McNabb returns to stun Philly.
Returning to the place where he spent 10 years as a franchise player, Donovan McNabb led his new team – the Washington Redskins – to a dramatic 17-12 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday evening.
It was the return he would have been dreaming of, throwing for 125 yards and one touchdown turning pre-game cheers into boos helping the Redskins improve to a 2-2 record on the season.
The talking point of the game, however, was the injury to Michael Vick who was forced out of the game following a 30-yard run which resulted in him being crushed by two Redskins defensemen. The run was all-the-more painful for Vick, as not only did he suffer a rib injury but the play was called back for a penalty.
That allowed Kevin Kolb to enter the game - after he lost his starting job to Vick because of his own injury – but couldn’t help the Eagles claim a much needed home victory despite throwing for 201 yards and one touchdown. The Eagles are still winless at home this season.
Redskins coach Mike Shanahan was delighted with the way his team played and were able to establish their running game.
"You get into a throwing game especially here, in this environment with the crowd, usually you're in for a long day, so you have to establish the run,” the manager said.
That running game came in the form of Ryan Torain, Clinton Portis and McNabb who rushed for a combined 164 yards.
"The relief I got was that this is over, that the whole hoopla and coming back to Philadelphia is over," McNabb said.
"You realize you spent 11 years here and I knew it was coming. I didn't expect them to cheer the whole game. That wouldn't be right. I was happy with the way they gave me a standing ovation at the beginning. I think all of the quarterbacks got booed today,” he added.
McNabb’s only touchdown pass of the game came in the first quarter when he found Chris Cooley down the middle for a 31-yard score.
The Redskins are now 2-0 in the NFC East, a position they haven’t been in at the start of the season since 1995.
Tags: