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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Andy Reid's much-anticipated return to
Lambeau Field ended with Ryan Longwell's long-awaited redemption.
Longwell hit a 38-yard field goal with three seconds left as the
Green Bay Packers eked out an ugly 6-3 victory over the
Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
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TOM DONAHOE'S BREAKDOWN |
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To say this game was a defensive struggle would be an understatement. Offense was scarce for both teams.
Brett Favre was inconsistent until the last drive, when he completed four of four passes to put the Packers in position for a last-second Ryan Longwell field goal, which won it for Green Bay.
The Eagles were plagued by inconsistent play and penalties. It seemed like every time they did something good on either side of the ball, they had a key penalty.
It's not very often that you don't see a touchdown in an NFL game. Green Bay is still suffering from not having enough of a running attack. Until they get Dorsey Levens completely healthy, they will probably continue to suffer. In this game, Levens played but managed only 74 yards on 24 carries. But that's not enough of a running game to take pressure off Brett Favre.
Still, you can't say that Philly's Week 1 success was a one-game wonder. The Eagles are right on the verge of being a good football team. What I see from them this year is that they're going to give lots of teams fits, and they'll be in lots of close games.
But they may not have enough offensively to get them over the hump. They have to continue to work with their good young quarterback, Donovan McNabb. They have some good young receivers in Todd Pinkston and Gari Scott. But it may take them some time to get the offensive consistency they're looking for.
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It was Longwell's first game-winning field goal in the NFL,
college or high school, and it gave Mike Sherman his first victory
as an NFL head coach.
Longwell missed one against Chicago last season and at
Philadelphia on Sept. 7, 1997 -- the last time the Packers (1-2)
failed to score a touchdown.
"I know I've hit the ball well over the last four years, so I
wasn't really stressed about having to get a game-winner,"
Longwell said. "But this one was eerily similar to the one in
Philadelphia."
That's when Longwell slipped on wet turf and shanked a chip shot
as time expired in a 10-9 loss to the Eagles.
"Ryan had the chance to redeem himself," teammate LeRoy Butler
said. "When he was a rookie and missed in Philadelphia, it was
raining and he kicked off the pitcher's mound. I felt very bad for
him."
And ecstatic on Sunday.
Reid, the Eagles' second-year coach who spent five seasons
coaching the Packers' tight ends and two years as quarterbacks
coach, shared a brief hug with Sherman after the game, which ended
with David Bowens tackling Brian Mitchell near midfield.
"There were too many penalties," said Reid, who was in no mood
to talk about his return to Green Bay. "I just wanted to win."
The Eagles (1-2) were flagged 12 times for 115 yards and both
teams had touchdowns that were wiped out by penalties in the third
quarter.
Eagles linebacker Mike Caldwell's 56-yard fumble return for a TD
was negated by safety Damon Moore's illegal contact penalty. And a
72-yard punt return for a score by Allen Rossum, who was traded by
the Eagles last month, was wiped out by K.D. Williams' illegal
block on the other side of the field.
"A win is a win is a win," Rossum said after the Packers
narrowly avoided their first 0-3 start since 1988.
Brett Favre, who was intercepted three times, didn't mind the
ugliness.
|  | | Green Bay kicker Ryan Longwell nailed a 38-yard field goal with three seconds left Sunday to lift the Packers to a 6-3 win over Philadelphia. |
"I've had some pretty losses where you just light it up and
still lose," he said. "Nothing felt good about that. You can call
it an ugly win or whatever, but it's a win. Sometimes you have to
win them like that."
The Packers hadn't won with so few points since a 6-3 win over
the Rams in 1965. The Eagles hadn't held a team to six points and
lost since a 6-3 defeat at Pittsburgh in 1968.
Longwell's game-winner capped a 12-play, 60-yard drive that had
some good (Ahman Green's 16-yard scamper) and some bad (clock
mismanagement).
The Packers called timeout on third down with 10 seconds left
but only burned three seconds positioning the ball in the center of
the field.
Longwell also made a 37-yarder with six minutes left in the
third quarter after missing a 40-yarder at the end of the first
half.
"Our defense played a great game," Eagles wideout Dameane
Douglas said. "When your defense plays like that in the other
team's house, you deserve to win."
Unless your opponent matches that effort.
Philadelphia's only points came on David Akers' 43-yarder with
two minutes left in the first half.
"A positive is that I got to watch Brett Favre," said Donovan
McNabb, who was 15-of-31 for 118 yards and one interception for the
Eagles. "The negative is that we came out with a loss."
Packers running back Dorsey Levens played for the first time
since having left knee surgery Aug. 15. He carried 24 times for 74
yards.
Asked where he hurt, he said: "Everywhere except my knee. It's
the first time I've been hit since January, so I'm a little beat
up. But my knee feels great."
Game notes
Duce Staley rushed 17 times for 60 yards for the Eagles
and caught eight passes for 62 yards. ... Packers center Frank
Winters played in his 200th regular-season game, but left midway
through the second quarter with a sprained ankle. He was replaced
by Mike Flanagan. ... Eagles defensive end Hugh Douglas had 2½ sacks, giving him 5½ in three games. ... The Packers placed RB
Basil Mitchell on injured reserve with a knee injury and activated
DB Jason Moore from the practice squad. ... Troy Vincent had his
30th career interception.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Green Bay Clubhouse
Week 3 wrap-ups
Week 3 infirmary report
TJ's Take on Week 3
Week 3 stats leaders
Prime Time Players
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Despite the low score, Brett Favre hopes the victory will have a positive effect on the Packers.
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