Filed under: Eagles, Packers, NFC East, NFC North
PHILADELPHIA -- Ryan Grant began the season as Green Bay's No. 1 back. Brandon Jackson took over when Grant suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener against Philadelphia. Rookie James Starks, who had missed his senior year at Buffalo with a shoulder injury and the first nine weeks of this season, was beyond an afterthought. But Starks, who carried just 29 times for 101 yards in three games after being activated, was the unexpected hero on Sunday as the Packers beat the host Philadelphia Eagles 21-16 in a wild-card playoff game.
Starks gained 123 yards on 23 carries to help propel Green Bay to its first road playoff victory in 13 years, one that wasn't ensured until Michael Vick's pass intended for rookie receiver Riley Cooper was picked off by Tramon Williams in the end zone with 33 seconds to go. Philadelphia had trailed 21-10 late in the fourth quarter.
The Packers, the third wild card to win in the four games this weekend, never trailed again in advancing to a divisional round matchup with top seed Atlanta on Saturday night.
The NFC East champion Eagles, in losing their playoff opener for the second straight year, were hurt by a rare pair of missed field goal attempts by Pro Bowl kicker David Akers. The defeat means that Eagles Pro Bowl quarterback Vick's three playoff appearances have all ended in Philadelphia. The first two were with Atlanta in 2002 and 2004. The NFC East has now failed to put a team in the divisional round for the first time since 1997.
Some thoughts on the game:
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