Memorable! Ravens 23 Eagles 24

Now this felt like a big game of football! In the future, I may look back at this game as a key moment in my supporting career.  So, aside from the Eagles winning, what made this a memorable game? And what do we want from our sport's matches in order to make them memorable?  Here is my take on those questions, using last Sunday night as the template...

For a start, I spent large chunks of the weekend thinking about the match-up; Could we beat a SuperBowl contender? Could we improve on Week 1's mediocre display? This was a step up from my nonchalant approach to the previous match and was far more akin to my "pre Gillingham" mood.  Whilst I wasn't attending the game so couldn't experience the pre-match atmosphere, I did feel as though my build-up to the game was a notch up from the previous week.

Come 6pm, I was really looking forward to the game, but feeling a tad apprehensive. It soon became clear why..after a few nice plays, Michael Vick throw a familiar looking pick and the Eagles momentum disappeared quicker than you can say "Just throw it away!".  Hmm, it was looking like a long evening.  The overcoming of adversity is another vital ingredient in a memorable game.  We all enjoy an easy win, but unless it is a record breaking one or against a close rival, it is soon forgotten.  Winning against the odds in so much sweeter, it's why fans love "giant killing".  Just 2 days ago, Gillingham beat Southend 1-0 and it was the most memorable game of the season so far. Why?  Because we played the entire second half with 10 men and overcame the odds to cling on to the victory.

The Eagles once again defended outstandingly and at were level at 7-7 after the first quarter.  As with Week 1, I wasn't getting overly excited by the Eagles scoring.  I guess that's where the NFL differs from (eg) football - an early goal could be a vital goal winning effort, but an early touchdown, whilst useful, rarely is enough.  For a start, it hands possession to the opposition so there's always a twinge of apprehension.  It's late in the game that the NFL turns the excitement level up high..but we'll get to that in a bit..

More turnovers from the Eagles, and a lovely pass from Joe Flacco meant we were 17-7 down at half time and I was fearing the worst.  Encouragingly, I was caring a lot more than the previous week. I was genuinely disappointed during the interval and whilst defeat wouldn't have meant the end of the season, it would have been a firm sign that the Eagles weren't good enough.  One common thread throughout the half had been errors from the replacement referees.  Numerous flags were thrown, random brawls broke out and the refs completely lost control of the game.  In this instance the errors became annoying, but generally speaking I do enjoy controversy in my sporting encounters.  If the controversy is against our team, all the better.  

If the Eagles do reach the Play Offs, then the second half of this game will be seen as a key turning point.  It wasn't flawless, but the performance was markedly improved.  The defence shut down Baltimore's passing game and slowly got on top of the game. The crowd got more into the game and consequently so did I.  Atmosphere goes a long in defining the mood of a game.  My most memorable Gillingham matches have all involved a fantastic crowd atmosphere, and even if the on field action hasn't been the best, you still fondly remember the game. Gillingham's 1996 promotion season was full of 1-0 wins and long ball football, but it was played out in front of full houses.  I'm pretty sure I wouldn't remember a 1-0 victory over Plymouth (Thanks to a penalty!) if it wasn't for the amazing atmosphere in the ground!  Similarly in Philadelphia, the atmosphere at Lincoln Financial Field really helped make this game more memorable for me.

The Eagles improvement was typified by DeMeco Ryans and rookies Mychael Kendricks and Fletcher Cox.  They were everywhere making tackles, deflecting balls and just stopping the Ravens from generate much offence.  This performance was typified by a superb sack from Ryans that left Flacco on the turf almost 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
On the other side of the ball, Vick was finally getting his game together and finding his targets.  This was highlighted by a 47 yard bomb that DeSean Jackson somehow managed to catch by the sideline despite being pounded by a flat out Ed Reed.  It is individual moments like those from Ryans and Jackson that fans remember in years to come.  Moments that change the momentum of a game and get everyone off their seats.

Despite the improved performance, the Eagles were still trailing heading into the final few minutes.  If last season saw the birth of Tebow Time, then maybe 2012 will be known for Vick Time! For the second week in a row, he led the Eagles down-field for the game winning score.  In fact, this time he even ran the ball in himself.  We all love a late winner and the Eagles have now got 2 in a row.  By now, I was feeling like a proper Eagles fan and jumping around my living room like a lunatic.  However, the Ravens still had 90 seconds to get the ball within field goal range and attempt to win it.  But, once again the Eagles defence held strong and amid a cacophony of noise they held up the Ravens in midfield and completed a thrilling 1 point victory.

That is certainly a game I'll remember for a very long time.  In short it had a big build up, adversity, controversy, atmosphere, individual moments and a late winner.  Exactly what I want from my sports matches and a massive moment for me in my Eagle supporting life.  Oh, and remember at the start I mentioned that this had "almost" all of the ingredients of a memorable game.  All that was missing from this game was that there wasn't a title riding on the outcome, let's hope that box gets ticked later on this season!


Two games in and the Eagles are 2-0, coupled with Gillingham's top of the table position this represents a brilliant time for me as a supporter. Let's hope it can continue for a long time.
This week the Eagles take on the unbeaten Cardinals in a tough looking match-up in Arizona.  I'll be back next week to look at that and also my Sunday evening NFL watching experience as a whole.