Philadelphia30
Detroit13
Philadelphia
Detroit
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They're still knocking on the door, seeking entry into the "on any given Sunday" middle class of the NFL, which in this case stands for Need Frontal Lobotomy if you thought the Lions were further along in their push toward respectability than their 2-0 start suggested.
"We saw how a team of a higher caliber than us performs," said veteran offensive lineman Damien Woody. "And you don't look at it as either disappointing or educational. You want the younger guys to look at it as both. But this reminds you of how far we need to go."
McNabb coolly dissected the Lions' soft coverage, conveying a comfort that comes with six years' experience. His 80 percent third-down efficiency through the first half no doubt weighed heavily in Steve Mariucci's third-quarter decision to decline an Eagles holding penalty that would have created a third-and-13 situation at the Lions' 39, knocking Philadelphia out of field goal range if ...
There's always an "if" with these guys, isn't there?
Mariucci's decision to pretty much give the Eagles three points indicated a lack of faith in his defense's ability to stop McNabb on a crucial play.
Isn't it nice to have a quarterback who inspires such resignation on the opposing sideline?
"I was watching them from the sidelines," Woody added, "and it's a beautiful thing to see when a quarterback is in perfect sync with what everybody wants to do. I saw that in New England with (Tom) Brady and you see that with Donovan. But it's something that comes with time and experience."
But it was Year 3 when the early glimpses of greatness emerged with McNabb. It was Year 3 when McNabb found himself in a comparable situation as Harrington's on Sunday, lining up against a more formidable opponent. He remained unrefined, but he nonetheless found a way to win and established himself in that locker room as the Eagles' leader.
It's still too soon to expect consistent brilliance from Harrington, but it isn't too early to demand the occasional effort that rises to the level of anticipation.
This was arguably the Lions' first "meaningful" game since ... since ... since ... don't tell me, I'll remember.
There was a fair amount of national media attention, and a Lions victory might have earned them the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated.
Few honestly expected a Lions victory, but Harrington nonetheless could have silenced much of the skepticism regarding his development with a respectable performance.
But he fumbled away that opportunity. Escaping from a collapsing pocket, Harrington tried to switch hands with the ball but it popped free and Philadelphia recovered deep in the Lions' territory in the first quarter.
"That was my fault," Harrington said. "Then to see it turn around so quickly. I obviously felt responsible. I felt terrible because I put the defense in that situation."
The Eagles scored on three of their first four possessions while the Lions generated only two first downs on their first four chances.
That's why the Eagles are who they are and the Lions are who they are.
"I think the guys can really challenge themselves this year, including myself," McNabb said.
Watching McNabb work this offense like a symphony conductor reminds you that there's still room in this league of sixth-round wonders like Brady, European league exports like Jake Delhomme and former grocery store stock boys like Kurt Warner for that highly drafted franchise quarterback.
"Donovan McNabb, Brett Favre, Jeff Garcia, Matt Hasselbeck -- those are the guys who run this offense very well," Harrington said. "They control the game very well and we couldn't."
And that's why the Lions remain on the outside of respectability, still looking for a way to sneak through the cracks.
