, Arizona had the ball in great field position to take a pretty commanding lead here early, and now Philadelphia is marching. >> And faced with second and 1. Hand-off. Buckhalter, first down. He got to the 35. Thrown backward. And that is how the first quarter will come to an end. DeSean Jackson set a Philadelphia rookie record with his 912 receiving yards during the regular season. What a play he made to force a fumble and strip Aaron Francisco of the football. And the Eagles' offense has marched it to the Arizona 35. Hand-off to Westbrook. And a good play made by Bryan Robinson. No gain. Down to the field and Pam Oliver. >> Well, Joe, the Cardinals' right defensive end getting a pretty good look when he came off the field. In fact, the trainers have taken Travis LaBoy back into locker room to get a better look. Apparently, he has a left bicep injury, and his return is questionable. >> All right, Pam. Thank you. Bertrand Berry now out of that right-end spot. He shifts over to the other side. The Eagles have run the ball four straight plays. A blitz. McNabb in trouble. And throws out of the reach of Westbrook. May have Berry out there in coverage. >> You know, over the last two games that the Eagles have played, the defenses have done a pretty good job of running some twists in order to free guys up on Donovan McNabb. Minnesota was able to do it. The Giants were able to it, from time to time, last week. And the Cardinals, looking at those films, saw something there, as well. And they get pressure on Donovan and force him to throw it sooner than he wanted. >> It's third and 10. Another three-man rush. It's Celek. Tries to hurdle his way to a first down, and he is well short. Great effort, but only 6 yards. Went over the top of Ralph Brown but was brought down well short of first-down yardage. And the field-goal unit back on for Philly. >> Well, it looked like the Eagles were trying to get the ball to Kevin Curtis on a square-in-and-go route, but had he have just run a square-in, the whole middle of the field was vacated. It would have been an easy completion for a first down. Celek trying to hurdle them for the first down. I'll tell you -- this offensive line, though, for the Eagles doing an outstanding job giving Donovan a lot of time to find receivers. >> 47-yard try by Akers. And he pulled it. Good field position for the Cardinals, as they start at their own 38. David Akers had made 19 straight in the postseason. Hooked a 47-yard try. Here's a little throw back to Warner. Going downfield for Fitzgerald. Covered by Demps! And Fitzgerald makes the play for the touchdown! A penalty flag is down back in the area where Warner let it go. >> Personal foul, roughing the passer -- number 97 -- late hit on the quarterback. Result of the play is a touchdown. That 15-yard penalty will be assessed on the kickoff. >> Fitzgerald has his second of this game. >> Well, they ran this in practice on Friday. We saw it. And Todd Haley, the offensive coordinator, talked to Fitzgerald and said, "You got to come off a little slower off the ball. You're gonna outrun Kurt Warner's arm." And that's what he was able to do. And was there any doubt that Larry Fitzgerald, when the ball was in the air, that he'd be the one coming down with it? >> Well, no. I mean, once the ball is in the air and he's got one guy to beat, Fitzgerald's gonna go up and get it. And that's what makes him if not <i> the</i> most, one of<i> the</i> most dangerous receivers in the NFL -- size, speed, and he can jump. >> You see Larry Fitzgerald come off the ball. He looks as if he's gonna block. He slows it down and then he wants to take off. And even with that, he still outran the throw. But just give him a chance. A lot of times, as a quarterback, if you miss, you want to miss long. With Larry Fitzgerald if you miss, you want to miss short, because he's able to go up, as we've seen so many times, in stride and make the difficult catch. And then there's the late hit on Kurt Warner. I don't know that I agree with that call, but it was irrelevant. >> And Todd Haley, the offensive coordinator, who, someday, is gonna make a terrific head coach in this league, is all charged up over on the sideline. And I like what he told us. He said, "I've told Kurt Warner to just stick with Fitzgerald, and even if he's covered, either stay with him 'cause he's going to get open, don't go through your progression and go to other receivers, or, "B," if he is covered, just throw it, and he'll go up and get it." >> [ Laughs ] I'm not sure I'd throw to anybody else on the field. I mean, it's really remarkable. And, you know, a lot of times, as I was saying, if you underthrow a receiver, that's usually when bad things can happen, you know, on an interception. But with Larry Fitzgerald, he's so good at protecting the quarterback and going up and getting the ball that I think you almost want to underthrow it, because he's at a sizable advantage in that situation. And how about Todd Haley telling us, "At some point early, we need a big play. And that's what has ignited us when we've won." Well, they just got it. >> Hand-off is to Buckhalter. Picked up 3. >> Well, you go back and take a look at the job that J.J. Arrington did in making sure that he threw that ball backwards so that it was a legal play and then Kurt could allow it to get down the field. You know, Larry Fitzgerald -- as good as he has been, he has played his best games here in this postseason. And you always talk about needing your best players to play big in big games. That young man's done it. [ Whistles blowing ] >> Penalty flags fly, and we'll see if it's a false start. Looked like it. And is. >> False start -- number 81, offense. 5-yard penalty. It's still second down. >> That's Jason Avant. Second false start by the Eagles, in what is a noisy dome. Typically, they seat 65,000 in here. They're up to 70,000-plus. They added seats and sold out this game in 6 minutes after the Cardinals won in Carolina last week. Second and 12. Over the middle. It's gunned into the arms of Kevin Curtis. One of the better throws by McNabb. A gain of 11. >> You know, really, Joe, you think about, you know, even in this first half, the number of opportunities that Philadelphia has had already, you know, for some big plays. We've shown them. And those are the difference in winning and losing. And Arizona, when they've had the opportunity to make the big play, they've made it, and when Donovan's had an opportunity to put the ball on somebody and get a big play, they have failed. >> On third down and 1, play-action. They put it in McNabb's right hand. And down he goes. Darnell Dockett. There's a flag down at the 25. Each side is indicating it's against the other team. >> Holding -- number 94, defense. 5-yard penalty. First down. >> That's Antonio Smith. >> Yeah, you're gonna see Brian Westbrook, and Antonio Smith comes up the field and bangs into him. [ Laughs ] You can't do that, big fella. You know, that's what the Rams had happen to them when they were playing New England in that Super Bowl, against Marshall Faulk. But you can bang him, and I thought that was pretty good, but you can't just throw the guy to the ground. >> Well, an easy call, and a first down by penalty for the Eagles. Here's Curtis. Hit in stride. Good moves in the open field. Kevin Curtis dragged down by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie after a gain of 47. And that is exactly what this Philadelphia team needed. >> Well, they sure did. They needed a big play to get a little life back in them and try to get something out of this possession here. The momentum all clearly behind the Arizona Cardinals. Slant route there to Kevin Curtis. And, you know, he's just able to outrun everybody. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was in a pretty good position to make a tackle right there, but he overran it. But you're not gonna overrun him -- or outrun him, anyway, all the way to the end zone. One of the fastest players in the National Football League and has had an excellent rookie season. >> They fake a toss, hand to Buckhalter up the middle. And Buckhalter picks up 7. So, we talked earlier about the play that you could maybe forget about made by DeSean Jackson. How about the call against Smith? A first down, because of the penalty, for Philadelphia. And then -- bang -- that big completion to Kevin Curtis. >> Yeah, and that's what's gonna happen in this game. It's what happens in playoff games, that there's a lot of momentum shifts. And, you know, the Eagles -- once the Cardinals got the big play and the touchdown, this was an important drive for them to be able to put something together and get some points, some kind of points. And you're right. A big penalty, a huge penalty there on Antonio Smith. Second down and 3. Pass is to Lewis. And he goes backwards. Brought down by Antrel Rolle. A loss of 3. And now, from the 15-yard line, it's third and 6. >> I got to tell you, though, Joe, coming into this game, you know, and looking at the matchups, a lot of times, you look at the quarterbacks in deferment. "Okay, what's gonna happen based on those two guys?" You know, in this game, two veteran players and guys that have been in big games. But I'll tell you -- Donovan, who, at times, can be erratic -- he is really missing the mark a lot here in this first half. >> Faced Kurt Warner in the 2001 NFC championship game, in St. Louis and lost to the Rams, did McNabb. And now a lot of contact. No flag is thrown, as Avant had Ralph Brown on his back. And the field-goal unit again will come on for Philadelphia. >> Well, Avant working the middle, and Ralph Brown just sits on the route. You know, good coverage, really. And did it get physical? Yeah, it got physical, and