Yesterday I had the fortune to attend one of the strangest NFL games of recent years, as the Eagles outlasted the Chargers 20-17.
I don't know if the strangest part was the on-the-field action (the heretofore mediocre Philly run defense thoroughly shutting down LaDainian Tomlinson, the NFL's best running back; Donovan McNabb throwing a team-record 34 completions), or what happened off (in the fourth quarter, a fire alarm went off , and a voice advised the 50,000-plus crowd to evacuate the stadium in an orderly fashion. But no more than a couple dozen people got up, and there was no pause in the game. Also, a brawl in the upper deck was calmed down, but only with the aid of about 25 uniformed security personnel).
The game's ending, however, was the most bizarre of all. The Eagles, as with the entire season, were unable to establish the run, leading to McNabb throwing the ball more than 50 times- including on a fourth-and-inches play that failed, causing the lustful booing of the entire crowd. But just when it looked hopeless for the Iggles, they blocked a Nate Kaeding field goal and returned it for a touchdown. The Chargers then marched the ball back, until a fumble (and a booth review that upheld it) ended the game.
All that, and the Vikings managed to pull out a victory as well. I don't even want to know what they did to celebrate. Indeed, those goofballs at the Star Tribune, after Paul Edinger won with a team-record 56-year-old field goal, gave their game story the comical headline "The Love Boot."
Posted by Stephen Silver at October 24, 2005 06:21 AM