Eagles wake up just in time to edge Broncos

(AP Photo/Michael Perez)

I seem to say it every week but, eventually, the Eagles inability to play 4 solid quarters of football will hurt them. Fortunately for them, when the Eagles aren't napping, they are one of the best teams in the league. Despite taking most of the second half off, it didn't stop the Eagles from winning their 6th game in a row against the Broncos, 30-27.

The game was truly a tale of two halves. In the first half, the Eagles offense dominated the Broncos, moving the ball at will as the Birds cruised to a 20-7 lead. Donovan McNabb was about as good as he could be, passing for nearly 250 yards and two touchdowns against a Broncos secondary that was one of the best in the league coming into the game. McNabb favorite target when the offense was clicking was Brent Celek, who he hooked up with on several big plays, including a 47 yard touchdown. The defense also played solid, keeping the Broncos receivers in front of them and not allowing Kyle Orton to get Denver going downfield at all.

The second half was a completely different story as the Eagles flubbed and fumbled away their lead, allowing the Broncos to fight back into the game and tie it up at 27 late in the 4th quarter. Fumbles by McNabb and Macho Harris coupled with a bad pick by McNabb put the Eagles on their heels. The passing game lost most of the magic that it had early in the game as McNabb made a series of poor decisions but managed to come to life at just the right time as a Jeremy Maclin catch along the sidelines led to a game-winning David Akers field goal in the waning seconds of the game.

Despite complaints about their inconsistent play, Eagles fans should be happy with the result. The Eagles knocked off a tough AFC opponent that needed to win to get closer to the playoffs. Yes, they didn't play a perfect game, but the Eagles have shown they can come up with just enough plays to win the close ones. With a showdown with Dallas with the NFC East on the line next week, the Eagles will need to put together a complete game if they want to ensure a home game in the first round of the playoffs.

Now, if this team could just put together 60 minutes of football...