maybe they could have thrown a flag, but, you know, I think, overall, it was a good play by Ralph Brown. >> Avant got up screaming for the flag, didn't get it. Now a 33-yard try by Akers, who just missed from 47. And, this time, knocks it through. Brian Dawkins is on the sideline trying to pump up his teammates. Dawkins, who is one of three finalists for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. Winner will be announced at Super Bowl XLIII. For all the work that these players do off the field, community service, as well as playing excellence. And the other two finalists are Kurt Warner, who he's playing against, and Matt Birk, the outstanding center for the Vikings. Here is J.J. Arrington from about the 2. Winding his way across the 25, to the 27. Well, the Eagles just got 3 points on a 33-yard field goal by Akers. And now, this postseason, Philadelphia, inside the red zone, just 2 for 7 scoring touchdowns. Warner stumbles as he somehow gets it to Edgerrin James. Just shy of midfield. Good for 22. >> Kurt got stepped on or something coming out from underneath center. I'm not even sure how they were able to make that exchange. You see, Kurt got stepped as he was trying to come out. But he is able to get it to Edgerrin. And a nice run right up the gut. Inside guys there -- Lyle Sendlein, the center, and Reggie Wells and Deuce Lutui -- moving out the hole. I tell you -- the Cardinals have not had a lot of big runs throughout this entire season. That's been one of the problems with their running game. But a nice gain on that last play. >> Delayed hand-off to Hightower. Brought down by Joselio Hanson. A gain of 4. And these Cardinals are earning more and more respect every minute here in January. Underneath, Arrington. Room to run. Inside the 30. 17 yards to J.J. Arrington. >> J.J. Arrington tends to get lost when you start talking about the playmakers for the Arizona Cardinals, offensively, but when he's had his opportunities, he generally makes the most of them. You see him there. He's running a little drag route. And once he gets the ball in his hands, he's very elusive. A quick runner. He's done a nice job for this team. >> I tell you what -- Warner doesn't make many mistakes, does he? >> No. He's so casual in the pocket. I mean, with pressure, he's able to not get flustered by it. >> They delay the hand-off to Hightower. A good play made by Sheldon Brown as he came off the block. A gain of 4. >> I'll tell you, Joe -- you look at this first half, and, of course, Arizona with the big plays, and they've got two touchdowns, and Philadelphia has done a good job moving the football, as well, but, yet, they've had to settle for the field goals. And so now we're looking at an 8-point deficit and 14-6 ballgame. And the Cardinals on another nice drive, another methodical drive, offensively. And, you know, for the Eagles, I think this is a really important drive for them. I mean, they cannot afford to give up another touchdown right here. >> Second and 7. What a start for Warner, who is 7-2 in his career during the postseason, undefeated at home. Now the tight end Leonard Pope. Well-designed play, as Pope gets it down inside the 15. A 12-yard catch-and-run. >> Well, Todd Haley's doing a heck of a job, as offensive coordinator, calling the plays. And right now, he's one step ahead of Jim Johnson. You've got Arrington, who's gonna go out on a swing route. Watch Kurt Warner, as he fakes it there. But right into the face of the blitz, here, you've got the screen. And look at the people that he has out in front of him. >> Kurt Warner, this season, inside the red zone, has thrown 27 touchdowns against only 2 interceptions. Eagles bring a blitz. Edgerrin James just pushes the pile back to the line of scrimmage. >> You know, the other thing about Kurt Warner -- if you're Jim Johnson and you get down, when he gets into this situation, especially in the red zone, that's when he really likes to come after the quarterback, see if he can't create a mistake. Kurt Warner the fourth-rated passer in the National Football League against the blitz -- 14 touchdowns this year, only 4 interceptions. You're rarely going to get to him, so you've got to be real careful when you decide to do it, because when you do, then, all of a sudden, you've got Larry Fitzgerald one-on-one. And we've already seen you don't want that. >> Second and 10. Another blitz. Pass underneath. Breaston. I like what Kurt Warner told us regarding the blitzing of Jim Johnson. Breaston very close to first-down yardage. We'll get a measurement. He said, "We are going to attack Philadelphia's blitz." And they have in this half. >> And the big key is what they worked on all week, is knowing it's gonna come. That's fine. "We're not gonna get a big play every time they bring the blitz, but we've got to at least have positive plays." Kurt Warner knew exactly where to go with the football. He saw the blitz the entire way. Breaston sees it. They put it on him. Easy completion. >> And enough for a first down. Kurt Warner, who, in 1998, was the third quarterback in St. Louis for a Rams team that went 4-12 under Dick Vermeil. He revived that franchise in '99, after Trent Green went down in the preseason, took them to a Super Bowl, got the victory over Tennessee. Two-time league MVP. And now he finds himself trying to take the Arizona Cardinals into the Super Bowl. A toss. Arrington. Not much room to run. A pickup of 1. How did his time end in St. Louis? Kurt Warner got to, lost the Super Bowl in the 2001 season. In '02, he made six starts, broke his hand, and then lost his hold on that job to Bulger in 2003. Was with the Giants, mentored Eli Manning in '04. Came to the Cardinals, made 10 starts in Arizona in '05, 5 starts in '06, took over Week 6 last year, and he makes his 30th consecutive start, at the age of 37. Larry Fitzgerald at the bottom. They fake that way and then throw. Fitzgerald ends up on the ground. And a penalty flag is thrown. Samuel in coverage. >> Pass interference -- number 22, defense. First down at the 1-yard line. >> I think all 70,000 people at the game knew where the ball was going when you saw one-on-one coverage with Asante Samuel. And they run the slant route. And a good call. I mean, Asante said he was going for the ball, and in playing the ball, he just decided to go right through Fitzgerald. >> Been bothered by a bad hip. Looks to be in a little pain over on the sideline. It's first and goal. Fitzgerald... has got another! >> You see Larry Fitzgerald. He's gonna start to the slant, like he just ran, and then he goes to the corner. Sheldon Brown trying to take away the inside, but a lot of room there for Kurt Warner to lay the ball to the outside. >> 21-6. That Eagles defense has to wonder what has hit them. As we go back to the touchdown. >> Yeah, and he's one-on-one, Sheldon Brown is. And Fitzgerald just does a great job. I mean, you got no chance. I mean, Asante Samuel, one-on-one, couldn't stop him. Sheldon Brown couldn't stop him. You know, Todd Haley talked to us about what he told Fitzgerald coming into this season. He said, "Last year, you were a one-trick pony, and you've got to learn to do some things a little bit differently to continue to be the great player that you can become." Well, I'll tell you -- he's anything but a one-trick pony now. I mean, everybody knows -- Jim Johnson told us, coming into this game, "We have got to control Larry Fitzgerald." And, yet, they have not been able to do any of it. >> Here is a kick that hit the boundary. They throw a flag. [ Whistles blowing ] And we'll get the call. Went over the head and touched, maybe, by Abiamiri. But the officiating crew will sort it out. Could be the second kickoff out of bounds by Neil Rackers. >> Yeah, this is the key here. Did he touch it? And it didn't look, at least from here that he did. You know, he almost made a really bad play on that ball, trying to field it with it that close to the sideline. >> Well, I'll tell you what -- I'm not even sure that ball went out of bounds. It took a funny hop. I think it caught the finger of Abiamiri. But it's interesting to look at this replay again, because that's obviously a live ball. >> Well, we got to see, here, whether or not it went out of bounds. And it did not. I mean, I don't know that it -- >> The ruling on the field is that the kick touched the receiving-team player and then touched out of bounds. The ball will is dead out of bounds at that spot. It's first down, Philadelphia. >> Obviously, if it's touching Abiamiri along the boundary, then you have that call. But I'm not so sure that, after that ball checked up, when it touched Abiamiri, he was out of bounds or the ball ever went out of bounds. And the Arizona Cardinals and Ken Whisenhunt -- they're gonna challenge it and see if they end up with this live football. >> Yeah, there's a lot of things happening on this particular play. One is -- it looked like the ball was gonna go out of bounds. And, so, Abiamiri -- You know, you'd say, well, he should have let it go out of bounds, but it does not go out of bounds. Now, is it touching him while he was out of bounds himself? [ Crowd cheering ] >> Well, they obviously show the replay on the board here, and the crowd -- you can hear their reaction. Does it ever hit him? I would say it doesn't. >> Well, that's the look, right there, where it looks like it maybe caught his left forearm. >> That's the only part of Abiamiri it could have hit after that bounce, if you can make the case. And I don't think we've seen a definitive view of it either way. And, remember, importantly, the call is that it's Philadelphia's ball down on the field. Have you seen any evidence that's indisputable, then, which would turn the call