Q3 15:00: Matt Prater’s kickoff is downed in the end zone for a touchback to start the half.
Q3 14:41: Philadelphia starts its drive with a 25-yard gain to the 45-yard line on a pass from Donovan McNabb to Jeremy Maclin. On second down, however, McNabb has a long time to throw and tries to loft a pass to DeSean Jackson, but Champ Bailey jumps the route and intercepts it. Denver will take over at midfield.
Q3 13:54: Knowshon Moreno carries for four yards on first down into Philadelphia territory, and an Eagle is down after the play. He walks off the field with the help of trainers — it was defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley. On second down, Kyle Orton is in the shotgun. he drops back and fires to Brandon Marshall, who avoids his first tackler and picks up yardage for a first down.
Q3 13:09: Philadelphia is called for a personal foul — 15 yards for a facemask by Trent Cole — giving the Broncos a first down at the 22-yard line. On the next play, Orton fakes a handoff to Moreno and fires to Marshall for a quick two-yard gain. On second down, Orton fakes a handoff to Moreno and fires again to Marshall for a first down.
Q3 11:30: Moreno takes the direct snap in the “Wild Horse” formation and picks up two yards on first down. On second down, Marshall gets a quick pass and gets inside the 10-yard line, but a penalty pushes the ball back — too many players in motion at the same time. That makes it 2nd-and-13, and Buckhalter is back in at running back. Orton fires to Tony Scheffler, but the tight end bobbles it and it is nearly intercepted after he tips it in the air.
Q3 10:30: On third down, Orton gets it to Daniel Graham, but he is hit hard and taken down at the 15-yard line. Now Prater is in to attempt a 33-yard field goal. It is up and in, and the Broncos narrow the Philadelphia lead.
EAGLES 20, BRONCOS 10
Q3 9:42: Prater’s kickoff is fielded for a touchback, so the Eagles will take over at their own 20-yard line.
Q3 9:14: LeSean McCoy picks up 11 yards before being knocked down by Brian Dawkins. On the ensuing first down, McNabb tries to find Leonard Weaver, but D.J. Williams is there in tight coverage to force an incompletion. Mario Haggan takes down McCoy after a gain of four yards, and the Eagles are faced with a 3rd-and-6. On a deep pass intended for DeSean Jackson, Champ Bailey is called for pass interference, giving Philadelphia a first down at the 24-yard line.
Q3 7:21: After a four-yard run and an incomplete pass, the Eagles have a third down. McNabb throws an incompletion under pressure, but there is a flag on the field. Once again it is on the Broncos — illegal hands to the face — which gives Philadelphia a first down. That’s the fourth first down the Eagles have been given on a penalty.
Q3 7:09: On the ensuing first down, McNabb fires a pass that is tipped by Renaldo Hill, but Jason Avant finds a way to haul it in anyway as he falls down in the end zone for a touchdown. The extra point is up and in.
EAGLES 27, BRONCOS 10
Q3 7:04: Alphonso Smith is back deep to receive the kickoff. The rookie takes it out a few yards past the 20-yard line — officially the 23-yard line.
Q3 6:59: On first down, Orton is forced to thrown an incompletion near Graham’s feet under pressure. On second down, Denver is called for a false start, backing up the line of scrimmage five yards. On 2nd-and-15 at the 18-yard line, Orton fakes a handoff to Moreno before being sacked at the 11-yard line. That makes it 3rd-and-22, and the play is a screen pass to Buckhalter. The former Eagle follows his blockers and bursts for the first down 33 yards later.
Q3 5:33: Orton finds Scheffler on the ensuing play for another first down at the Philadelphia 30-yard line — a 26-yard gain. On the next first down, Orton fires deep to the front left of the end zone under pressure, but there isn’t a receiver close. The quarterback is called for intentional grounding, making it 2nd-and-20 at the 40-yard line.
