NFL Playoffs: Eagles Turn Fumble Into Touchdown, Packers Answer With Drive

The Eagles finally caught a break in Philly.

Actually, make it two, considering the fumble that Aaron Rodgers coughed up came after a James Jones drop that prevented a possible touchdown catch.

Rodgers’ fumble gave the Eagles the ball in Packers territory, and Michael Vick’s offense wasted no time taking advantage of the field position. Vick fired a 24-yard strike to Jason Avant for the Eagles’ first touchdown of the day, and after the David Akers extra point, the Eagles now trail 14-10.

It could have been 21-3 at the half, though. Rodgers hit Jones in stride down the sideline, and Jones had a step on his defender, but Jones couldn’t pull in what might have been a touchdown that buried the Eagles in a three-touchdown hole before the second half.

Between that, the fumble, and a puzzling decision to not try to score points from near midfield with time and a timeout near halftime, the Packers’ momentum had cooled considerably.

But they just put together an 11-play, 80-yard drive, righting the ship with a mix of the run and the pass, and capping their effort with a screen pass to Brandon Jackson for the touchdown.

It was smoother sailing early on, but the Packers are far from sunk right now. And it looks like Vick may need to jump-start the Eagles offense if they’re going to keep up with the Rodgers-led attack.