around? And, obviously, if the Arizona Cardinals take over, the way they're rollin' right now, this could be deadly to the Philadelphia Eagles and their chances to come back in this game. And, so, the officiating crew is getting together, and they still haven't announced what Ken Whisenhunt is challenging here. But here it is again. >> Well, he's clearly out of bounds, and now the question is -- >> The ruling on the field was that the ball went out of bounds. By rule, that kills the play, and it is not a reviewable play. >> So they're not allowing Ken Whisenhunt to challenge it. [ Crowd boos ] >> I'll tell you what, though, Joe -- that says a lot about Ken Whisenhunt. I mean, you go down there, you get the touchdown to go up 21-6, and then you kick off with that kick in the hopes that you can get down there and recover it. I mean, he's going for the knockout punch. And then you've got confidence that, defensively, you're gonna be able to stop them if, in fact, you don't get it. But a lot of things working right there on that play, and the Eagles are fortunate that they're getting the ball back. >> Ken Whisenhunt is now going back down to that spot on the field where the ball checked up. First of all, the officiating crew just put it up at the 40, and now they've moved it all the way back to that spot where it touched Abiamiri -- just outside the 26. And that's where the Eagles will take over. And only because they blew the play dead, and the ball was ruled out of bounds on the field is it not reviewable. Play over, even though the call may not have been correct. >> I'll tell you -- I like the call by Ken Whisenhunt. Not a lot of second-year head coaches, in their first NFC championship game, would have done that. >> Pass to Celek. The Eagles need a score here at the end of the half. Second and 2. A blitz. McNabb drops it off. Celek again. Makes a good move, picks up a first down, as he got far enough away from Dansby for a 5-yard gain. Each side has all three of their time-outs remaining, so plenty of time left for the Eagles. A quick huddle, as we approach the 2-minute warning. >> Well, they wanted to get one more play off before the 2-minute warning. >> Which they do. Another blitz. McNabb throws to an open part of the field. He was in the pocket. But no flag. >> I think you're gonna get it, though. There was no receiver in the area. And there it is. >> The late flag for grounding, as Chike Okeafor -- >> ...grounding -- number 5, offense. >> Kurt Warner with a perfect quarterback rating in this first half of the NFC championship game. And for McNabb, just 51.6. A loss of 12 on the intentional-grounding call. It's second and 22. Eagles need to get something going here before the end of the half. Celek has been a favorite target. Takes a bite out of the 22 yards. Picks up 8. Ralph Brown on the stop. [ Whistles blowing ] And now a time-out is taken. >> It's the first charged time-out. 20-second time-out. >> Philadelphia takes the time-out. Third down and 14 for the Eagles. McNabb's got to make a play. Down the middle of the field for Avant. Cannot get to it. Just out of his reach. And now the Cardinals will have plenty of time to add to their lead before the half. >> Well, they go with a three-man rush, the Arizona Cardinals do, and you can see they've got guys down in coverage. With man-to-man underneath and Ralph Brown doing a good job, it would have taken an absolute perfect throw in order to get that completion. Good stop there by Arizona, defensively. You give the Eagles relatively decent field position by, you know, the kickoff that Whisenhunt went with, but they answered and were able to make the stop. >> Rocca punts it. And it's a good one. Breaston from inside the 10. Gets around Greg Lewis. And hops out just across the 15. >> Well, when Fitzgerald is doing the things that he's doing in this game, it really changes everything that Jim Johnson, then, wants to do, defensively, because, for the most part, if you're gonna bring pressure, you got one-on-one outside. You try to limit the big plays. But since they've not been able to do that, now you become a little more cautious in what you want to do on the defensive side. >> A spin and the throw to Anquan Boldin. [ Crowd cheering ] And a penalty flag comes in at the end of the play, after a 5-yard pickup by the Cardinals. >> Well, I don't understand that at all. >> I mean, that's ridiculous by Quintin Demps. >> After the play, personal foul, unnecessary roughness -- number 39, defense -- late hit. 15-yard penalty. First down. >> You know, and, obviously, a pretty dumb play there by Demps, but if the attempt is to try to rattle Kurt Warner -- that's not gonna happen. You know, it's just not gonna happen. This guy -- I've seen him hit too many times in games, and he just gets up and keeps on playing. But that's a costly penalty. I mean, you're talking about right before the half. They've already given up enough points, but the Cardinals -- I mean, they can pretty much just shut the door on this one, if they're able to come away with another touchdown going in. >> It's the second time the Eagles have roughed Kurt Warner. Warner steps up. Throws. And caught by Boldin on the deflection. Quintin Mikell got his hands on it and nearly picked it off, and Anquan Boldin was waiting for it. Good for 32. >> I'm not sure how he didn't catch that. Quintin Mikell is in great position. >> Oh, that ball hit the ground. We're inside 2 minutes, and that will be a booth review. But this ball was trapped against the ground... >> The previous play is being reviewed. >> ...by the body of Anquan Boldin. And that play will come back. >> Yeah, that will definitely come back. But, you know, the bigger picture is -- a chance for Philadelphia to get the ball back with, still, time and maybe do something themselves. >> After reviewing the play, the ball hit the ground before the receiver gained control. It's an incomplete pass. It'll be second down on the 36-yard line. Please put 1:20 back on the game clock. As a result of the pass being incomplete, Arizona is not charged with a time-out. >> So, they have all three of their time-outs remaining, and it's second and 10. Here's Fitzgerald across from Asante Samuel. And Warner and Arrington bang into each other. And Arrington is wrapped up back near the 30 by Chris Clemons. >> Yeah, there was a miscommunication there in the huddle on the exchange between Kurt Warner and J.J. Arrington, as you're gonna see. And, right now, I think, with the down and distance that Arizona is faced with, that they'd like to be able to just run this thing out. But a time-out there by Philadelphia. >> So, now Philadelphia will, as Troy said, spend their second time-out, try and get a stop here with third down coming up. Third down and 15. And an opportunity, maybe, to get something done here before the half, because, so far, this game's been dominated by Arizona. >> Yeah, and, yet, I think they also have to be careful here before the half. You know, if they start pressing and trying to do something, you know, too aggressively, that could backfire on them here going into the half. There's a part of me that would say, "Hey, you know, let's go in there at halftime and try to figure this thing out." You know, a lot of veteran players have been in these types of games, and, yet, this is a franchise, at least recently, that hasn't enjoyed a lot of success in these championship games. >> A blitz. A quick throw. And a first down for Arizona to Jerheme Urban. His first catch. And 18 yards. And Warner knows how to handle a blitz. >> I'll tell you what -- right now, everything's going right for the Arizona Cardinals. Third and long. The Eagles thinking, with the time-out, that they could stop them and get the ball back. They come with the blitz. They just fail to cover up Jerheme Urban. I mean, you can see how quickly Kurt Warner recognizes it. In fact, he's not even able to really get a grip on the ball. But when you bring the pressure, you've got to cover up the receivers. And nobody was there with Urban. >> I tell you what -- Todd Haley continues to prove -- As you look at Jim Johnson, the defensive coordinator of the Eagles, who is frustrated here in this half. Haley just continues to put the pedal down and stay aggressive. He did it at the end of the Atlanta game, here at home the wild-card weekend. And when you think they're gonna throw to try and take some time off the clock, he drops back and lets Warner do the rest. A pump fake by Warner. Underneath, it's Fitzgerald. Left alone. How can Larry Fitzgerald run across the field all by himself? 14 yards and another first down. >> And the reason that Todd Haley can keep his foot on the pedal is because Kurt Warner is making good decisions. And they wanted to take a shot up the field, and it wasn't there. And rather than force it, Kurt comes underneath, then, to Larry Fitzgerald. You're gonna see he wanted to get the ball up the sideline on a big play. It's not there. He knows where he's got to go with the football. In fact, Todd Haley, as we were talking about a little bit earlier, says he's the best at going through his progressions. Well, that was a good example of it. Went to his first, second. Not there. Fitzgerald on his third. >> A pretty good option as your third read. >> Yeah. >> Warner throws over the head of Anquan Boldin. A blitz. And, finally, Warner goes down -- in the arms of Trent Cole. A loss of 7 to bring up third down and a mile. >> Well, that was one the Eagles really needed, because they were knocking on the door, the Cardinals were, in getting into field-goal range. Trent Cole -- he just is able to work right by Mike Gandy. And they had inside pressure, also. We've seen Kurt Warner have time to be able to step up into the pocket, but that time, there was just nowhere for him to step up. >> For Trent Cole, his first sack in the last four games. And now the game clock is winding down. Third down and 17. Arizona with two time-outs left. And back on this side of the field, it's Boldin. Anquan Boldin is wrestled down short of the 30. And a time-out is taken by Arizona. And they'll have a shot at 3 more points. >> This is the second charged time-out, Arizona. 