Q3 5:06: An Eagle was down after the play — cornerback Sheldon Brown — and he walks off the field flanked by trainers. The game resumes and Orton fires a pass toward the end zone with Scheffler streaking down the sideline — but Asante Samuel leaps into the air and grabs an interception before streaking back down the field into Denver territory. There is a flag on the field after the play.
Q3 4:51: Two fouls are enforced against Philadelphia after the interception. It is still the Eagles’ ball, but a 15-yard penalty on Macho Harris for launching himself into Scheffler is followed by a 5-yard penalty on Samuel for spiking the ball after the interception. Since the personal foul occured at the 4-yard line, it’s half the distance to the goal to the 2-yard line, then another half-the-distance penalty, so Philadelphia starts its drive at the 1-yard line.
Q3 4:11: McNabb fumbles the snap on first down but recovers it at the 1-yard line. Two incomplete passes later, Philadelphia punter Sav Rocca is forced to operate from the back of his own end zone. Alphonso Smith is back deep to return. He gets it to the Philadelphia 30-yard line after the 40-yard punt, but there’s a flag on the play.
Q3 3:57: A five-yard penalty on Philadelphia is marked off at the end of the run, so Denver takes over at the 25-yard line. On first down, Orton hands off to Moreno, who is dropped by two Eagles behind the line of scrimmage.
Q3 3:14: On second down, Orton finds Gaffney for a six-yard gain, and Russ Hochstein is down after the play.
Q3 3:10: Hochstein walks off the field flanked by trainers, and the Broncos have a 3rd-and-5. Orton finds Brandon Lloyd for an 8-yard gain and a first down at the 12-yard line. On the next play, he completes a pass to Marshall for a quick five-yard gain.
Q3 2:00: On 2nd-and-5, Orton gets it to Gaffney for the receiver’s second touchdown of the day. Prater’s extra point is up and in, and the gap is narrowed once again.
EAGLES 27, BRONCOS 17
Q3 1:42: This marks Gaffney’s first multi-touchdown game of his career. Prater’s kick is fielded at the 1-yard line, and Darrell Reid drills Macho Harris with an enormous hit, which forces a fumble. The Broncos recover the fumble and will take over at the Philadelphia 16-yard line.
Q3 1:16: On first down, Orton finds Marshall, but the receiver is tackled for no gain. On second down, Orton drops back and quickly finds Moreno in the middle of the field. The rookie sprints into the end zone for a touchdown, then sprints to the sideline to celebrate with Buckhalter. Prater’s extra point is up and in, and the Broncos pull to within three.
EAGLES 27, BRONCOS 24
**INJURY REPORT Hochstein has a knee injury, and is out for the remainder of the game.
Q3 0:53: McNabb’s pass is knocked down by Le Kevin Smith on first down. It was an attempted screen pass for Brian Westbrook. On second down, McNabb is in the shotgun. He takes the snap and is brought down by Vonnie Holliday for the sack. As the clock ticks down in the third quarter, the Eagles are faced with a 3rd-and-16 at their own 14-yard line. Renaldo Hill blitzes in for a third-down sack — a loss of four — to bring up a 4th-and-20 for Philadelphia at its own 10-yard line. That also brings the third quarter to a close.
Q4 14:48: Alphonso Smith is back deep to receive Rocca’s punt. He returns the 60-yard punt 21 yards to the Philadelphia 49-yard line. On first down, Orton is sacked trying to avoid pressure. That sets up 2nd-and-16 for Denver at its own 45-yard line. The ensuing play is a screen pass set up for Lloyd, who is tackled behind the line of scrimmage — a loss of two. That makes it 3rd-and-18, and the crowd is on its feet. Orton is in the shotgun, and the defense is called for a neutral zone infraction. Now it is 3rd-and-13 at the Denver 48-yard line. Orton is still in the shotgun, and the crowd is back on its feet. The quarterback launches downfield for Marshall, but the pass is broken up by Shelden Brown.
