McNabb Strong in Eagle Win

For one game, at least, Donovan McNabb proved he was the right pick for the Philadelphia Eagles,

Philadelphia`s Torrence Small had five catches for 74 yards during Sunday`s victory.

He did it against the NFL`s top-rated pass defense and in front of running back Ricky Williams, whom many Eagles fans wanted instead of McNabb in the 1999 draft.

"I never had a problem with losing my confidence," said McNabb, the No. 2 overall pick, three spots ahead of Williams. "For me to come out and play this way and lead our team to victory is important."

McNabb completed 20 of 32 passes and picked up 25 yards on the ground to help the Eagles snap a two-game losing streak.

He hit Chad Lewis with a 16-yard touchdown pass at the beginning of the second quarter to tie the score at 7. Twenty seconds later, after Williams fumbled, McNabb hooked up with Charles Johnson for a 21-yard TD pass.

"He showed his great mobility out there, didn`t let all the Saints` pressure take him out of the game," Eagles offensive coordinator Rod Dowhower said of McNabb.

The Eagles (2-2) managed the first-half TDs despite the Saints` strong defense, which limited Philadelphia to 270 total yards and 14 first downs.

Brian Mitchell added a touchdown for the Eagles late in the third quarter with a 72-yard punt return.

Williams, meanwhile, had his second straight 100-yard rushing game but fumbled twice, losing both. He finished with 103 yards on 20 carries and caught six passes for 47 yards.

"Any time you turn the ball over it`s costly," Williams said. "It`s my job to hold onto the football. I think I pretty much gave them 10 points by myself."

The Saints are 0-4 in games in which Williams runs for 100 yards.

Philadelphia shut down the Saints for the final 3 quarters, allowing only quarterback Jeff Blake`s 10-yard touchdown run midway through the first period. The Eagles had five sacks against Blake, who finished 19-of-39 for 168 yards.

"I can`t understand it," Blake said. "We had the ball almost 20 minutes in the first half. They only had the ball 11 minutes in the first half. But we had a couple of turnovers, a couple of fumbles, a tipped ball. I just couldn`t understand whey we couldn`t get in the end zone or at least in field-goal range."

The Eagles went into the game searching for offense. After Duce Staley led the way in a 41-14 victory over Dallas in the season-opener, the Eagles scored just 21 points in the next two games.

In stepped McNabb, taken in a draft that included quarterbacks Tim Couch, Daunte Culpepper, Akili Smith, Cade McNown and Shaun King. Until Sunday, McNabb had been the only one of the six without a big game.

His best previous performance was against Washington last season when he was 16-of-28 for 172 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

For most of the first quarter against the Saints, it looked as if McNabb and company would struggle again.

The Eagles had gained just 1 yard when they started the final drive of the period with three minutes left to play. Before the quarter ended, the Eagles had gained 60 yards of the 88-yard touchdown drive that gave them their first points.

On New Orleans` next possession, Williams fumbled and Philadelphia`s Troy Vincent picked it up, giving the Eagles first down on the Saints` 21. Five seconds later, McNabb hit Johnson.

Mitchell`s TD run was the third longest scoring return (95 and 93 yards) against the Saints this season. He would have had another one, but his 94-yard run on a first-quarter kick was nullified by a holding penalty.

Staley, who had at least 100 yards in two of the first three games, finished with 50 total yards, including 44 yards on 18 carries.

New Orleans (1-3) entered the game averaging just 16 points despite having the NFC`s fifth leading rusher in Williams. The Saints didn`t help themselves Sunday, gaining only 282 total yards.

Game notes Philadelphia was New Orleans` second straight home sellout. The last time the Superdome was sold out for consecutive Saints` games was in 1993. ... Staley entered the game with 54 percent of the Eagles` offense (453 of 853 yards). He finished last year with 41 percent of the team`s yards, the highest percentage in the league...

Joe Horn went into the game leading the NFC with 24 catches. The Saints haven`t had a player lead the NFC or NFL in receptions since Danny Abramowicz in 1969. ... Injuries _ Saints: DE Joe Johnson, strained right calf, WR Joe Horn, left knee sprain. Eagles: OL Jermane Mayberry, toe. (Courtesy Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2000.)

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Author: AP