Rodgers, Green Bay send Vick, Eagles packing

PHILADELPHIA - Mike McCarthy gave the kind of answer that could turn up in a beer commercial.

"Milestone?" he said, wincing in confusion, with the kind of voice inflection usually associated with other one-word questions such as "Practice?" or "Playoffs?"

"We don't think about it that way," the Packers' coach added after gathering his composure following a question about the significance of Aaron Rodgers' first playoff victory. "We're just getting started."

The Packers, seeded sixth, looked as though they still have plenty of football to play in yesterday's 21-16 win over the Eagles.

Rodgers completed 18 of 27 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns, the defense contained Michael Vick and his assortment of speedy cohorts, and the team that lost its star running back in the first game of the season in Philly in September might have found his replacement. James Starks ran for 123 yards, shattering the Packers' postseason record for a rookie.

But it was Rodgers who won the game not with his stats but with his poise and patience, two elements that trickled down through the entire team. While the Eagles relied on quick-strike capabilities, the Packers were able to grind out scoring drives of 68, 57 and 80 yards that averaged 11 plays and just over six minutes of possession. And in Rodgers' third season as Green Bay's starting QB, Cheesehead patience has paid off. He finally has that postseason win to begin building his legacy.

That won't be enough for them to name Aaron Rodgers Avenue in Green Bay, but he'll go for playoff win No. 2 on Saturday at top-seeded Atlanta.

The Packers scored their final points with 7:33 left in the third quarter, but they were big ones. The Eagles had forced Rodgers to fumble deep in his own territory on the first possession of the second half and converted the turnover into a touchdown that made it 14-10. The Packers responded by going 80 yards on 11 plays, capped by a play that oozed patience.

Rodgers swung a screen pass to Brandon Jackson, but instead of charging ahead, he waited for his blockers en route to a 16-yard TD and a 21-10 lead. "He saw us coming and he had enough awareness to let us set up the blocks," guard Daryn Colledge said. "I think a lot of guys would probably have taken the 5 or so yards and been happy, but he made a veteran move . . . That's a credit to him."

After that, it was up to the Packers' defense. A second missed field goal by the usually reliable David Akers, this one from 34 yards with 13:05 left, helped that cause. "We can all count," Eagles coach Andy Reid said of the two missed field goals in a five-point loss. "Those points would have helped."

The Eagles scored with 4:02 left, with Vick stretching the ball just over the goal line to make it 21-16. But a two-point conversion pass from Vick to Brent Celek was waved off because Celek had stepped out of bounds before the reception. Philly tried again from the 7, but Vick had to throw the ball away to avoid a sack.

The Eagles' season ended when Vick threw another one away. His floater with 33 seconds left was intercepted by Tramon Williams in the end zone.

Vick said he tried to do too much on that pass. Failing to show the patience displayed by Rodgers, Vick forced it, and now his season is over.

"I feel like I got greedy and took a shot at the end zone and didn't throw the right ball I wanted to throw and got picked off," Vick said. "It's a bad way to go out, but hey, I went out swinging."