"This one," linebacker Takeo Spikes was saying a few feet away, "is a tough one to swallow."
Tough for so many reasons, not the least of which is this:
The Eagles' defense looked great. Whether it was Jevon Kearse bulling his way around end, Mike Patterson and Bunkley validating their summers or the secondary reading and reacting correctly, this defense looked nothing like the Achilles' heel some feared it would be.
Sean Considine made plays. Omar Gaither was a run-stopper. Four quarters of charging and chasing Brett Favre, four quarters of few communication breakdowns and even fewer big plays. Four sacks, an interception, a forced fumble that positioned your struggling offense 38 yards from the end zone with 4 minutes, 18 seconds remaining of a tie game, positioned your offense to salvage its day with even the most modest of scoring drives.
"I was thinking the game was over," Brian Dawkins said. "As much confidence as I had in our offense, I figured they would put something on the board for us there."
Two runs, a scramble, a holding penalty, and an incompletion later, Sav Rocca failed his first chance to bury a coffin-corner kick, and the Packers had the ball on their own 22.
As it had done all game, and especially in the fourth quarter, the Eagles' defense held. The only first down the Eagles allowed in the quarter came during that drive. Still, when Quintin Mikell slapped away a third-down pass to force Green Bay to punt again with 1:09 left, the only team left with a chance to win the game in regulation seemed to be the Eagles.
"We had total control of that game," said Trent Cole, who had sacked Favre in the first half. That was the half in which the Packers - until a fruitless last-minute drive against the Eagles' prevent scheme - had accumulated just 55 yards of offense.
And emerged tied.
Greg Lewis gave them seven of those points when he muffed the first punt he fielded, starting a circus chase of the oblong rascal into the end zone.