Q4 12:58: Mitch Berger punts 32 yards, and DeSean Jackson calls for a fair catch at the 20-yard line.
Q4 12:22: On first down, McNabb hands off to Weaver, who fights through some tackles before being tackled after two yards. McNabb’s pass is incomplete intended for Jackson on second down, setting up 3rd-and-8. McNabb is in the shotgun, and after nearly being sacked by Dumervil, lofts a pass toward Jackson. Champ Bailey dives in to break up the pass at the last second, however, forcing a punt. Bailey is down after the play, however.
Q4 12:09: Bailey walks off the field flanked by trainers, and Smith is back to return the punt. There are flags on the play after the 49-yard punt. It’s a personal foul for a facemask on the Eagles, moving the start of the drive to the Denver 47-yard line.
Q4 11:59: On first down, Buckhalter takes a carry for about three yards. On second down, Orton finds Gaffney, who turns outside and sets up a 3rd-and-2 at the Philadelphia 45-yard line. Orton avoids pressure and fires to a sliding Lloyd, who can’t haul it in. Berger is in to punt, and Jackson awaits inside his 10-yard line. Berger skies it and Jackson calls for a fair catch at the 19-yard line.
Q4 10:50: McNabb is in the shotgun on first down with Westbrook to his left. It’s a handoff to the running back, who is tackled by Holliday after a gain of two. On second down, the Eagles change formation and McNabb tries to throw downfield to Maclin, but Andre’ Goodman is there to help break it up and the ball squirts loose as the receiver hits the ground. Philadelphia calls its first timeout of the half.
Q4 10:00: On 3rd-and-9, McNabb drops back in the shotgun and finds Reggie Brown, but it’s short of the first down. That brings a punt on 4th-and-1 from the 28-yard line. The punt sails out of bounds at the Denver 44-yard line — a 28-yard punt.
Q4 9:30: A 5-yard pickup by Moreno on a first-down screen pass is followed by a Moreno run, which picks up three more yards. Now it’s 3rd-and-2 at the Philadelphia 48-yard line. Orton is in the shotgun, and Denver calls its first timeout of the half.
Q4 8:40: Orton avoids pressure and finds Gaffney yet again, who gets down to the Philadelphia 30-yard line for a first down. On the next play, Orton quickly fires to Lloyd, who dives forward for a yard. That makes it 2nd-and-9, and Orton gets it to Marshall, but the receiver is tackled behind the line of scrimmage.
Q4 6:50: On 3rd-and-13 at the 33-yard line, Orton is in the shotgun. He gets it to Buckhalter as he is nearly sacked, and the running back scrambles to the 28-yard line. It’s not a first down, but it shortens the Prater field goal attempt. The kicker is on the field for a 46-yard attempt — and it sails through the middle of the uprights to tie the game.
BRONCOS 27, EAGLES 27
Q4 5:57: David Bruton forces a fumble on the kickoff return, but the Eagles recover, and they will begin their drive at the 30-yard line. McNabb fakes a handoff and looks downfield, but Dumervil streaks into the backfield for his second sack of the day. He now owns the Broncos’ single-season franchise record for sacks with 17.
Q4 5:21: A false start penalty on the Eagles makes it 2nd-and-25 from the 15-yard line. McNabb is in the shotgun, and Dumervil bull rushes his blocker into the quarterback to knock him down as he lets a pass fly. The pass is high and incomplete out of bounds, bringing up third down. On third down, he scrambles out of the pocket, picks up 27 yards on a run and sets up a first down at the Philadelphia 42-yard line.
Q4 4:21: A two-yard run by Westbrook is followed by an incomplete pass intended for Maclin. That makes it 3rd-and-8 at the 44-yard line, and McNabb is in the shotgun. He completes it to Maclin, but it looks to be short of the first-down marker. The crowd is clamoring for the offense to stay on the field on 4th-and-1, but Rocca is in to punt.