30-second time-out. >> And Kurt Warner -- he gets leveled at the end of this play. But, right at the very end, gets it out just in time. Good call, though, again, by Todd Haley, at least giving them a chance with a field-goal attempt here at the end of the half. >> Yeah, they didn't try to get all of the first-down yardage necessary. They got 13. And because of a 13-yard play, it's a manageable 49-yard field-goal try by Neil Rackers, who's coming off one of his best seasons in the NFL. Becomes a three-score game if Rackers hits this. Good snap. Good hold. Rackers... got it. What a half. Neil Rackers has been a little shaky on kickoffs. Kicked only one out of bounds during the regular season. He had one that cleanly went out of bounds and one that was touched by an Eagles player as it was headed out of bounds already in this game. A little pop-up kick. Taken from just inside the 20 by Buckhalter. And good starting field position for the Philadelphia Eagles. We go down to Chris Myers. >> Well, Joe, the Eagles went out of the locker room at halftime with their heads down, despondent. They came out angry, except for Donovan McNabb with his trademark smile. Defensively, a lot of discussion about their linebackers being confused. They wanted to blitz just 35% of the time against Kurt Warner. That may increase in the second half. Offensively, Brian Westbrook not much of a factor -- not because of his health, because of the Arizona defense. They want to get him more involved here in the second half. >> All right, Chris. We'll see if that happens right out of the gate. Starting at their own 39. Quick throw. And it's knocked away by Okeafor. >> Let's go down to Pam Oliver. >> Well, Joe, with that one exception, boy, the Cardinals did a great job of handling the Eagles' blitz. And I talked to Ken Whisenhunt about that. I said, "How have you been so successful?" He said, "You know what? We've been successful because of the plan we use, so we're gonna continue using the same plan in the second half, and that is to mix it up, using combination of the run and the pass." And, finally, I said, "Ken, everybody knows you're a half away from going to the Super Bowl." He said, "Pam, I am not thinking about that and I won't let my players do it, either." >> Thank you, Pam. Second down and 10 for Philadelphia. McNabb's in trouble. Penalty flag goes down. McNabb somehow stays on his feet and then throws to Klecko, his fullback, who gets a block. Has the entire sideline to maneuver. But there's a penalty flag back inside the 35, in the area of a hold. But we'll check. We'll wait and check the call. What a play by McNabb. >> Just keeping that thing alive. >> Holding -- number 49, offense. 10-yard penalty. It's still second down. >> So, that was Klecko, who eventually got the pass from McNabb and went 20 yards. >> Well, Klecko's the fullback, and he's blocking Okeafor. And Okeafor goes down low. And, yeah, that's a good call. I mean, he tackles him and then throws him to the ground. Kevin Curtis was open right from the beginning. He ran right by Roderick Hood. It looked like Hood thought he was gonna get help from Adrian Wilson. It would have come back, anyway. Of course, Donovan taking a hit at the end of that one. But even missing Curtis, if they don't get the hold, you know, a nice gain. But a pretty obvious call. >> But at least by keeping the play alive, McNabb saved a down. And it's second down and 20. Over the middle. Pass is caught. What a catch by Avant, who has rapidly become a guy that McNabb looks to during the postseason for big plays. That was good for 14 on second and 20. >> Jason Avant actually may have the best hands on the team. I mean, he's very good on the inside, not overly fast. You see, there, I mean, for him to be able to contort his body and go back and make that play, just an excellent catch on his part. >> Makes it a manageable third and 6. McNabb throws. Pass is caught. And it's good enough for a first down, DeSean Jackson. >> Nice work there by DeSean Jackson, because that ball was contested. And being able to make the contested catches and be physical and be bigger than what you are at the point of the catch is a nice luxury to have. DeSean Jackson able to make the play against the other rookie, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who, for the most part, has been on him throughout the entire game. >> And has shut him down. Only one catch. Hand-off is to Westbrook. Picks up 2. >> Well, you look at that first half, Joe, and Philadelphia -- you know, they moved the ball. And I just think that you look at it and you got to remind yourself of that, because the Cardinals did so well moving the football and coming away with touchdowns. But Philadelphia did a good job of moving the ball. They've just got to finish drives. And that's what they have not done. They have struggled, at the end of these drives, just being able to get them to the end zone. As we see, certainly, with the score what it is, you know, field goals aren't gonna get it done. >> Second and 8. McNabb down the sideline. Has Curtis. But overthrows him. Another open receiver for McNabb and another miss by Donovan McNabb. >> I'm afraid the Eagles are gonna go back and look at this film, and they're gonna see a lot of opportunities that they had to make plays that I don't know will ultimately change the outcome of the game but certainly would have made things a lot different than what they are right now in the third quarter. You know, as you said, another opportunity to get a throw and to get a big gain, and maybe, if you're able to catch that in bounds, you know, in the field of play, going away from the defender, maybe even a touchdown. >> Now third and 8. There's Adrian Wilson. Ball comes out. Arizona has it. It's the Cardinals' defense making plays, and Adrian Wilson on a blitz -- a sack and fumble. >> Yeah, Adrian Wilson -- They just bring more than they can pick up. Donovan doesn't see it coming, and an easy sack. >> You are witnessing the revival of this franchise, which is playing in this new stadium. Been playing here since 2006. A big part of what's gone on here, and the momentum keeps building for the Arizona Cardinals. As Edgerrin James bounces off Bunkley and takes it to the 39. A gain of 4. Back to the fumble by McNabb. >> Watch Adrian Wilson. He's gonna come up and time this. He's gonna get up on the line. But, you know, if you take a look, Tra Thomas here, the left tackle -- he should have been able to pick this up. Todd Herremans, the left guard, sees it, but Tra Thomas does not come out and block Adrian Wilson, and that's why Donovan McNabb, thinking that he was gonna have his back side protected, and got hit and then fumbled. >> Second down and 6. As McNabb has turned it over twice in all three postseason games. [ Whistles blowing ] And it looked like Gandy started too soon. >> False start -- number 69, offense. 5-yard penalty. It's still second down. >> So, that is Gandy. And this Arizona defense -- And there's a guy who's been here longer than anybody else for this defense. Adrian Wilson going to his second Pro Bowl here after the 2008 season. And he told us, a few weeks ago, he felt like there was unfinished business here. And it was his pride that kept him here in a Cardinal uniform. And here is his team playing brilliantly in an NFC championship game, trying to get it to the Super Bowl. Hand-off is to Edgerrin James. And he stumbles for 2 yards. >> Yeah, Adrian Wilson saying that, you know, he had some opportunities to go to other places, but he never even considered it, never wanted to go anywhere else to play. And I think that says a lot. It says a lot to what he's about, knowing that he came here, an organization that had been struggling, and just wanted to be a part of a winner and being a part of building something. >> It's third down and 9, with the Cardinals, at the moment, outside field-goal range. Another blitz. Warner gets hit as he let it go. And he overthrows Boldin, who was wide open down the middle. >> Well, you called it, Joe. They bring the blitz again. Philadelphia -- This is the first throw that Kurt Warner has missed. This is a real good look at it right here. And Anquan Boldin -- what a great release he gets off the line of scrimmage against Quintin Mikell. And we haven't seen many errant throws like that from Kurt Warner, but the pressure at the last minute gets him to the ground. >> May have affected the throw. Good work by Trent Cole. As Ben Graham hits it end over end. And DeSean Jackson... [ Whistle blows ] Second possession for this Eagles offense in the second half. And for the Cardinals' defense, 11 takeaways this postseason. 37 points off those takeaways. Hand-off. Westbrook little more of a factor, running the ball a little better. More room to run. Second down and 3. Here's another one. This one for Jackson. Ball underthrown. And well-played by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. >> I'll tell you -- Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is -- You know, he's had an outstanding rookie season. He's had an outstanding postseason. He just got better and better as the year went along. Great coverage right there on DeSean Jackson. You're not gonna outrun this guy. I know there's a lot of Eagle fans out there that know the speed that DeSean Jackson has. