Snowy Comeback Is An Instant Classic
Article below ends with where were you on The Day Of The Snow Bowl? Where were you Mike? Work:(
This is a FOREVER TO REMEMBER GAME
You know how, at this time of year, there is the simple, charming image of the snow globe to warm your day? A little village, a snowman, a Christmas tree beneath the glass; a quick shake, a gentle shower of snow, timeless beauty.
What they never tell you is what it looks like when somebody knocks the snow globe off of the table, and how the thing explodes when it hits, and how it leaves a sharp, wet mess all over the floor.
Those were the options on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. And, honestly, with 6:37 remaining in the third period, the Eagles were trailing the Detroit Lions by 14-0 and the search was on for a broom and dustpan. Several inches of snow covered the field, Eagles quarterback Nick Foles looked terrible, coach Chip Kelly was finding nothing particularly magical in his play-calling, and the Eagles were fixing to lose a game that will forever be known around here as the Snow Bowl.
But then the snow tapered and stopped. And then running back LeSean McCoy began running north and south and forever. Known for his ability to change direction and make people miss, McCoy instead attacked the holes on a slow, slippery field and ran for a team record 217 yards and two touchdowns.
In the end, it was Eagles 34, Lions 20(edit:would been 40-20, but Celek CHOSE to slide in the snow rather take it in:). As a team, the Eagles ran for 299 yards. And now, the memory of the Snow Bowl will be cherished around here forever.
The snow began hours before anyone had forecast, and arrived in amounts that also shocked everyone. The field began to show signs of getting covered before noon, and it was blanketed by 12:30, only the yards lines and hash marks shoveled clean. Before the game, referee Ed Hochuli had to toss the coin twice because, as he had warned, “If it lands on an angle, I will flip it again.”
It was that kind of day. In the first quarter, the snow was so thick that seeing some of the stadium scoreboards was almost impossible. Every stoppage brought out the shovelers, and they were barely able to keep up. It looked for all the world like a first-touchdown-wins kind of a game -- and the Lions had not only the first touchdown, but also the second.
But then, as the weather cleared, it became a game of haymakers instead. A 58-yard punt return by the Lions’ Jeremy Ross. A 19-yard touchdown catch from the Eagles’ DeSean Jackson. A 40-yard run by McCoy. A 98-yard kickoff return by Ross. A 26-yard run by McCoy that helped set up a short Foles touchdown. A 38-yard run by Chris Polk. And, in the end, tight end Brent Celek caught a pass that would have given the Eagles another touchdown, but he intentionally stopped and slid and kicked up a great, joyous swirl of snow at the 10-yard line in order to keep the clock running.
Big plays. Big memories.
So where were you for the Snow Bowl?
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/sports/eagles/Snowy-comeback-is-an-instant-classic.html#4tgj9smsHhH25405.99 |
