NFC Divisional Playoff - "4th and 26"
In Philadelphia, Donovan McNabb bested Brett Favre in a riveting NFC Divisional playoff battle between the Packers and Eagles on January 11, 2004. In the first quarter, Brett Favre threw two touchdown passes to Robert Ferguson – for 40 and 17 yards – and the Packers pulled ahead, 14-0. A touchdown pass from McNabb to Duce Staley cut the Green Bay lead in half at the intermission, and another McNabb touchdown throw followed by a Packers’ field goal gave Green Bay a 17-14 lead in the fourth quarter. With 1:12 left, the Eagles’ season looked over when they faced a fourth-and-26 from their own 26. But McNabb completed a 28-yard pass down the middle to Freddie Mitchell, setting up an eventual game-tying 37-yard field goal by David Akers. In overtime, the Eagles’ Brian Dawkins intercepted a Favre pass, which led to a 31-yard Akers field goal to win it, 20-17. McNabb finished the game with 107 yards rushing, a playoff record for a quarterback, and he threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns. The next week, the Eagles lost to the Panthers – Philadelphia’s third straight loss in an NFC Championship game.