4th and 26
Encyclopedia
4th and 26 is the commonly used name for a famous play on Sunday, January 11, 2004, during the 2003–04 NFL playoffs. The play occurred during the fourth quarter of a divisional playoff game between the visiting Green Bay Packers
and the Philadelphia Eagles
at Lincoln Financial Field
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
.
The NFC East
champion and top-seeded Eagles were coming off an opening round bye while the fourth-seeded, NFC North
champion Packers were the visiting team, coming off an overtime win over the Seattle Seahawks
.
recovered a fumble from quarterback Donovan McNabb
on the Eagles 40-yard line, and Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre
threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Robert Ferguson on the next play. James Thrash
returned the ensuing kickoff 36 yards to the 44-yard line. Then McNabb made up for his mistake with a 41-yard run to the Packers 15. But the drive stalled at the 14-yard line and ended with no points when Akers missed a 30-yard field goal attempt. After the missed field goal, Ahman Green
rushed three times for 31 yards before Favre threw his second touchdown pass to Ferguson, giving the Packers a 14–0 lead with 1:16 left in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, McNabb led the Eagles on a scoring drive, completing five consecutive passes for 77 yards, including a 45-yard pass to Todd Pinkston
. On the last play, his 7-yard touchdown pass to Duce Staley
cut the deficit to 14–7. Green Bay took the kickoff and drove 67 yards to the Eagles 1-yard line, featuring a 33-yard run by Green, but on fourth down, Green was stuffed by DE Jerome McDougle
and LB Mark Simoneau
for no gain. The Packers turned the ball over on downs.
Late in the third quarter, the Eagles drove 88 yards in 8 plays to tie the game, despite two 10-yard penalties against them on the drive. McNabb was responsible for all of the yards on the drive, rushing for 37 yards and completing four passes for 72, including a 12-yard touchdown pass to Pinkston that tied the game at 14 on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Later, Antonio Chatman
's 10-yard punt return gave the Packers great field position on their own 49-yard line. On the next play, Favre threw a 44-yard completion to Javon Walker
. Philadelphia's defense kept Green Bay out of the end zone, but Ryan Longwell
kicked a 21-yard field goal to give them a 17–14 lead.
On fourth down, the play (74 Double Go) called for a 25-yard slant route for wide receiver
Freddie Mitchell
. Donovan McNabb threw a perfect strike to Mitchell deep into the Packers' secondary. The Packers' coverage, a Cover 2 package, broke down. Linebacker
Nick Barnett
, who was responsible for shallow coverage of Mitchell, decided to bite on the tight end. Inexplicably, Darren Sharper
, who was partially responsible for deep coverage of Mitchell, played past the first down marker positioning himself for an interception rather than preventing any catch in front of the marker. The only player that was close to making a play, Packers' safety
Bhawoh Jue
, was playing the sidelines as is customary in Cover 2 defense and was too late to prevent a catch or first down. Mitchell completed a leaping reception and was brought down at the Packers 46, giving the Eagles a first down.
The play set up David Akers
' 37-yard field goal attempt after McNabb ran for another first down. The field goal was good, and the game went into overtime, when Eagles star safety Brian Dawkins
was able to intercept an errant Brett Favre pass and return it 35 yards, setting up another Akers field goal try. The 31-yard kick was good, giving the Eagles a dramatic 20–17 victory in sudden death overtime. The play helped send the Eagles to their third straight NFC Championship Game
.
2003 Green Bay Packers season
The 2003 Green Bay Packers season finished with an overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round of the playoffs, after the Packers defeated the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card round in overtime off an interception return for a touchdown by Al Harris...
and the Philadelphia Eagles
2003 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 2003 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 71st in the league. They matched their previous season's record, going 12–4, however, they were again upset in the NFC Conference Championship...
at Lincoln Financial Field
Lincoln Financial Field
Lincoln Financial Field is the home stadium of the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles. It has a seating capacity of 68,532 . It is located in South Philadelphia on Pattison Avenue between 11th and 10th streets, also aside I-95 as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
.
The NFC East
NFC East
The NFC East is a division of the National Football League's National Football Conference. It currently has four members: the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Redskins....
champion and top-seeded Eagles were coming off an opening round bye while the fourth-seeded, NFC North
NFC North
The NFC North is a division of the National Football League's National Football Conference, based in the Upper Midwest region of the United States...
champion Packers were the visiting team, coming off an overtime win over the Seattle Seahawks
2003 Seattle Seahawks season
The 2003 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's 28th season with the National Football League.-2003 NFL Draft:-Regular season:-Playoffs:-External links:* *...
.
