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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- So much for the questions about Al Del
Greco.
The 38-year-old Tennessee kicker, who missed two field goals and
an extra point to cost the Titans two games in the last three
weeks, kicked a 50-yarder as time expired Sunday to beat the
Philadelphia Eagles 15-13.
|  | | Kicker Al Del Greco, left, overcame the criticism and scored all 15 of the Titans points Sunday. |
"There have been questions about our kicker, about his
technique, about his mental toughness," Titans coach Jeff Fisher
said. "I kept saying he was going to pull out of it. There wasn't
a bigger kick than that last one, and that's a tribute to Al and
what he's been through."
Del Greco scored all of the Titans' points, but it was his fifth
field goal that put Tennessee (10-3) a game ahead of Baltimore in
the AFC Central and tied in the race for home-field advantage in
the playoffs with Oakland, which lost 21-20 to Pittsburgh.
It also broke a four-game winning streak for Philadelphia (9-5),
dropping them a half-game behind the New York Giants (9-4) in the
NFC East. The Eagles could have clinched a wild-card berth with a
win.
"We've lost before," Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb
said. "I think when you lose a game like this, your confidence is
still there. We played extremely hard, and it could have gone
either way. But it's a lot easier to bounce back from a loss like
this than to bounce back from a blowout."
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TOM DONAHOE'S BREAKDOWN |
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Question on the Titans: Are the Titans still not playing as well as
they can?
Donahoe: Tennessee plays football games that are generally close to
the vest, and a lot of them are decided by field goals. Today Al Del Greco kicked five field
goals, including the game-winner from 50 yards as time expired. Injuries at
wide receiver -- to Yancey
Thigpen and Carl Pickens
-- have really hurt the Titans' offense, damaging their consistency and
their ability to score points. Fortunately for the Titans, kick returner Derrick Mason has stepped up and
done an outstanding job as a receiver. For them to go deep into the
playoffs, they need to get more production form the wide-receiver position.
Question on the Eagles: Does this loss mean the Eagles can play with
the big boys?
Donahoe: Even though the Eagles lost the statistical battle today,
they were right there till the end with a tough Tennessee team. The Eagles
have proven all year they are a resilient group and they hang tough -- and
usually they've found a way to win. Donovan McNabb has developed into
a serious playmaker, but he may not have enough weapons at his disposal. The
Eagles look like a playoff team, but the question is how far they can go
with limited production on offense.
Tom Donahoe, ESPN.com's NFL analyst, was formerly the Steelers' director
of football operations.
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This was a field-goal duel for three quarters between two of the
best defensive teams in the NFL -- four for Del Greco to two for
Philadelphia's David Akers. Even Eddie George, who ran 32 times for
101 yards for Tennessee, went backward almost as often as he went
forward.
Del Greco missed an extra point and a potential game-winning
field-goal attempt against Baltimore, and last week missed a
field-goal try that would have put the Titans ahead late in a game
they lost 16-13 in Jacksonville.
But he was perfect on Sunday. His fourth field goal, a 44-yarder
with 5:23 left, put the Titans ahead by six.
"It's been a rough two weeks," Del Greco said. "I've been
looking at myself and it was a focus problem. As long as we win, I
don't care if I make any field goals. I'd much rather win by 24 or
28."
But after falling behind, the Eagles came alive.
McNabb, held largely in check by a Tennessee defense that sacked
him five times, threw a 45-yard pass to Todd Pinkston on
third-and-10 from his own 23, then completed three more passes
before scrambling in from the 2 with 3:11 left, giving the Eagles a
13-12 lead.
Philadelphia, held the Titans on one series, but the Titans got
the ball back with 1:43 left on their own 36 after McNabb threw an
incomplete pass on third-and-nine, saving Tennessee 30 seconds on
the clock.
Philadelphia coach Andy Reid said he had no regrets about trying
for the first down.
"We were going to seal it right there," he said. "If we get a
first down, and that's how we approached it."
Steve McNair hit Derrick Mason twice on the sideline, hit Chris
Sanders with two more passes and got the ball to the Philadelphia
32, allowing Del Greco to try from the 50.
It was straight through the uprights.
McNabb, who scrambled for 128 yards in the Eagles' win in
Washington last week, ran for 37 yards this week in seven carries.
He was 18-for-39 for 239 yards.
McNair finished 23-of-37 for 210 yards.
The teams were tied at 6 at halftime on two field goals each by
Del Greco and Akers. Del Greco was successful from 26 and 42 yards,
Akers from 23 and 40.
Tennessee controlled the ball for most of the half, using up
more than nine minutes on their first field-goal drive and nearly 6
minutes on the second. Tennessee had the ball for 20 minutes and
five seconds of the 30 minutes played.
The Titans made it 9-6 on their first possession of the second
half on Del Greco's 22-yarder after Tennessee drove from its own 20
to the Philadelphia 4, using up another 6:37 on the clock.
Finally, it came down in the end to Del Greco.
"I just closed my eyes and listened to the crowd and heard the
silence," Tennessee defensive end Jevon Kearse said.
Game notes
The Tennessee win was the first time the franchise has ever
beaten Philadelphia. The Eagles won the first six against the old
Houston Oilers dating back to 1970. ... This was the first time in
11 games that McNabb did not throw a touchdown pass. ... McNair
left the game for a series with a twisted right knee and ankle, but
returned to finish. ... The Titans are 22-1 in games in which
George has carried 27 or more times.
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ALSO SEE
Tennessee Clubhouse
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Gimpy McNair on crutches, questionable for Bengals game
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Al Del Greco talks with ESPN's Sal Paolantonio after rebounding with a 15-point performance.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Coach Andy Reid felt the Eagles learned a valuable lesson against the Titans.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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