Eagles set up rematch with Giants after topping Vikings
Football Betting Lines
01/04/2009 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Westbrook took a short screen pass 71 yards for a touchdown to shatter a two-point second-half deadlock with 6 1/2 minutes to play, and the Philadelphia Eagles went on to post a 26-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in an NFC Wild Card bout.
Following a 16-14 Philadelphia halftime lead, neither team was able to alter the scoreboard until the Eagles started their fourth drive of the second half with a little under seven minutes to play.
On the first play of the series, Westbrook set up for the screen in the right flat with a host of lineman pulling in front. That sprung the versatile back into the middle of the field, where he turned on the jets to outrun several would-be tacklers. A final block from Kevin Curtis inside the 10 allowed for a 23-14 lead.
The Vikings went three-and-out on three straight Tarvaris Jackson incompletions, and the Eagles, in turn, punted back to Minnesota with 3:41 to go.
Minnesota was able to move the ball only 18 yards before center Matt Birk botched a snap back to Jackson, and the Eagles' Juqua Parker fell on the ball. David Akers connected on his fourth field goal of the game -- from 45 yards out -- and the Eagles celebrated their moving on to play the New York Giants in the NFC's divisional round next Sunday.
Westbrook was bottled up for the most part until his game-changing catch-and- run -- picking up 121 yards from scrimmage, with 38 of that coming on 20 carries.
Donovan McNabb was 23-of-34 passing for 300 yards with an interception, while Asante Samuel came up with the big play on defense with a 44-yard interception return for a score for the Eagles, who were able to nudge their way into the conference's final wild card spot by going 4-1 down the stretch.
DeSean Jackson had one catch for 34 yards that helped set up an Akers field goal, and he also put the Eagles in position for points throughout the game with 109 yards on five punt returns.
Philadelphia posted victories over a pair of NFC division winners in Arizona and the New York Giants during their push to make the playoffs, then capped the strong run with a 44-6 pasting of the rival Dallas Cowboys last Sunday to seize the sixth and the final seed with a 9-6-1 record.
Adrian Peterson had 83 yards rushing on 20 carries, with a pair of touchdowns, while Jackson finished 15-of-35 passing for 164 yards, with a costly pick, for the Vikings, who won five of their last six games to capture their first NFC North title since 2000 and end a four-year playoff drought.
The Bears' 31-24 setback at Houston in Week 17 also secured the No. 3 playoff seed for Minnesota, although the Vikings took matters into their own hands by edging the NFC East champion Giants in their most recent test.
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25-26 i
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MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect
LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.
Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.
Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.
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