Mcnabb Injury Makes A Tough Job Even Harder
Eagles face the undefeated Patriots with status of signal-caller day-to-day.
PHILADELPHIA — With or without Donovan McNabb, beating the undefeated New England Patriots would be a monumental task for the Philadelphia Eagles.
McNabb sprained his right ankle and injured the thumb on his throwing hand in a victory over winless Miami. His status is day to day, and it’s possible the Eagles might not know whether McNabb or backup A.J. Feeley will start at New England on Sunday night until shortly before kickoff.
Not exactly the best way to prepare for an opponent that’s dismantled nearly everyone it’s played on its way to becoming the 10th team since 1970 to start a season 10-0.
The Patriots are winning by an average margin of 25.4 points, including nine victories by more than 17 points. They’ve scored more than 34 points nine times, and their only close game of the season was a 24-20 win in Indianapolis.
“Every team can be beaten, that’s a given,” safety Brian Dawkins said after an ugly 17-7 victory over the Dolphins evened Philly’s record for the first time this season. “There’s no team that’s played the game that can’t be beaten. We, as a team, want to go in there and do what we can so we can get a win up there.”
It won’t be easy, especially with uncertainty at quarterback and a banged-up secondary that could be down to its third-string strong safety.
Quintin Mikell sprained a knee ligament against Miami in his second game since replacing the injured Sean Considine, who is out for the season. If Mikell can’t play against the Patriots, J.R. Reed would make his first career start in a meaningful game, and Marcus Paschal would make his NFL debut.
If Mikell plays, three-fourths of Philly’s secondary will be less than full strength. Free safety Dawkins and cornerback Lito Sheppard still are recovering from injuries that forced them to miss nine games combined.
Tom Brady could have yet another spectacular performance throwing to Randy Moss, former Eagles wideout Donte’ Stallworth and his other weapons against this group.
“They’re throwing the ball around,” Eagles coach Andy Reid said. “They spread you out and they’re throwing it. They’re doing a nice job of it. They’re doing it as well as anyone I’ve seen right now.”
Only once this season, a 56-21 win over Detroit in Week 3, has Philadelphia shown it can match New England’s offensive output.
The Patriots are putting up those inflated numbers on a weekly basis. The only way to keep New England from lighting up the scoreboard is to keep Brady and company on the sideline.
Philadelphia’s best chance to prevent a lopsided loss and stay close is to overuse Brian Westbrook. The dynamic halfback had career highs in yards rushing (148) and carries (32) against Miami. The Eagles will have to rely on him to move the offense and work the clock right from the start.
When McNabb went down for the season last year, Westbrook carried the load and Jeff Garcia was efficient, helping the Eagles win the NFC East. If Feeley starts, the Eagles probably will emphasize the running game more. That would improve their chances of success.
The teams haven’t met since New England beat Philadelphia 24-21 in the Super Bowl in February 2005. But this hardly is a rematch. There currently are 17 Patriots and 14 Eagles left from those teams.
