There's no need for Eagles fans to look for 'Christmas Miracle' TV specials.
They were treated to an exception one on Sunday.
Raise your hand if you saw this one coming.
After falling behind 14-0 and looking like the victims of a third consecutive rout, the Eagles staged one of the great upsets in team history Sunday, stunning the Patriots with 35 unanswered points and then holding on for a thrilling 35-28 victory.
It no doubt is an especially satisfying win for Chip Kelly and his embattled team, who spent much of last week trying to tamp down rumors of insurrection.
And for Kelly, the win came at the expense at one of his mentors, Patriots' coach Bill Belichick.
It actually might have been Belichick who opened the door to this incredulous turnaround. After the Pats scored to make it 14-0, pretty much sending Eagles faithful into the throes of despair as the thought of another blowout loomed, the Patriots' wizard went for the jugular only to have it blow up in his face. Belichick tried an onside kick, only to have it recovered by the Eagles, giving them great field position.
The Birds scored, then leaned on their special teams, which showed visions of the standout unit that was the key to success last year. With time expiring in the first half, the Eagles blocked a Patriots' punt and returned it for a TD to tie the score at 14, leaving most of those in Gillette Stadium in Foxboro with their mouths hanging open.
The bizarre twist continued in a wild third quarter. Darren Sproles returned a punt for a touchdown. Malcolm Jenkins turned what looked like a Patriots' TD drive on its head, picking Tom Brady off on a deflected pass at the goal line and returning it 100 yards for a Birds touchdown.
Aside from the Christmas miracles, a couple of things stood out in this game.
You don't beat Tom Brady unless you can get pressure on him, and Billy Davis and the Eagles managed to do that.
And maybe the biggest key was Kelly's decision to lean on Darren Sproles and rookie Kenyon Barner, who clearly are more effective in Chip's read-option offense. It meant a secondary role for DeMarco Murray.
Even with all that, the Birds had to hang on for dear life. A 35-14 laugher turned into a 35-38 nailbiter, even more so when another onside kick bounced off the hands of tight end Zach Ertz into the hands of the Patriots.
But the Birds' defense denied Brady and the Patriots, in no small part due to the fact that New England was out of timeouts.
Incredibly, the win, coupled with still another come-from-ahead loss earlier by the Giants, launches the Eagles right back into the thick of the NFC East race.
And yes, that means, at least for a night, we all become Cowboys' fans tonight when they face the Redskins in a Monday Night Football faceoff. A Dallas win means the Eagles will be tied for the NFC East lead.
But for now, Eagles fans should rejoice. Yes, It's a Wonderful Life.
Just call it the Christmas Miracle.
Oh, and by the way, bring on Shady McCoy and the Bills, due at the Linc on Sunday.
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