Divisional Round: Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles (Veterans Stadium), with a Conference Championship spot at stake. Kickoff: Sat January 11, 2003 at 8:21pm. Winner advances to the Conference Championship. The losing team's season is over.[1][2]
The divisional round is where the bracket is supposed to take its real shape. Atlanta Falcons traveling to Philadelphia Eagles at Veterans Stadium, with the league watching to see whether the better team or the better matchup wins. Bye-week home favorites carry the weight of expectation; the visiting wild-card winner walks in with no one expecting them and nothing to lose.
The bracket has narrowed to the teams that survived the regular season. Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles are two of them; the rest of the league is in scouting mode for the offseason. What happens in Veterans Stadium shifts the rest of the tree: a road favorite winning rearranges seeding expectations; a home upset shows the bracket math underweights heart.
Atlanta Falcons versus Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Atlanta Falcons-Philadelphia Eagles cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 9-7 | L2 |
| New England Patriots | 9-7 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 9-7 | W2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 8-8 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 10-5-1 | W3 |
| Cleveland Browns | 9-7 | W2 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 7-9 | L2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 2-14 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Titans | 11-5 | W5 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 10-6 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 6-10 | L2 |
| Houston Texans | 4-12 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Oakland Raiders | 11-5 | W2 |
| Denver Broncos | 9-7 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 8-8 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 8-8 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 10-6 | L1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 7-9 | W1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 7-9 | W3 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 5-11 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | 12-4 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 10-6 | W4 |
| Washington Redskins | 7-9 | W2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 5-11 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 12-4 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6-10 | W3 |
| Chicago Bears | 4-12 | L2 |
| Detroit Lions | 3-13 | L8 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 12-4 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 9-6-1 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 9-7 | L3 |
| Carolina Panthers | 7-9 | W2 |
1/11/2003 Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles NFC Divisional Playoff
2002 PLAYOFFS Eagles 20 Falcons 6
2002 NFL Divisional Playoffs Falcons @ Eagles; Fox Jan 11th 2003; Vick
2002 NFC Divisional Playoff Atlanta v Philadelphia
Michael Vick's Historic Upset | Falcons vs. Packers 2002 NFC Wild Card Playoffs | NFL Full Game
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Packers vs. Eagles 2003 NFC Divisional Playoffs | "The 4th-and-26 Game" | NFL Full Game
NFC Divisional Playoff Eagles at Bears January 19, 2002Atlanta Falcons None, Philadelphia Eagles None
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 06666 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 1013132020 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Eagles | Bobby Taylor 39 yard interception return ( David Akers kick) | 0-7 |
| Eagles | David Akers 34 yard field goal | 0-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Eagles | David Akers 39 yard field goal | 0-13 |
| Falcons | Jay Feely 34 yard field goal | 3-13 |
| Falcons | Jay Feely 52 yard field goal | 6-13 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Eagles | James Thrash 35 yard pass from Donovan McNabb ( David Akers kick) | 6-20 |
Philadelphia Eagles defeated Atlanta Falcons 20-6 at Veterans Stadium in the Divisional Round. The final scoring play was Eagles: James Thrash 35 yard pass from Donovan McNabb ( David Akers kick). Top line of the day: Michael Vick: 274 pass yards on 22-of-38, 0 TD, 2 INT. Philadelphia Eagles move on to the conference final.[1][2]
Philadelphia Eagles walked out of Veterans Stadium as the team that survived a Divisional Round Atlanta Falcons will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 20-6. The final scoring play came from Eagles: James Thrash 35 yard pass from Donovan McNabb ( David Akers kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Philadelphia Eagles move on to a conference championship.
Philadelphia Eagles 20, Atlanta Falcons 6. Round: Divisional Round. Attendance: 66452. Q1: 2 scoring plays. Q2: 3 scoring plays. Q4: 1 scoring play. Top performers:
- Michael Vick: 274 pass yards on 22-of-38, 0 TD, 2 INT
- Duce Staley: 63 rush yards on 18 carries
- James Thrash: 2 catches for 77 yards
Divisional Round, played at Veterans Stadium. Final: Atlanta Falcons 6, Philadelphia Eagles 20, with Philadelphia Eagles taking the result by 14. **First quarter**
- Eagles: Bobby Taylor 39 yard interception return ( David Akers kick)
- Eagles: David Akers 34 yard field goal
Second quarter
- Eagles: David Akers 39 yard field goal
- Falcons: Jay Feely 34 yard field goal
- Falcons: Jay Feely 52 yard field goal
Fourth quarter
- Eagles: James Thrash 35 yard pass from Donovan McNabb ( David Akers kick)
Top performers
- Michael Vick: 274 pass yards on 22-of-38, 0 TD, 2 INT
- Duce Staley: 63 rush yards on 18 carries
- James Thrash: 2 catches for 77 yards
| Falcons | Eagles | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 19 | 15 |
| Total Yards | 354 | 318 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 23/39 | 20/30 |
| Pass yards | 288 | 247 |
| Pass TD | 0 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 2 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 3 | 2 |
| Sack yards lost | 27 | 20 |
| Net pass yards | 261 | 227 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 24 | 26 |
| Rush yards | 93 | 91 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties | 9 | 3 |
| Penalty yards | 95 | 30 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL | |||||
| Michael Vick | 22/38 | 274 | 0 | 2 | |
| Doug Johnson | 1/1 | 14 | 0 | 0 | |
| PHI | |||||
| Donovan McNabb | 20/30 | 247 | 1 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL | ||||
| Warrick Dunn | 14 | 45 | 0 | 11 |
| Michael Vick | 6 | 30 | 0 | 12 |
| Quentin McCord | 2 | 13 | 0 | 10 |
| T.J. Duckett | 2 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| PHI | ||||
| Duce Staley | 18 | 63 | 0 | 9 |
| Donovan McNabb | 4 | 24 | 0 | 19 |
| James Thrash | 2 | 4 | 0 | 11 |
| Brian Westbrook | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dorsey Levens | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL | ||||
| Brian Finneran | 5 | 72 | 0 | 28 |
| Alge Crumpler | 4 | 66 | 0 | 25 |
| Warrick Dunn | 6 | 56 | 0 | 20 |
| Quentin McCord | 2 | 31 | 0 | 23 |
| Trevor Gaylor | 3 | 28 | 0 | 14 |
| T.J. Duckett | 1 | 18 | 0 | 18 |
| Reggie Kelly | 2 | 17 | 0 | 10 |
| PHI | ||||
| James Thrash | 2 | 77 | 1 | 42 |
| Todd Pinkston | 5 | 48 | 0 | 24 |
| Duce Staley | 5 | 39 | 0 | 19 |
| Chad Lewis | 2 | 22 | 0 | 15 |
| Cecil Martin | 2 | 18 | 0 | 13 |
| Brian Westbrook | 2 | 17 | 0 | 13 |
| Dorsey Levens | 1 | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| Antonio Freeman | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
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