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is as fast as anyone, and so you're not gonna just run by him. You got to try to set him up with some things you're doing within the routes. >> And a big body -- 6'2", 182. Third and 3. Pass underneath is caught by Celek. Celek gets whacked from behind by Chike Okeafor. And a gain of 7 and a first down for the Eagles. >> Well, you think about it, and they've still got a long way to go here on this possession, but as much as the Cardinals have outplayed Philadelphia in this game -- And there's the hit. And that doesn't feel very good. You don't have any padding down there, so when you take a helmet in the back, low back, you feel that one for a while. And it looks like Celek is feeling it. But if the Eagles just put together one drive and get a touchdown and if they were to go for 2, you're talking about a 10-point game. Anything can happen. >> Play-action. McNabb... That one is tipped away. Adrian Wilson made the play on L.J. Smith. In case you're wondering, the category of biggest comebacks in any championship game -- 18 points. Indianapolis did it to New England in January of '07, the year they won it all and beat the Bears in the Super Bowl. Hand-off on second and 10. Westbrook making a play. Dragged down by Aaron Francisco. A gain of 8. >> That's a good job, on second down, of at least getting it to a pretty manageable third down, because, in this game, Philadelphia has not been very good on third down. You see Bertrand Berry. He's having to play more because of Travis LaBoy. And Tra Thomas doing a good job against him, creating just enough for Westbrook to get inside that block. >> LaBoy is out with a biceps injury. And now, with two tight ends in the game, it's third and 2. They fake the hand-off. McNabb throws for Celek, who has a team-high seven catches. 6 yards and a first down for Philadelphia. >> Well, the Eagles have -- You know, you say, "Get it to third and manageable," but, yet, for the year, this is a team that has not been particularly good on third and short. As a matter of fact, second worst in the National Football League. You think they'd be better at that. And that's really one of the reasons, even earlier on third and 1, we saw them throw the ball. I don't think they have a whole lot of confidence running the ball in some of those situations. But a nice job there of being able to convert. >> This, so far in the postseason, the Eagles' best game running it, with 78 yards. McNabb is sacked again. Adrian Wilson again. >> Well, we've been talking a lot about the job that Arizona has done handling the blitz. Well, Philadelphia is the contrast to that. They have not. And Tra Thomas -- he gets beat on the outside. And there was nowhere to go for Donovan McNabb to step up into the pocket because of Adrian Wilson coming off the blitz inside. >> Clancy Pendergast, the defensive coordinator for the Cardinals, getting very aggressive here. As the Eagles just get it away. Over the middle. It's Hank Baskett. And he drops it. Right in his gut. And it's third and 19. Pendergast, the defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals, telling us that he actually studies game tape of the Eagles' defense over the off-season to see what Jim Johnson is doing with his blitz schemes. And he's had the upper hand here today. >> He sure has. A young, bright defensive coach. Been the defensive coordinator here in Arizona for a few years. They've done a good job, doing a great job in this one. >> Third down and 19. This one down the middle of the field. And caught! What a play for Philadelphia, Kevin Curtis! Biggest play of this game for the Eagles. >> Well, and they needed it, too. You're talking about needing to get a big play and get yourself in some kind of position. They've got two defenders. Good coverage here. Kevin Curtis goes by Francisco, with Roderick Hood in the trail position. And this one is a perfectly thrown ball by McNabb. Throw it to the inside, let Curtis run away from the defenders to make the reception, and that's exactly how it was executed. >> 50-yard completion to Kevin Curtis on third and 19. That's DeSean Jackson. And a good tackle by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. >> It's amazing how many times, when you make a big play like that, that it then turns into something really positive. And for it to be positive here for Philadelphia, it means coming away with a touchdown. You know, getting inside the red zone here and moving the football on this possession -- if they have to settle for a field goal, I don't think that they're gonna walk off this field back over to the sidelines feeling real good about it. >> Second and 6. Quarterback draw. McNabb down to the 5. 10-yard run by Donovan McNabb. >> Well, you watch the inside push that Philadelphia is able to get on Bryan Robinson. Watch here. There's Bryan Robinson. And they're gonna double-team him, Jamaal Jackson, there, and Nick Cole. And they just drive him 10 yards deep. >> And McNabb used his legs for a 10-yard run. Just outside the 5, first and goal. Westbrook. Nowhere to go. Antonio Smith made the play. Second and goal for an Eagles team that, this postseason, is 2 for 7 inside the red zone in converting chances into touchdowns. >> Yeah, and they were able to get away with that against Minnesota and then last week against the Giants because, defensively, they were just so dominant. But the defense -- with them struggling here today, the offense has to pick it up for them, like the defense did for them in the other games. >> McNabb throws. And completes to Celek for the touchdown. And the Eagles' offense does convert. Good throw from McNabb. And Celek has stepped up and become the primary target for Philadelphia in this game. >> Yeah, he really has. I mean, you can tell the confidence that Donovan McNabb has in him. He runs the slant route, and a well-thrown ball. You're gonna see he's gonna come from the left of the screen and in behind that defender you see. And a good route by Celek against Roderick Hood. And a great drive by Philadelphia, overcoming the big third down there to Kevin Curtis. And now at least you put a little pressure back on Arizona. >> Brent Celek had one receiving touchdown -- As a penalty flag comes in on the extra point. One receiving touchdown for Celek during the regular season. He has two this postseason. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie ended up running into David Akers. >> There's two fouls on the play. Offside -- number 29, defense -- lined up in the neutral zone. That foul is declined. Running into the kicker -- number 29, defense. That 5-yard penalty will be assessed on the kickoff. The try is good. Time-out. >> Celek gets the touchdown, Kevin Curtis the big one. The 50-yard catch set it up. Celek -- 8 catches, 46 yards, and the score. And now Akers kicks it out of bounds. And he'll hang his head headed back over to the sideline. >> Kickoff out of bounds. It will be Arizona's ball at the 40-yard line. Time-out. >> Here's the look at David Akers got going back to the sideline from Andy Reid, his head coach, after kicking it out of bounds. The penalty is 30 yards from the spot of the kick. So because Akers kicked it from the 35, the ball is at the Arizona 35, instead of 40. >> Well, I'm surprised that's all he got. I mean, the offense goes down, gets a touchdown, and then you give momentum right back to Arizona with a bad kick. >> Here's a blitz. And Warner just happy to get rid of it. Bunkley was in there, as the Eagles -- no surprise -- brought extra men rushing Kurt Warner. >> No, but at least by Philadelphia going down and being able to get the touchdown, at least now they're gonna make Arizona continue to play, as opposed to getting conservative and trying to run the football and then not having any real urgency on third down and keeping the ball out of Philadelphia's hands. >> 4:04 left in the third quarter. An 11-point game. Second and 10. More trouble for Warner. And he overshoots Hightower. And Warner got plastered at the end of that play. The Eagles have just one sack in this game, but they're starting to get a little closer around Kurt Warner. >> And the hits are getting a little bit harder. I mean, you're gonna see, right here, he gets sandwiched right at the end of this. And Kurt is as tough as they come. You know, you talk about all the things that he does well -- throwing the football and reading the things out and going through his progressions. I mean, you've got to be tough in order to hang in there and make some of the throws under duress like he has today. >> Third down and 10. Warner steps up. Has to slide. And down he goes. Play was made by Abiamiri. And now the Philadelphia defense, which has been so good down the stretch for the Eagles, steps up, makes plays. And a loss of 4 on that sack by Victor Abiamiri. >> Well, just a great job, defensively, by Philadelphia on that series. We talked about it -- Akers kicking the ball out of bounds. You give the Cardinals good field position. In order to climb back into this thing, you've got to have some defensive stands. And that's what they were able to get. >> That drive took 14 seconds off the clock and went backward 5 yards. Two incompletions and a sack. DeSean Jackson trying to make something happen. Terry Bradshaw and his brother, Gary Bradshaw, are here. One of those two will hand out the trophy at the end of this game to the team that wins this championship. Starting at their own 39. Protection for McNabb. Curtis underneath. Into Arizona territory. And it's getting a little uneasy in this building for Cardinal fans. A gain of 15. >> Well, it is, isn't it? Because you hear the crowd really understanding