Eagles Soar in Battle of the Birds

The Atlanta Falcons held Duce Staley in check but had no answers for Donovan McNabb and Brian Mitchell.

McNabb passed for a career-high 311 yards and two touchdowns and the defense turned in a dominant effort as the Philadelphia Eagles routed the Falcons, 38-10.

McNabb completed 30-of-44 passes to 10 different receivers in his first career 300-yard game. He connected on a 70-yard scoring strike to Torrance Small that put the Eagles (3-2) on top 14-0 early in the third quarter and added an 11-yard TD toss to Charles Johnson that pushed the lead to 24-7 midway through the fourth.

McNabb also rushed seven times for 57 yards.

`What we tried to do is come with a balanced attack,` he said. `They did a great job stopping us on the run, which led us to pass more. This is the second game in a row we had all our receivers and tight ends healthy. The offensive line did a great job up front.`

Since lighting up the Dallas Cowboys for 201 rushing yards in the season opener, Staley has been the focus of opposing defenses and his statistics have suffered. He was held to 28 yards on 11 carries before leaving early in the fourth quarter with a sprained foot. He has combined for 143 yards in the last foru games.

The Eagles` defense completely shut down the Falcons (2-3), who managed only 200 yards from scrimmage, including 83 in the first three quarters. Chris Chandler had a miserable night, completing just 14-of-34 passes for 151 yards. The Falcons` lone touchdown came on a 70-yard punt return by Tim Dwight. Morten Anderson added a late field goal with the outcome already decided.

Atlanta`s Jamal Anderson did little to dispel concerns surrounding his surgically repaired right knee, gaining 47 yards on 19 carries. The star running back is still trying to regain his form of 1998, when he led the NFC with 1,846 yards. He has gained 300 on 87 attempts this season.

The Eagles were 8-of-14 on third-down conversions, while Atlanta was 2-of-13.

`They beat us in every phase of the game,` Falcons coach Dan Reeves said. `I`ve been involved a few times, in fact too many times, where I have been embarrassed. I feel responsible. This is as low as I`ve felt in quite a while. We have to continue to work. We`re not going to quit.`

Mitchell turned in one of the best all-around performances of the NFL season, accounting for 290 yards of total offense. He rushed for 105 yards on two carries, had 150 return yards, including an 89-yard touchdown on a kickoff, and added 35 receiving yards.

`That is why we have Brian Mitchell here -- as a spare Duce,` McNabb said. `We have asked a lot of Duce and you need someone to help him out. We feel very confident with Brian coming in and helping with the passing game as well.`

`I had two good runs where basically nobody touched me,` Mitchell said. `It was wide open and I think the guys did a great job. I had the easy job of just running up the field. `We did it as a team.`

Mitchell has 11 touchdown returns, tying Eric Metcalf`s NFL record.

The Eagles scored 32 points in the second half, accounting for 317 of their 502 total yards.

Philadelphia moved into a three-way tie for first place in the NFC East with Washington and the New York Giants.

David Akers, who had three field goals, opened the scoring with a 39-yarder and added a 38-yarder in the waning moments of the first half, giving Philadelphia a 6-0 lead.

Mitchell was instrumental in the first score, returning the opening kickoff 46 yards. McNabb completed two 19-yard passes to Small to set up the second field goal.

Small caught four passes for 122 yards.

The Eagles drove 92 yards early in the third quarter to take a 14-0 lead. Starting from his own 10, McNabb completed a 22-yard pass to tight end Cecil Martin. Three plays later, he hooked up with Small, who streaked up the middle of the field and split both safties en route to a 70-yard touchdown.

Small also made a one-handed grab on the two-point conversion.

Dwight`s punt return with 5:11 left halved the deficit, but Dameane Douglas returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards, setting up a 20-yard field goal by Akers that extended the Eagles` lead to 17-7.

`Making a big play like that gets some momentum back, then they come back with a kickoff return that gives them great field position,` Dwight said. `This doesn`t seem like the Eagles of old. They`ve evolved into a good (football team).`

Philadelphia took complete control in the fourth quarter.

McNabb`s 11-yard strike to Johnson capped a nine-play, 85-yard drive made it 24-7. After a field goal by Andersen, Mitchell returned the kickoff 89 yards for his first touchdown of the evening. He broke off an 85-yard TD run with 1:52 left.

`The whole nation was watching us and we made a point,` Mitchell said. `We didn`t want to go out there and have teams say that (Philadelphia) is the place to go. After tonight`s game, I think they are going to start wondering about coming into this stadium.`

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Author: AP