Q4 3:08: A flag comes before the punt for delay of game, but the refs waive it off, saying, “We were a little slow spotting the ball for fourth down.” After the punt, the Broncos have a first down at their own 9-yard line.
Q4 3:00: Buckhalter picks up one yard on first down. On second down, Orton drops back into the shotgun. He finds Lloyd for a first down, but a flag is down — holding on the Broncos. Half the distance to the goal, 2nd-and-14.
Q4 2:18: Orton finds Gaffney again, but the receiver is taken down at the 10-yard line, making it 3rd-and-9 on the other side of the two-minute warning.
Q4 2:00: Orton is in the shotgun on 3rd-and-9. He takes the snap, drops back, avoids pressure and then scrambles out of the pocket and tries to pick up the first down on a run. He’s short of the first down, but there’s a flag on the play — holding on the offense. The penalty is declined, fourth down. Berger is in to punt. It is fielded by Jackson, but there is a flag on the field — but then it’s picked up by the refs, so the Eagles have a 1st-and-10 at the Denver 42-yard line.
Q4 1:05: After a two-yard run by McCoy, McNabb takes the snap in shotgun. He fires for Maclin, but it is ruled incomplete. The booth elects to challenge it, however.
Q4 0:59: The refs overturn the call and give the Eagles a first down at the 13-yard line after the completion. Westbrook takes a carry but is brought down immediately, then Denver call its second timeout of the half.
Q4 0:52: On second down, Weaver picks up three yards and Denver call its final timeout of the game. Philadelphia has a 3rd-and-7 at the 10-yard line.
Q4 0:07: McNabb takes the third down snap and takes a knee in the middle of the field for no gain, bringing up fourth down. Philadelphia calls a timeout, and David Akers it on to attempt a field goal.
Q4 0:04: Akers hits the 28-yard field goal and the eagles lead the game by three.
EAGLES 30, BRONCOS 27
Q4 0:00: The game is over after the Broncos attempt a few laterals on the kickoff return, but the game comes to a close after a Bronco is tackled out of bounds. Denver falls to 8-7, and the Kansas City Chiefs head to INVESCO Field at Mile High for the regular-season finale.
-Gray Caldwell, DenverBroncos.com
Tags: Philadelphia Eagles, Second Half, Week 16

Holding
no hold
of course they’re gonna call holding here….
Stupid penalties
darn! come on guys
we need a first down bad!
Come on Orton!
why did he run backwards. come on gaff
Let’s pick this first down up.
I dunno if the O can do it
this is so frustrating!
We need this one.
really a holding call now?
Hey it’s better than 3rd and 1… cause we know we can’t pick that up.
why do the officials (sorry for the profanity) wait to make those calls and then only on us?
he lost at least a yd there! just duck your head and get what you can. stop dancin!
Come on Orton, get a first down
The Ref’s chose the Eagles
holding again
well he tried to run it.
seriously these officials need knee pads
they are blowing it
Thats game
was that really a hold i didnt see it!
we need a miracle here. they are going to have GREAT field position!
if this penalty is on us
horrible punt
cmon boys
oh wait it was waived off must’ve been on the Eagles then
PLEASE DEFENSE? give us a miracle here!
INT, FUMBLE, something
This is just a ridiculous if we end up losing
were gonna loose by 3
whew!!
out of bounds!!!!!
It was a catch
thats a catch
he didnt have possesion. it was movin!!
that’s a catch, and the game….DANG IT!
Game over
No Catch!!!!!! C’mon Santa give us our gift already
only his left foot was down
it was moving didnt have control
he had both feet down but when he finally got possession right foot not down??!!!
Oh well our Offense lost it for us again
we’re gonna need a fumble now
ball was moving so no overturn
Of course it will go to the Eagles, the ref’s have done it all day
Wow, Referees are no good at all
c’mon how many times can we get hosed by the officials