PHILADELPHIA _ There were still 22 minutes left on Christmas night when Jake Elliott's 48-yard field goal cut through the wind and the frigid Philadelphia air to deliver Eagles fans the gift they wanted all week: The No. 1 seed in the postseason.
Elliott's field goal with 22 seconds remaining sealed the Eagles' 19-10 win over the Oakland Raiders in an ugly game at Lincoln Financial Field, although it was cornerback Ronald Darby who made the game's biggest play with a diving interception in the final minute to give the Eagles possession at midfield to set up Elliott's game-winning kick.
The Eagles moved to 13-2 and clinched the No. 1 seed with the win, ensuring that any path to the Super Bowl goes through Philadelphia. But it's fair to wonder how far down that path they'll go with the way Nick Foles and the offense played Monday.
Even though Foles drove the Eagles 17 yards to set up the field goal, it was the defense that carried the Eagles against the Raiders. They forced five second-half turnovers to spoil Raiders scoring opportunities and bail out an Eagles offense that mustered only 216 total yards.
Darby's interception was the one that mattered most. The Raiders took over possession at their 46-yard line with 67 seconds remaining, close enough that a few completions would put them in field goal range. Darby jumped in front of Amari Cooper to give the offense a chance. Foles relied on a few short passes, which wasn't a given during a night when Foles finished 19 of 38 for 163 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
The Eagles recovered a fumble and ran it in for a touchdown when the Raiders tried for a miracle last-second touchdown to give them a nine-point win.
It was a step back from last week, but the win counts the same. Zach Ertz was the leading receiver with nine catches for 81 yards. Jay Ajayi was the top rusher with 52 yards. It's not yet known whether the Eagles will play their starters next week against the Dallas Cowboys.
The scoring in the final minute capped a second half that wasn't the best representation of either team. Both teams kicked field goals to make it 10-10 at the end of the third quarter, although it was far more suspenseful than the score column suggested. After the Raiders ran seven of eight plays on the opening drive before settling for a 25-yard field goal, the offenses were mostly listless for the remainder of the quarter. They were also sloppy during a sequence when there were three turnovers in 30 seconds.
Patrick Robinson seemed to shift momentum when he jumped in front Seth Roberts on Derek Carr's pass and returned it to the Raiders' 44-yard line to give the offense a good scoring opportunity. But the Raiders took the ball right back when Jay Ajayi was stripped at the end of a 14-yard rush, thwarting that scoring chance.
Fans were cheering before they could finish voicing their displeasure. On the Raiders' first play, Vinny Curry and Mychal Kendricks knocked the ball away from Lynch and Rodney McLeod recovered the fumble to give Foles the ball back at the 30-yard line. The offense didn't turn the ball over, but it didn't score a touchdown. Foles and the offense could muster only 13 yards, and Jake Elliott's 35-yard field goal tied the game.
The same ping-ponging of turnovers continued in the fourth quarter. After the Raiders missed a 48-yard field goal, Pederson called a high-percentage pass for Foles. Foles still threw an interception. He sailed a short dump-off pass to Ertz too high, and safety Reggie Nelson caught the deflection to give Oakland the ball back in Eagles territory. The defense responded again � this time, when Malcolm Jenkins stripped Raiders running back Jalen Richard at the 16-yard line to preserve the tied score before the final minute.
The Eagles scored on their second drive of the game when they went 58 yards on 11 plays, including nine rushes. That set up a 17-yard touchdown on a screen pass to Ajayi, and it appeared that the Eagles could overpower the Raiders. But that didn't happen, and the Eagles couldn't score again until late in the third quarter.
The Raiders tied the game when Carr hit Amari Cooper on a 63-yard touchdown after cornerback Jalen Mills bit on a slant-and-go pattern by Cooper to leave Cooper uncovered for the easy score. It was the same type of pattern that the New York Giants hurt the Eagles with last week, and it won't be the last time the Eagles see it this season. Opposing offensive coordinators could try to burn the aggressive cornerbacks with the same pattern come playoff time.
The Eagles spoiled a scoring opportunity at the end of the second quarter when the drove to the red zone on 14 plays, but Foles couldn't convert a third-and-4 from the 15-yard line and Elliott's 33-yard field goal blew right with the wind.
Elliott had another chance on the side of the field in the fourth quarter and made it count. And with that kick, the Eagles won't have to travel again this season unless they make it to the Super Bowl.