the urgency, right now, on this drive. They got Kevin Curtis just running a crossing route. And the linebacker's going deep, and they're able to find him there, you know, in that void. And Kevin Curtis is having himself a pretty good game. Hasn't caught a lot of balls, but he's been open on a number of them and doing a good job, when he does catch it, getting up the field. >> Last time the Eagles had it, it ended with a touchdown, and on the drive, they were 3 for 3 on third down, including a 50-yard completion to Curtis on third and 19. Now Curtis down the sideline. And Roderick Hood had better position for the ball than Curtis. Second and 10. Hand-off to Westbrook. And a good play was made in the hole, and it was Hayes, the middle linebacker, who made it. A gain of 4. Third and 6 coming up. >> You know, this gets interesting right here to me. I mean, looking ahead, if it's third and 6 and you're Andy Reid and if you're saying, "You know, we're kind of in four-down territory here," I think that that has a big impact on what he does on third down. But, you know, if they don't convert here and they're able to make it manageable, I wouldn't be surprised at all to then see them go for it on fourth. >> It would be a 61-yard field goal from this spot. McNabb throws and... completes to DeSean Jackson, with a rolling catch, as he headed out of bounds. And on third and 6, a 10-yard completion in front of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. >> Yeah, Arizona -- they bring the pressure. And, you know, a good job on the outside there by DeSean Jackson of being able to go down and make this catch. And Cromartie playing very soft on him there. >> Under 2 to play in the third quarter. Eagles climbing back in it. Back to the ground. It's Westbrook. Good play by Hayes. A gain of 3. >> Tell you what, though, Joe -- pretty interesting, right now, I mean, with this possession. And I've got to believe that Philadelphia is over there on their sidelines saying, "Hey, we took the best shot Arizona had. I mean, we can't play any worse than what we had played there in the first half of that ballgame." And they're in this. And if they're able to get 3 points here -- Certainly, they want a touchdown, but if they're able to get 3 points, I mean, you talk about putting a little pressure on this Arizona team, a young football team, how would they respond to that? >> Play clock is down to 4. And the Eagles, because of it, have to use a time-out. And, so, now McNabb will go over to the sideline and talk about it. Donovan, on that last drive -- 5 for 8, 74 yards, the touchdown throw to Celek. Yeah, he did not have a good first half, but it seems like he's starting to heat up and get his feet underneath him and make better throws. >> And that's gonna be the key. I mean, if they're gonna win this game, it's gonna be because of Donovan McNabb. And the other part of it is gonna be because their defense comes up and plays like they did on that last possession, forcing a three-and-out. That's how they climbed back into it. That's how they were able to go on to win. We talked about the Eagles being a veteran group of guys -- you know, Donovan McNabb and playing in big games, Brian Dawkins, Brian Westbrook, you know, all these guys. And that's true. And, right now, maybe that then starts to benefit them a little bit. But if they are able to come away with some points, you know, you get a real taste, then, of Arizona and how they're gonna handle that kind of pressure in a real big ballgame. >> A trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Arizona leading by 11. Second and 7. Westbrook at the bottom of your screen. McNabb over the middle! Has Celek again! Stays up! Into the end zone! Touchdown, Philadelphia! That, for Celek, ties an Eagles postseason record for catches during the postseason. That's his ninth of the game, his second touchdown of the day. For a guy who had only one touchdown during the regular season, it's his third of the postseason. >> Well, maybe that explains why he's been getting so open today. >> And, so, down by 5, not going for 2. The extra point is no good by David Akers. >> I'll tell you -- I don't know what's gotten into David Akers, but he has not done much right in this game. See they didn't get the laces turned, either. I mean, he had to kick the laces. Good snap, not a good hold. >> Well, David Akers, during the regular season, was 45 for 45 on extra points and now misses this. And we go back to the touchdown to Celek. >> Yeah, there, he starts to the outside and then goes back to the post. Runs a very good route. And that's what created the separation and then the spacing for Donovan to be able to put the ball on him. Just good execution. I got to tell you, though, ' Joe -- I'm a little surprised that Philadelphia didn't go for 2. You know, I know there's still another quarter left to play, but I really thought they would go for 2 in that situation. And there's Hank Baskett, who makes a good block. I don't know that they would have been able to get to Celek, anyway, but why not make a block when you get a chance? >> He got two in one. And after the time-out, with the play clock winding down, the 31-yard touchdown to Celek with a catch-and-run. And then I'm with you. I mean, you could have made a strong point to go for 2 in that position. They don't. They think they're taking the sure route with getting the extra point. He hadn't missed one all year. And then Akers hooked it. And it's still a 5-point game. But the Eagles have scored 13 points in 3:19, as they trail by five. Starting at their own 20. Here's a blitz. Hand-off is to Edgerrin James. Pickup of 3. Patterson on the stop. Down to Chris Myers. >> Joe, defensive back coach Sean McDermott, the secondary and go-between on the headset on the sideline from Jim Johnson upstairs -- At the end of the second quarter or near that point, Andy Reid kind of intercepted the conversation from upstairs to middle linebacker Stewart Bradley, and an adjustment has been made not only in communication but the play to middle linebacker Stewart Bradley. And the message is -- "Put more pressure on Kurt Warner to get us back in this game." >> That has happened here in the second half. It's second and 7. Quick throw. This one's batted back into the hands of Warner, who runs with it. We begin the fourth quarter. A third-down play. Third and 3 for the Cardinals. Up by five now. Out of the backfield, Edgerrin James. Big completion. To the 10-year back out of Miami. >> Well, they got Akeem Jordan who's in coverage. You're gonna see here. And then he just gets caught up. He's gonna try to go underneath that route. And then as soon as he sees Edgerrin James go out on the swing route, he had to make a decision whether or not to go underneath that route, the wide receivers, or go over the top. He went underneath, and that's why Edgerrin was as open as he was. >> A 16-yard completion to Edgerrin James on third and 3. He's the tailback. He gets it here. And a decent run, on first down, of 5. Just to go back on that 2-point question for the Eagles, a lot of head coaches don't like to try for 2 before the fourth quarter because they feel like if they don't make it, they're always chasing that point that they left out there. Well, not only did they not go for 2 points, but they didn't even get the point after the touchdown because Akers hooked it. And this is a Philadelphia team who, during the regular season, did not go for a 2-point conversion all year. >> Yeah, I think the only reason you wouldn't go for 2 there is if you anticipated that Arizona would score more points. Otherwise, you go for 2 and you at least cut it to a 3-point game. >> Second and 5. And Hightower is brought down by Dawkins. The emotional leader of this defense, playing in his 201st game for the Philadelphia Eagles. All-time leader in that category. >> And he's been just outstanding through this postseason. Whenever they've had to make a play, defensively, more times than not, it's been Brian Dawkins who's come up with it. >> They could use a big play from him here. It's third down and 5. Another blitz. Warner throws off his back foot. Incomplete. Backpedaling as he let it go in the direction of Larry Fitzgerald. And it's fourth down. >> Yeah, and you can see the frustration now on Kurt Warner's face. You know, things were going pretty well there in that first half, and he was getting all the things that he had hoped that he would. Well, that hasn't been the case here in the second half. He's gotten pressure, but he's had pressure on him throughout this ballgame. But there just has not been the open receivers that there was earlier. You see Victor Abiamiri bringing pressure inside. Could have called a holding there on Arizona. >> And now Graham to punt it. Hits it end over end. Fair catch by DeSean Jackson. Look at the numbers this postseason during the fourth quarter for Donovan McNabb. A perfect quarterback rating so far this postseason. But having to play from behind with 13 minutes left, down 24-19. Play-action. Setting up a screen for Buckhalter. Has blocking in front of him. Good start to the drive for the Eagles. 