Eagles history: Donovan McNabb leads an all-star Philly beatdown of the Packers

NFL regular-season football is back. The Philadelphia Eagles kick off the season by battling the Green Bay Packers on Friday in Brazil. These two have met 46 times and have been facing off since 1933. The most recent confrontation came in 2022. Philly turned in a 40-33 victory.

Philly has a long way to go if they're to even the all-time series tally. Green Bay has the upper hand in that regard. They have won 28 of the previous 46 meetings.

Since we're looking back, how about a trip down memory lane? Let's take a ride, one where we revisit one of the Eagles' most impressive wins in the series.

We travel back to December 5th, 2004, an evening when Philly trounced the Green Bay Packers by a 47-17 final score.

Also read: 6 fantastic stops on Nick Foles amazing Eagles journey

Eagles vs Packers game recap

Let's just say the Eagles and Packers sent the fans home with a smile, but things got off to a slow start.

It wasn't pretty for Philly early. Right out of the gate in this matchup, they drove 34 yards in eight plays and landed at the Packers' 16-yard line, but McNabb fumbled the ball. That ended a good-looking possession.

The defense bailed their offensive teammates out, Brian Dawkins intercepted a Brett Farve pass attempt on the second play of Green Bay's ensuing drive, setting the Eagles up at their own 42-yard line.

The Birds' offense wouldn't waste the turnover. They traveled 58 yards in five plays, culminating with Donovan McNabb finding Terrell Owens for a 41-yard touchdown reception. That gave Philly a 7-0 lead with 6:08 left in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, McNabb and Brian Westbrook were cooking. They combined for three touchdowns, including a 41-yard wide-open bomb in their second drive of the period. Tight end L.J. Smith joined the touchdown party with a six-yard scoring reception as the first half drew to its close.


The Birds would end the first half with a 35-3 advantage.

The second half brought more dominance. Philadelphia's offense wouldn't score any more touchdowns, but David Akers would connect on four field goals. The Packers' only touchdowns came during garbage time in the fourth quarter and were thrown by backup quarterback Craig Nall.

A 47-17 victory was sealed. Philly's magical run would continue.

Eagles versus Green Bay Stat line:

Offense

Donovan McNabb found every target with ease. He completed 32 of his 43 pass attempts. The result was 464 yards passing and five TD tosses.

Brian Westbrook was his usually reliable self, grabbing 11 receptions for 156 yards. He was on the receiving end of three of those touchdowns.

Terrell Owens also showed out on this day. He caught eight passes for 161 yards and scored the aforementioned 41-yard touchdown. L.J. Smith hauled in four catches for 42 yards and his touchdown score.

The Eagles outgained the Packers by a 542 to 249 margin. There wasn't much to complain about offensively.

Defense

Philadelphia's defense kept Brett Favre in check in the game. He'd only complete 14 of his 29 pass attempts for 131 yards. He'd also throw two interceptions, one snagged by Dawkins and another by Sheldon Brown. He was also sacked three times in the matchup.

The Birds would notch five sacks in total. Backup Packers QB Craig Nall was even introduced to the turf twice. Corey Simon and Darwin Walker had fun as they each stacked two sacks. Walker also forced a fumble in the game. That one was recovered by Dexter Wynn,

Did we mention this one was boatloads of fun?

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