The Game
Midway through the first quarter, Packers linebacker Nick BarnettNick Barnett
Nicholas Alexander Barnett is an American Football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. A graduate of Fontana A.B...
recovered a fumble from quarterback Donovan McNabb
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...
on the Eagles 40-yard line, and Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Robert Ferguson on the next play. James Thrash
James Thrash
James Thrash is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 1997. He played college football at Missouri Southern State....
returned the ensuing kickoff 36 yards to the 44-yard line. Then McNabb made up for his mistake with a 41-yard run to the Packers 15. But the drive stalled at the 14-yard line and ended with no points when Akers missed a 30-yard field goal attempt. After the missed field goal, Ahman Green
Ahman Green
Ahman Rashad Green is a retired American football running back. He is the all-time leading rusher for the Green Bay Packers. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 3rd round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
rushed three times for 31 yards before Favre threw his second touchdown pass to Ferguson, giving the Packers a 14–0 lead with 1:16 left in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, McNabb led the Eagles on a scoring drive, completing five consecutive passes for 77 yards, including a 45-yard pass to Todd Pinkston
Todd Pinkston
Todd Pinkston is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He played five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles where he caught 184 passes for 2,816 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Eagles went to the playoffs every year that he started, including an appearance in...
. On the last play, his 7-yard touchdown pass to Duce Staley
Duce Staley
Duce Staley is a former American football running back in the National Football League best known for his tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles. He also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at University of South Carolina...
cut the deficit to 14–7. Green Bay took the kickoff and drove 67 yards to the Eagles 1-yard line, featuring a 33-yard run by Green, but on fourth down, Green was stuffed by DE Jerome McDougle
Jerome McDougle
Jerome McDougle is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles 15th overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami.McDougle has also played for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles...
and LB Mark Simoneau
Mark Simoneau
Mark Lee Simoneau is a former American football linebacker who played for ten seasons in the National Football League. He played college football at Kansas State and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played for the Falcons from 2000–2002, before he was...
for no gain. The Packers turned the ball over on downs.
Late in the third quarter, the Eagles drove 88 yards in 8 plays to tie the game, despite two 10-yard penalties against them on the drive. McNabb was responsible for all of the yards on the drive, rushing for 37 yards and completing four passes for 72, including a 12-yard touchdown pass to Pinkston that tied the game at 14 on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Later, Antonio Chatman
Antonio Chatman
Antonio Tavaras Chatman is an American football wide receiver and punt returner for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2002...
's 10-yard punt return gave the Packers great field position on their own 49-yard line. On the next play, Favre threw a 44-yard completion to Javon Walker
Javon Walker
Javon Lataff Walker is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers 20th overall of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State....
. Philadelphia's defense kept Green Bay out of the end zone, but Ryan Longwell
Ryan Longwell
Ryan Walker Longwell is an American football placekicker for the Minnesota Vikings in the National Football League. After playing college football for the California Golden Bears, he started his professional football career with the San Francisco 49ers, but never played a game for the franchise...
kicked a 21-yard field goal to give them a 17–14 lead.
The Play
The drive started with a 22-yard run by Duce Staley, but on the next play, McNabb threw for an incomplete pass. Subsequently, on second down the Eagles were penalized 5 yards for a false start. On the ensuing play, a sack pushed the Eagles back to their own 25 yard line, and on third down McNabb threw another incompletion. The Eagles, faced with a fourth down and 26 yards, needed to convert for a first down, with only 1:12 remaining and no timeouts available.On fourth down, the play (74 Double Go) called for a 25-yard slant route for wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Freddie Mitchell
Freddie Mitchell
Freddie Lee Mitchell, Jr. is a former American football wide receiver who played for the Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football League for four seasons. A four-sport athlete at Kathleen High School, Mitchell committed to the University of California, Los Angeles to play football for the Bruins...
. Donovan McNabb threw a perfect strike to Mitchell deep into the Packers' secondary. The Packers' coverage, a Cover 2 package, broke down. Linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Nick Barnett
Nick Barnett
Nicholas Alexander Barnett is an American Football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. A graduate of Fontana A.B...
, who was responsible for shallow coverage of Mitchell, decided to bite on the tight end. Inexplicably, Darren Sharper
Darren Sharper
Darren Mallory Sharper is an American football safety who currently is a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at William & Mary....
, who was partially responsible for deep coverage of Mitchell, played past the first down marker positioning himself for an interception rather than preventing any catch in front of the marker. The only player that was close to making a play, Packers' safety
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
Bhawoh Jue
Bhawoh Jue
Bhawoh Papi Jue is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State....
, was playing the sidelines as is customary in Cover 2 defense and was too late to prevent a catch or first down. Mitchell completed a leaping reception and was brought down at the Packers 46, giving the Eagles a first down.
The play set up David Akers
David Akers
David Roy Akers is a left footed American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Falcons in 1997. He played college football at Louisville....
' 37-yard field goal attempt after McNabb ran for another first down. The field goal was good, and the game went into overtime, when Eagles star safety Brian Dawkins
Brian Dawkins
Brian Patrick Dawkins is an American football safety for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft...
was able to intercept an errant Brett Favre pass and return it 35 yards, setting up another Akers field goal try. The 31-yard kick was good, giving the Eagles a dramatic 20–17 victory in sudden death overtime. The play helped send the Eagles to their third straight NFC Championship Game
NFC Championship Game
The National Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two semi-final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the...
.