12 yards, a first down at their own 26. >> Well, Arizona -- they bring the pressure here, too, and Brian Westbrook does a great job of picking it up. Off the play-action there, goes down low and puts a good block on Gerald Hayes. And look at the execution. Correll Buckhalter. Herremans knocks out Antrel Rolle. And then Nick Cole leads the way up front. >> Larry Fitzgerald has been shut out -- no catches -- in the second half. Best way to defend him is to keep him on the sideline. Here is Avant making the catch. He's out to the 35-yard line. Could not get around Adrian Wilson. A gain of 9. >> I got to tell you -- Jason Avant had so much more room to run. You see Donovan McNabb, and I think he was telling him the same thing. He's in the open field one-on-one. All he's got to do there is make Adrian Wilson miss. He decides to go back inside. And look at all the grass out here. And you'd think a wide receiver, against Adrian Wilson, would be able to get more than what he got. >> Wilson -- 7 tackles, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble in this game. Second and 1. Donovan's been doing a lot of smiling -- a lot more in this half. Hand-off is to Westbrook. Picks up 3 and a first down. Play-action. McNabb airing it out for DeSean Jackson. Behind the defense. A juggle and a touchdown! And now, because of the missed extra point, the Eagles are up by 1, and they'll keep the offense on the field and go for 2 here. They drafted DeSean Jackson to hit the home run on the outside, and he just went deep on Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. >> Well, Donovan wanted to go to Kevin Curtis, initially, and then he sees that he's got Jackson one-on-one on Cromartie and he's got a step on him. And he just throws a great ball. And on that one, he led Jackson to the middle of the field, away from the sidelines, to give Jackson a chance to run away from Cromartie and come up with the big play. >> This will be the first 2-point attempt by the Eagles all season. The fake by McNabb. Buying some time. Penalty flag. Pass incomplete. >> Holding -- number 72, offense. Penalty is declined. >> DeSean Jackson hung with that play, hung with that catch. 62 yards for the Eagles' first lead of this game. McNabb -- 13 of 19 in this second half, 233 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions. Breaston from inside the end zone. Out to the 28. And back to the play by DeSean Jackson. >> Yeah, if this was a footrace, Cromartie probably wins it, but watch the move that he makes, Jackson does, in order to give himself a step. Now, Cromartie makes up ground right there, but just a perfectly thrown ball by Donovan McNabb and really great concentration. You know, you got a hand coming across the ball as Jackson goes to make the catch, and he sticks with it and brings it in. >> Again, 19 points scored -- unanswered points scored -- by the Eagles in the last 8:23. Here is Edgerrin James. And now the Eagles would like to see their defense take over this game the way they've taken over the first two postseason games here in January. Bunkley made that play. Second-half possessions. They've basically hardly had the ball at all. >> Well, I think the worst part of that, as you see, I mean, they've only had 12 plays coming into this possession here. And so not only have they not moved the ball, but, most importantly, they haven't taken time off the clock. >> 10 minutes to go. Kurt Warner facing second and 11. Looking left all the way. Now over the middle. Hits Fitzgerald. First down, Cardinals. First catch of the second half for Larry Fitzgerald. >> Well, you talk about taking time off the clock in this second half and the job that Philadelphia has done, defensively. Well, now all that is out the window. You know, now it's about doing what you can, down one point, to put your team in a position to win a football game. A lot has changed from when they went in at half. >> Warner throws. And completes to the tight end, Leonard Pope. Cardinals lost Stephen Spach to a torn ACL and MCL in last week's win over Carolina. He was an important part of not just the passing game for Warner, but the running game, blocking. And a juggled catch. Looked like Pope corralled it in time, and he picked up 9. >> Well, Pope doesn't get a lot of opportunities to make catches. I mean, a guy who only had 9 receptions during the regular season. I'm sure he was as surprised as anybody that it was coming in his direction. >> Here is James. Ran into a wall. And all he can do is get back to the line of scrimmage. It'll be third and short. >> Yeah, and this has been a problem for Arizona. I mean, you would think, at third and short, third and 1 in particular, that it would be an easy down, and, yet, Arizona is the third-worst in the National Football League at converting third and 1 -- just over 50%. >> It's about third and a little over a yard. Hightower, the rookie, the tailback. Depends on the spot. Chris Gocong made the tackle. Our line is unofficial. Hightower thinks he got it. We may be headed for a measurement. We are. >> Well, the Eagles do a good job of trying to stretch it out. And then, you know, based on where the line is -- You know, as you said, I mean, that's not an official line, but, yet, it's pretty close to being accurate. You'd think that -- Yeah, and he is. He's short. >> Well, you want to be a head coach in the NFL? Ken Whisenhunt, what's the call? Just on Philadelphia's side of the 50. The Eagles have all the momentum. It's fourth and inches. And it looks like they'll go for it. >> Well, I don't blame them. I mean, really, you think about the year that Arizona has had. And you look at, "Well, we got 6 inches, 5 inches, whatever it is in order to pick up a first down." I don't blame Ken Whisenhunt for going for it here. >> This Eagles defense had two big fourth-down stops last week at Giants Stadium. With Patterson and Bunkley anchoring that defensive front for the Eagles. It's Hightower. Off the right side. Picks it up. Big first down, Arizona. And an exhale from Ken Whisenhunt. >> Well, you know, you think back to last week's game with the New York Giants and the Eagles, and the Giants going for it there late on fourth and short a couple of times inside, not being able to get any movement. This time, the Cardinals -- they try to go wide. And it looked like Quintin Mikell, had he have been able to get off the block, might have been able to make a play before Hightower was able to pick up the first down. >> Pretty good block by the fullback, Terrelle Smith. Allowed Hightower to pick it up. First down at the Eagle 43. Back to Edgerrin James. Second down and 8. Majority of those yards picked up in the first half in what was a near-perfect half put together by the Cardinals. Eagles have answered here in the second half. Second and 8. Quick throw. Fitzgerald. To the 23. >> Well, the Eagles -- they brought a lot of people to Kurt's back side. But Todd Haley has a good call. You're gonna see the people come here. And he's going to the slant there to Fitzgerald one-on-one on Asante Samuel. You know, we talked about it, the Eagles being able to go down and make a game out of this and take the lead, how was Arizona gonna respond once the pressure was put squarely back on their shoulders? I'll tell you what -- they've responded well on this drive. >> Well within field-goal range for Rackers. As Edgerrin James takes it to the 21. Akeem Jordan on that last tackle. Anquan Boldin and Todd Haley get into it on the sideline. >> And look at Todd Haley, the offensive coordinator. He's not a guy who's gonna take to being yelled at very well, I mean, as you saw. He's trying to call a game right now. Last thing he needs is a player distracting him. >> Boldin with 4 catches, 34 yards. On second down. That pass caught by Fitzgerald. Still won't go down. And fights his way just short of the first down. >> You know, they weren't able to get the ball into Larry's hands, you know, early in this second half, and you see good things happen when you get the ball to Larry Fitzgerald. And this is a good example of the kind of strength that he has. Look at the catch, first of all. But now he's out of position, with Asante Samuel on his back, and, yet, he's still able to fight through two guys and pick up some pretty good yards after the catch. >> And he just set a postseason record, breaking a record held by Jerry Rice back in 1988 with the 49ers. Here is Hightower. First and goal at the 9. What an answer by Arizona. >> Yeah, I'll tell you -- Arizona has really shown me something on this drive. You watch Tim Hightower, the collision that he has as he finishes off this run. Brian Dawkins comes in. Hightower sees him. It's just a matter of who can get lower. I mean, that's a major collision right there and a good job of finishing off a run by Tim Hightower. >> The 12th play of this drive will be first and goal from the 9. They stay on the ground with Edgerrin James. And he's wrapped up by Trevor Laws. Second-round pick out of Notre Dame makes a play. No gain. In case you're wondering, the Eagles have two time-outs. Arizona has all three. Under 3 1/2 to play. There's Fitzgerald, lined up across from Sheldon Brown. Hand-off is to Hightower. We'll see if the Eagles spend a time-out. They do. Arizona down by one. Set up a screen for Hightower. Has blocking. Has the touchdown! And now Arizona will go for 2 to try to make it a 7-point game. They've not started the play clock. Arizona 1 for 6 on 2-point tries during the regular season. This is their first of the postseason. >> Well, they better put two guys on Fitzgerald. >> Across from Asante Samuel. Warner throws and converts. Ben Patrick. A 14-play drive put together by Kurt Warner, covering 72 yards. Hightower bangs it in. Arizona up by 7. [ Whistles blowing ] >> Philadelphia will start at their own 20. Back to the touchdown. >> I'll tell you what -- you're gonna see Philadelphia only rushes those four guys. And you're gonna see Wells, Deuce Lutui, and Sendlein. The blocks that are made right there are outstanding. And then Hightower finishes it off. And I think Arizona was anticipating that the Eagles would bring blitz. They did not. But it was just excellent, excellent execution. Now here's the 2-point play to Ben Patrick. And the tight ends, you know, so seldomly used in the passing game, but, yet