The five-time Pro Bowl quarterback can breathe easier now. He finally led the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl after falling one victory short three straight years.
``We know a lot of people turned their back on us and just didn't have the confidence that we would be able to do it,'' McNabb said after the Eagles beat the Atlanta Falcons 27-10 in the NFC title game Sunday. ``I think we answered a lot of questions. I think we answered a lot of critics.''
McNabb won't be satisfied unless the Eagles beat the New England Patriots to win the franchise's first NFL championship since 1960.
``There's no relief, really, for me,'' he said. ``I'll have relief after the Super Bowl. I set a goal out to win the Super Bowl and that's where I'm going with it.''
McNabb exuded confidence throughout the week, insisting he wasn't haunted by the past three championship game losses. He stressed the team could win a big game without injured All-Pro wideout Terrell Owens, and backed it up with a workmanlike performance, throwing for 180 yards and two touchdowns.
Every chance he had during the past week, McNabb emphasized he wasn't a running quarterback. Yet, when the offense needed a key play, he escaped the pocket and scrambled for 36 yards, before kneeling down three times at the end.
``You just have to do whatever it takes in order to win the game,'' said McNabb, who outrushed Michael Vick 32-26.
McNabb got plenty of help against the Falcons from running back Brian Westbrook, tight end Chad Lewis and a superb offensive line that neutralized a strong Falcons pass rush.
Westbrook ran for 96 yards and caught five passes, and Lewis had both TD grabs, including a nifty 3-yard score in which he leaped in the air and managed to drag both of his feet in bounds in the corner of the end zone.
It turned out a healthy Westbrook was the final piece the Eagles needed to reach the Super Bowl, rather than a hobbled Owens. A year after a torn triceps forced Westbrook to watch helplessly from the sideline while Carolina upset Philadelphia in the conference championship game, the speedy running back redeemed himself.
``We were able to spread the ball out to a lot of people and able to run the ball efficiently,'' Westbrook said. ``Nobody thought we had a running attack at all and we were able to run the ball efficiently as well as throw the ball down the field.''
Owens, acquired in a three-team trade with San Francisco and Baltimore, was considered the player the Eagles needed to win the conference. He helped lead Philadelphia to a 13-1 start before going down in the 14th regular-season game.
Though Owens' injury was a devastating blow for Philadelphia, McNabb, Westbrook and others proved this wasn't a one-man offense.
``A lot of people didn't think we were going to do it without T.O.,'' center Hank Fraley said. ``We won it as a team.''
Owens has an outside chance of playing in the Super Bowl in two weeks. He stood on the sidelines and led cheers against the Falcons, waving his arms and encouraging the crowd to make more noise.
``We'll see how he does this next week, if he can put more pressure on it,'' Eagles coach Andy Reid said.
With or without Owens, the Patriots are a formidable challenge for Philadelphia. New England already is favored by 6-6.5 points. After dominating the NFC, the Eagles welcome an underdog role.
``We just have to go out and play our style of play, execute and make plays when we have to,'' McNabb said. ``Hopefully we can just do what we were expected to do, everyone do their job and not try to do anything special.''
http://accesswdun.com/article/2005/1/142298