But on the kickoff
after Brian Westbrook turned a screen catch into a 57-yard touchdown that put the Eagles up, 26-25, Thrash, whose primary job is on special teams, injured his left ankle blocking.
In a normal world, that wouldn't have seemed that significant. But in the dicey world that is the Eagles' 2007 season, Thrash, subbing for the injured Santana Moss, had played the role of playmaking receiver for the Redskins.
With Thrash on the sideline, Washington ended up turning the ball over on four downs at its 10-yard-line with just under 2 1/2 minutes remaining.
The Redskins let Westbrook score immediately, but trailing by eight, their desperation drive ended on downs and the Eagles ran off the final 1:22 to keep their season alive for at least another week.
"There were some highs and some lows," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "That's when you check your gut on the low ones. Our guys worked through it.
"They seemed like they were positive all the way through. There was so much energy on that sideline."
It certainly was a dramatic change from a week ago, when the Eagles looked like beaten carcasses as Dallas whipped them at home in front of a national
television audience.
There's no telling what the mind-set of this team would be had it not rallied from a 22-13 deficit in the final 12 1/2 minutes.
A quick reality check says the Eagles are still just 4-5 and still a serious longshot to become a factor in the NFC playoff picture. But with the winless Miami Dolphins coming to the Linc next Sunday, hope lives.
That wouldn't have been the case had they lost yesterday.
"This is one of those games where we played together until the end," said guard Shawn Andrews, who threw the block that sprung Westbrook on the screen pass. "That says a lot about the guys we have here.
"Of course, our record is what it is, but we are a lot better than that."