we saw Pope come up with a big catch on that drive and then, of course, Patrick for the 2-point play. >> Warner with 4 touchdown passes in this game. McNabb with all day back there. Throws. Through the hands of Westbrook. What a second half it has been for the Eagles, and they need it to continue. Last three possessions -- three quick strikes. >> And, clearly, there's plenty of time, with 2:46. However, Philadelphia left with just one time-out. >> Second and 10. McNabb to the sideline for Jackson. And the rookie hangs on. Good for 9. Out of bounds with 2:41 left. Shoved out by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. >> DeSean Jackson being aware of where the sidelines was and getting his feet down. Talk about a guy who's had one heck of a rookie season. >> Oh. Third down and 1. A blitz. McNabb throws. And there's Celek. An Eagles record -- he has 10 catches in this game. First down. A gain of 5. >> And Jon Runyan recognizing Antrel Rolle coming off the edge on the blitz. He sees it late, but he's able to get a good block on him. And Jon Runyan, who's been playing throughout this entire season with a severely injured knee. >> McNabb throws high. What a catch by Westbrook. What a play by the Eagles. With 2:09 left in the fourth quarter, out of bounds is Westbrook with a 19-yard catch-and-run. >> Well, you called it, Joe. Really a great catch here by Brian Westbrook. Because of the defensive line, McNabb had to release it a little bit high. Westbrook brings it in. And then just a good job being aware of the situation, getting as much as he can and getting out of bounds. >> When Kurt Warner and Donovan McNabb squared off in the 2001 NFC championship game, the Rams won the game, 29-24. McNabb needed 55 yards over the last 2:20 to win the ballgame, and he was picked off on a fourth down. Trying to get it downfield and tie the game. As Baskett slipped. Covered by Roderick Hood. Deafening noise when the Eagles are at the line, and then everybody in this stadium holding their breath after every play. A blitz. Eagles pick it up. Over the middle. Too high and through the hands of DeSean Jackson, who was open. >> Well, that was another opportunity. He had DeSean Jackson for a relatively easy completion. You're gonna see him. And this offensive line and everybody doing a great job of picking it up. You know, look at the pocket right there against pressure. And the ball gets away from Donovan. But he also had Kevin Curtis in behind that. >> Philadelphia -- 6 for 7 on third downs in this half. Third and 10. A blitz. McNabb throws behind Baskett. It's fourth down. He had Baskett open and threw behind him. You think there's ever been a drive that put a guy into the Hall of Fame? Now all Kurt Warner can do is stand on the sideline and watch his defense try and hold on fourth and 10. Here come the Cardinals on a blitz. McNabb steps up. Throws. Dropped by Curtis. No flag. And the Cardinals take over. >> Arizona brings the pressure, and Donovan does a good job of hanging in there. Looked to me like pass interference could have certainly been called. Kevin Curtis trying to come out of the break. Roderick Hood sitting on the route. But even with that, a ball that Kevin had a chance to come in with. >> Warner stumbles again. Gets it to Hightower. Cardinals just have to hang on to the ball. And Philadelphia will call their final time-out. Well, they said, about this Arizona team coming into the postseason, Troy, "Well, they're not gonna be able to stop the running game of the Atlanta Falcons or the hot-shot young quarterback, Matt Ryan." And they did. And then they said, "Well, they're not gonna go to Carolina and shut down that running game of the Panthers and win on the road and win in the Eastern Time Zone, where they had been 0-5 this season." And they went and took apart the Carolina Panthers. And now here, against a red-hot team with a rolling defense, Kurt Warner and this offense answered. They lead by 7. They're 1:43 away from the Super Bowl. >> Well, you look at what they did the last two weeks, as you said, beating Atlanta, going on the road, beating Carolina. Nobody really gave them much of a chance of doing that in either one of those games. But are we really surprised by what we've watched here today? >> No time-outs left for Philadelphia, as Hightower just keeps chugging. Clock continues to wind. And we may have a measurement. Depends on the spot as to whether it's a first down. It looks to be a little short. Let's go back to that play by Roderick Hood on Kevin Curtis. >> Well, this one's gonna be talked about for a while. It just looked like, right there, that Rod Hood, as he's slipping, that he's grabbing Kevin Curtis as he's trying to come out of the break. Here's a little bit better look. He goes down low on him. That's a hard call for an official to make, with the game on the line, to have a drive continued because of a penalty. But it looked to me like there definitely was contact. But, as I said, even with that, Kevin Curtis had a chance to make that catch. >> And now the Cardinals will let the clock wind down and take a time-out before the play clock expires. With 59 seconds left. There was talk earlier in the year, with the way this Arizona team was playing -- and, in particular, Kurt Warner was playing -- about a possible MVP award, which would have been his third. Tapered off at the end. Peyton Manning won the award. But here is Kurt Warner knocking on the door of his third Super Bowl. He won it the '99 season, lost it in the '01 season, and now trying to take this franchise and Arizona to their first Super Bowl in franchise history. It's third and 1. A slip by Hightower. And he doesn't get it. Dropped at the 45. First guy there was Stewart Bradley. Clock will continue to win. And, right now, there are 30 seconds left on the play clock. So the Eagles will get it back with around 15 seconds or so left on the clock. >> Yeah, that's the difference right now between the play clock and the game clock. And, so, 15 seconds, they'll call a time-out. And then with the punt and if there's a return, I mean, there's not gonna be but one play left for Philadelphia. >> Arizona takes a time-out with 15 seconds left. You look at Bill Bidwill, who took over the reins of this organization -- The Cardinals a charter member of the NFL, back in 1920. Charlie Bidwill, Bill's father, buys the team in 1933. He's in the Hall of Fame. Died in April of '47. Never saw the championship. And now his son, Bill Bidwill, with his son, Mike Bidwill, team president, about to head to Tampa... [ Whistle blows ] ...barring the miraculous. 9 seconds remain. The ball is spotted at the 7. Today's game being produced by Richie Zyontz, directed by Artie Kempner. Technical producer -- Joe Stephens. Technical director is Colby Bourgeois. Audio mixer is Fred Aldous. Associate directors are Greg Scoppettone, Derek Manning, and Liza Kuhn. Our editorial consultant, Steve Horn. The broadcast associates -- Rich Gross, Bentley Elliott. The studio show is produced by Scott Ackerson, directed by Bob Levy. Highlights coordinator -- Janice Casazza. Studio technical supervisor -- Jack Simmons. Remote field operations -- Jerry Steinberg. And our senior producer -- Bill Brown. President and executive producer is Ed Goren and David Hill. Last shot for the Eagles. 9 seconds left. They throw underneath. Try to set up the laterals. This one is to DeSean Jackson. It started in his hands. Game clock expires. Darnell Dockett will start the celebration.
This game will always have a special place in my heart.
Not only was it one of my favorite games ever, it's also the game I almost missed.
My mom was dragging me and my dad to church while the second half was starting, I knew I couldn't miss this so 9 year old me made a decision.
In order to stay at home i he to be sick or injured, since I wasn't visibly sick, I had to take the second route.
So 9 year old me threw himself down the stairs.
Missed church, saw my favorite game ever.
Would fall down stairs again 10/10
All that could have been. Fucking Steelers.
The last time I cried after a game of any kind. I cheered and celebrated, then broke down crying with joy.
I was at this game! And the Atlanta game that post season as well.
God it was electrifying. Still remember how they flash the Cardinal eye from the logo on the Jumbotron before the players ran out of the tunnel.
Fitz was a different animal back then. Maybe it was the postseason afterburners turning on, but, man. I just wish Warner just stayed one more year. Thanks Levi Brown, Rams, and Saints for his concussions!
I was at the game with my dad in on the away side, 20 yard line, low down in the nosebleeds. I used to bring binoculars to the game, don't anymore because I prefer watching the plays develop and not focus on a single area of the field.
After the punt to pin Philly deep at the very end of the game (when we had it wrapped up barring some miracle by the Eagles) I had my binoculars on the Cards sideline. Caught Larry kneeling down on the sideline, fighting back tears realizing he was like 7 seconds away from playing in a Super Bowl.
I put the binoculars down and started crying a bit myself, I don't think either of us could believe it.
I will forever remember that interception by Dockett at the very end to finish off the game.
To this day I like to imagine what could've happened if the 2008 offense was combined with any of our defenses from the last few years. Man, that team would've absolutely dominated the league.
First and only Cards game I ever gone to. Worth every penny even though I was three rows from the top. The Larry bomb. The final seconds defense shut them down. Amazing game. I had no voice for two days.
Man, this made me tear up a bit.