RECAP:McNabb passed for 356 yards and two touchdowns and Owens had another big day as the Philadelphia Eagles coasted to a 30-13 victory over the Lions. After going just 5-11 last season, the Lions entered the contest 2-0 for the first time since 2000. Mariucci stated earlier in the week that he wanted to see how his team would stack up against one of the NFL's best teams. "If it was a measuring stick, we know we have a ways to go," Mariucci said. "We know they're a heck of a team. We know we're in development and we're building a team here. It adds to our experience level. A game like this, even if you lose 30-13, it adds to our experience level. We know what it's like to play against a blitzing team in a very potent offense with weapons galore. We can only benefit from it." McNabb and Owens echoed Mariucci's conclusion that his team still has a long way to go. McNabb passed for two touchdowns, including a 29-yard strike to Owens, and ran for a score in the first half when the Eagles (3-0) built a 21-7 lead. "The thing that we take pride in over here is that we put other guys in position to be successful," McNabb said. "And in doing that, that opens up a lot of plays for T.O. That's when you see him getting touchdown passes or deep balls. But you've got guys like L. J. Smith and Chad Lewis, Todd Pinkston, Freddie Mitchell, Brian Westbrook, Reno Mahe came in and made some big plays, so it's something exciting for this offense. We haven't played our best game so it's exciting to know that as well." In the first half, McNabb completed 17-of-23 passes for 211 yards. He finished 29-of-42 en route to his second 300-yard game of the season and the seventh of his career. It was a fitting end to a week that saw him celebrate the birth of his first child. "My first main focus is obviously to make sure my family's healthy," McNabb said. "Secondly, I have a job to do. It's an exciting event for my family. I checked to make sure everyone was healthy and then I was able to go to work and focus in on what I needed to do." On the season, McNabb has eight touchdown passes without an interception while also rushing for two scores. Owens, who clashed with Mariucci at times when he played for him in San Francisco, had six catches for 107 yards. He has five TDs in three games, matching the total for the Eagles' wide receivers from all of last season. "From day one, I knew we could be explosive and we're being a great offense right now," Owens said. "We're trying to weather the storm of everybody saying we haven't really played anybody, but amongst ourselves, we know what type of team we have." Sparked by McNabb and Owens, the Eagles are 3-0 for the first time since winning their first four contests in 1993. Last year, the Eagles started 0-2 but still reached the NFC championship game for the third straight season. "I'll take it," Eagles safety Brian Dawkins said. "I'd rather be 3-0 than 0-3 or 1-2 any day. But at the same time, defensively, there's a lot where we can still get better. I think that's what's scary as I think about it is the fact that we can get better." It was another big day for Lions first-round pick Roy Williams, who had nine catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns. He has four touchdowns this season. "It's going pretty good," Williams said of his rookie campaign. "I wish we were 3-0. We're 2-1, we played a great team and all we can do is go through this bye week and get ready for the week after." Lions rookie running back Kevin Jones left the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury.
Scott's Game Commentary: So much for the thought of starting off 3-0 for the first time in almost 25 years. Philadelphia, one of best teams in the NFL, got off to a 21-0 lead in the second quarter and never looked back. The Lions have a long way to go before they can compete with the NFL's elite and the game on Sunday showed why. To begin with, Philadelphia has a much better and smarter quarterback. McNabb is definitely one of the top QB's in football whereas Joey Harrington continues to be inconsistant. Harrington lost the ball in the 2nd quarter when no one even touched him that resulted in a Philadelphia touchdown the very next play. The Defense, which played a big role in the first two victories, got shredded by the Eagle's offense as they gave up 402 total yards. The Lions could manage only 256, a chunk of that coming in the 4th quarter when the game was out of reach. If there was any good news that came out of the game, it is clear that Roy Williams is on track to be the NFL rookie of the year. Williams had 135 yards and two touchdown catches. As I have said since the Bears game, the Lions really miss Charles Rogers. The thought of another offensive threat like Williams would make the offfense so much better. All in all, it was what I expected going into the game. The Eagles are projected to reach the Superbowl and it clearly showed. The Lions now have a week off before playing an overrated Falcons team in Atlanta.
Grades:Offense: --- D. Joey Harrington needs to be more consistent from game to game. Anytime he has a great performance, like he did against the Texans, he follows it up with a mediocre one. His unforced fumble was a back breaker as it lead to the Eagles grabbing a 14-0 lead in the 2nd quarter. RB Kevin Jones left the game early with a knee injury and his teammates, Artose Pinner and Shawn Bryson, had little impact during the game. The offensive line, which did a great job protecting Harrington last year, gave up five sacks and looked awful. WR Roy Williams was the only bright spot as scored the Lions only touchdowns of the game. Although Philadelphia is a great team, their defense is nothing great. The offense should have been able to move the ball better than they did.
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And the most glaring disparity was at quarterback.
McNabb has three years on Joey in the maturation process. He should be the more polished, more precise West Coast offense practitioner right now.
One play later, McNabb found his new best friend, Terrell Owens, for a 29-yard scoring strike.
The West Coast offense is about efficiency and distribution. McNabb calmly spread the wealth, exposing the Lions' defensive weakness of his choosing. But unless Harrington got the ball to prized rookie Roy Williams, he might as well have thrown it into the stands.