The unthinkable happened. No, Not that. The Cardinals did not win again as they did last year, 21-20 at Veteran's Stadium. Actually, the Eagles won rather easily , 38-14. On the third play from scrimmage, Donovan McNabb was hurt as he was hit and sacked by Cardinals linebacker LaVar Woods and safety Adrian Wilson. His offensive line immediately rushed over and stood over him as he lay in pain on the turf. McNabb would come back on the next Eagles' possession, but the actual result later would rveal a broken ankle that would sideline him for the next 6 weeks. That would mean that the Eagles would count on Koy Detmer for the rest of the regular season. I guess you can kiss the homefield advantage away and any real hopes of the Birds getting back to the NFC Championship Game and a chance to play in San Diego on Jan. 26. Now their goal appears to just make the playoffs. The Eagles should still finish in first place in the East. They will need some help throughout to still gain the homefield advantage or even a first-round bye. Even if Donovan comes back healthy in the playoffs, it would be very hard to win on the road in either Tampa Bay, San Francisco and especially in Green Bay. Remember, Green Bay is an all-time 13-0 at home in the playoffs.

Well, back to the present game. Donovan McNabb came back despite not knowing that he had a broken ankle. He was in one simple word, awesome. He was forced to be a pocket passer due to his limited mobility. McNabb threw 20-for-25 with 5 touchdown passes, all on one leg. The Eagles improved to 7-3 overall, 6-0 in the NFC. New York beat the Redskins to stay 1 game back. The Eagles running game was also unstoppable as Duce Staley rushed for 136 yards on 31 carries, while Dorsey Levins added another 57 yards on 7 carries. McNabb rushed zero times for the first time since he became a starter back in 1999. One week after a bad loss to the Colts where McNabb did not throw his first TD until the closing minutes of the game, Donovan threw 5 TD passes and rushed zero times. Unbelievable. But, on one leg, he had no choice but to throw the ball or hand it off to his backs. With the game close in the second quarter, McNabb connected with Todd Pinkston on a 27-yard TD catch to give the Birds a 21-14 lead. After the Cards went 3-and-out on their next possession, McNabb led the Eagles downfield for another TD and 28-14 halftime lead. It was a short pass to Duce Staley who took the ball the distance from the Cards 45-yard line.

After halftime, the Cards never even had a chance. The Eagles added a quick 34-yard FG off the foot of David Akers to increase the lead to 31-14. Donovan McNabb threw his fifth TD pass to Duce Staley just minutes into the fourth quarter for a 38-14 lead. The Eagles defense did the rest, shutting down Jake Plummer and his comeback offense. But in the end, the Eagles lost more than just a QB. They lost their $115 Million Dollar franchise player in Donovan McNabb. They lost his potential for the big play that nobody else in the NFL seems to do, except for Michael Vick. The Eagles, if they survive and make the playoffs are gonna have to have the rest of the 52 players step up and make the big plays. Eagles backup linebacker Ike Reese said it best, "We have 53 players on this team and every one of them is going to have to step it up." That will be especially true next week as the Eagles travel to San Francisco on Monday night. It will be their third and final Monday night game of the season. The Eagles have won eight straight prime-time games since a loss to the Cowboys on a Monday night game in 1998. That streak will be severly tested next week. Koy Detmer will get his first start in 5 years.